V-Hawks Drop to Defenders in Four Sets

LA CROSSE, Wis. -- The V-Hawk men's volleyball team hosted the RV Dordt Defenders on Tuesday night in La Crosse. Throughout the competition, the V-Hawks were able to take a set off of the Defenders. The V-Hawks eventually fell to the Defenders 3-1 after a tough competition. WIth the loss, the V-Hawks fall to 3-13 overall and remain at 2-2 in the CCAC. The Defenders improve to 15-5 overall. 

Offensively, the V-Hawks were led by Logan Amdur. Amdur put up 11 kills towards the V-Hawk efforts. Ethan Davis and Riley Connors each added seven kills to the tally as well. From the set, Logan Amdur led with 19 assists. In the back court, Roman Rzeszutko led with eight digs, and in the front court, Logan Amdur and Caleb Koza led with three blocks each. Serving, Max Dugan led the team with two aces. Logan Amdur, Leo Kangas, and Roman Rzeszutko each added an ace to the tally as well. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The V-Hawks struggled early in the first set. They went down 12-3 after a Dordt 5-0 run. The V-Hawks responded with an ace from Leo Kangas and a kill from Ethan Davis to close the gap slightly. The V-Hawks got within four points after two kills from Logan Amdur and a block from Logan Amdur and Styrk Myhre. The V-Hawks fell to the Defenders 25-19 in set one. 
• Caleb Koza got the first kill for the V-Hawks in set two, followed by an ace from Max Dugan to take the early 5-1 lead. kills from Logan Amdur, Justin Kratzenstein, and Ethan Davis gave the V-Hawks a 9-4 lead. The V-Hawks continued extending their lead, going on a 4-0 run late in the set to go up 22-11. Dordt fought back within eight, but the V-Hawks pulled away again with a kill from Owen Collitt and a block from Owen Collitt and Caleb Koza to take the second set win 25-16. 
• Dordt scored the first four points of the third set, but the V-Hawks responded with three of their own. Dordt held the slight edge at 11-9. The V-Hawks fell to a 3-0 run from Dordt, but they continued to fight with kills from Justin Kratzenstein, Logan Amdur, and Ethan Davis. The V-Hawks were within three at 17-14, but the Defenders pulled away on a 5-0 run to go up 22-14. Two points for the V-Hawks brought them within six, but Dordt won the third 25-17. 
• In the fourth set, the V-Hawks jumped to a 5-1 early lead with blocks from Caleb Koza and Justin Kratzenstein. Dordt responded, coming within one point of the V-Hawks. A kill by Justin Kratzenstein gave the V-Hawks an 8-6 lead. Dordt went on a 6-1 run to take the 12-10 lead. A Roman Rzeszutko ace put the V-Hawks at a 14-14 tie. Dordt continued to put together a series of small runs, and they pulled away from the V-Hawks at 20-16. The V-Hawks eventually fell to Dordt 25-18. 

UP NEXT

The V-Hawks will return to conference action this Thursday, March 5th. They will be competing at Trinity Christian in Illinois with a first serve set for 5pm.