MADISON, Wis. – The Concordia Wisconsin men's volleyball team found itself in a five-set battle on Saturday afternoon at Edgewood. The Eagles earned a key Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) victory with a 25-13, 23-25, 21-25, 25-23, 15-11 win. The loss sends Concordia to 2-14 on the year and 2-5 in the conference.
The Eagles never trailed in the first set and used an early lead to take the opener, 25-13.
The second set proved to be a battle that featured 17 ties and eight lead changes. Neither team was able to build much momentum with the largest lead for either side being a 12-10 Edgewood advantage. Tied at 22, the Falcons grabbed the late lead with a kill from sophomore Reid Scott (Chandler, Ariz.). Concordia pushed the lead to two with a service ace from sophomore Owen Kolozsy (Carol Stream, Ill.). The Eagles cut the lead in half, but senior Tate Miller (Anthem, Ariz.) ended the set at 25-23 with a kill.
The Falcons built an early lead in the third set and used the serve of Miller to help spark a 10-4 advantage. Concordia pushed the lead to six points at 15-9 and again at 19-13 before Edgewood surged back to trim the CUW lead to 22-21. The Falcons showed no panic and closed the set on a 3-0 run to take the 2-1 lead in the match.
Momentum swayed back and forth in the fourth set. The Falcons held the lead for much of the set and led 11-8 following a service ace from sophomore Parker Butterfass (Shakopee, Minn.). Three straight service aces gave the Eagles the lead for the first time in the set at 14-12 before a CUW timeout. The Falcons regained the lead at 18-17 following a block from Butterfass and Kolozsy, but that would mark the final CUW lead. A kill from Reid Scott tied the set at 21, but Edgewood won four of the final six points to force a fifth set.
Concordia raced out to an early 5-1 lead in the deciding set, but the Eagles quickly tied things at six. Scott recorded a kill to give the Falcons a 7-6 lead, but with the set tied at 10, the Red and White scored four straight points to reach match point. A Scott kill kept the match alive for one more rally before Edgewood secured the set at 15-11.
Kolozsy led the Falcons with 19 kills while hitting an impressive .324 on 37 attacks. He also paced the team with three service aces.
Sophomore Hayden Hurley (Gilbert, Ariz.) recorded a double-double with a team-high 45 assists and 14 digs.
CUW totaled nine blocks on the afternoon, with Butterfass finishing with six.
Edgewood was led by Cade Schueller with a match-high 21 kills.
The Falcons will look to bounce back on Wednesday when they travel to face Concordia Chicago.
