V-Hawks Split Triangular Competition

LA CROSSE, Wis. -- The V-Hawk men took to the court on Saturday to compete in a triangular match, facing off against the #2 ranked Cougars of Saint Xavier in the afternoon and the Clarke Pride in the evening. The V-Hawks were swept by the Cougars in straight sets, but they turned it around to defeat the Pride in four for their second game of the day. After the weekend, the V-Hawks move to 6-16 on the season and 3-3 in conference competitions. 

Against Saint Xavier, the V-Hawks were led offensively by Riley Connors. Connors put up seven kills on a 0.294 hitting percentage. Logan Amdur led in assists with 12 on the day, and in the back court, Riley Connors also led with five digs. Defensively at the net, the V-Hawks were led by Styrk Myhre. Myhre added three blocks on the day. 

Against Clarke, the V-Hawks were led by an impressive performance from Logan Amdur. Amdur put up 14 kills on a 0.212 hitting percentage, and he also led the team in assists with 26. Ethan Davis also added eight kills. Roman Rzeszutko put up 20 assists as well. Defensively, Max Dugan led with 13 digs in the back court, while Owen Collitt led with four blocks in the front court. 

HOW IT HAPPENED (vs #2 Saint Xavier)

• The V-Hawks fell down 4-1 early after a short Saint Xavier run. A kill by Riley Connors brought some momentum back to the V-Hawks, but they remained down at 11-7. A 4-0 run from the V-Hawks with a kill from Logan Amdur and an ace from Max Dugan brought the score to a 13-13 tie. Saint Xavier took a two point lead at 18-16, but the V-Hawks responded with kills from Riley Connors and Caleb Koza to force the timeout from the Cougars. A kill from Logan Amdur kept the game at 20-20, but the Cougars responded with a 3-0 run to force the V-Hawk timeout. The V-Hawks fell in set one 25-21. 
• The V-Hawks scored the first two points of the second set with a block from Owen Collitt. The Cougars responded with a 3-0 run. The V-Hawks held the edge at 10-8, but the Cougars went on a 4-0 run to take the lead. Later, the V-Hwaks went on their own 3-0 run to tie it at 15-15. The two teams remained tied at 21-21, but the Cougars took off with the set to go up 24-21. The V-Hawks scored twice more, but the Cougars eventually took the 25-23 second set victory. 
• In the third, the Cougars opened on a 3-0 run. The V-Hawks struggled to recover the deficit, but Ethan Davis earned a kill for the V-Hawks regardless. The Cougars went on another run to force a V-Hawk timeout at 11-5. The V-Hawks continued to struggle recovering the set, going down 20-10 late in the game. Late scoring from Logan Amdur brought the V-Hawks back within eight at 22-14. Despite being down by nine at 24-15, but V-Hawks went on a 4-0 run to close the gap. The V-Hawks fell in set three 25-19 despite their efforts. 

HOW IT HAPPENED (vs Clarke) 

• The V-Hawks took the first two points of the game, marked by a block from Owen Collitt and Caleb Koza to set the tone. Later in the set, the V-Hawks remained in control, racking up kills from Logan Amdur, Ethan Davis, Owen Collitt, and Riley Connors. A Max Dugan ace gave the V-Hawks the three point lead. Clarke came back, coming within one point of the V-Hawks. The V-Hawks responded with a 4-0 run. Viterbo took the first set 25-20. 
• In the second set, Clarke jumped to the early 7-4 lead. The V-Hawks responded with a pair of kills from Logan Amdur. Later in the set, the V-Hawks strung together a 4-0 run, followed by another 4-0 run to take the lead at 17-14 after some kills from Logan Amdur and an ace from Daxton Marschall. Clarke tied the set up again at 18-18, forcing the V-Hawk timeout. The set remained tied at 23-23, but two straight points for the V-Hawks sealed the second set 25-23. 
• In the third set, Clarke jumped to a 5-1 lead quickly. Riley Connors cut their run short with a kill. Clarke continued their second set dominance on another 4-0 run, forcing a V-Hawk timeout. The V-Hawks struggled to come back in the third set, going down 16-8. A 4-1 run from the V-Hawks brought them back to 17-12 later in the set. The V-Hawks fought late with kills from Styrk Myhre and Logan Amdur, but eventually fell to the Pride 25-16 in the third. 
• The two teams remained tied for most of the early set in the fourth. The V-Hawks pulled away on a 4-0 run to take the 11-6 lead. The V-Hawks strung together another short run with Kills from Ethan Davis and Owen Collitt to take the 14-7 lead. Clarke fought back, coming within three points at 18-15, but a kill from Logan Amdur followed by a kill from Noah Diedrich kept the V-Hawk lead. Clarke was able to fight back to a 23-23 tie, but back-to-back kills from Logan Amdur finished the fourth set 25-23 in favor of the V-Hawks. 

UP NEXT

The V-Hawks will return to La Crosse on Thursday, March 19 as they take on the Fighting Bees of Saint Ambrose. The first serve is set for 6pm.