The Vikings men’s volleyball team took on the Loras Duhawks at home on March 2, leaving the Carver Center with a hard fought four-set win. The Vikings are currently on a roll, winning their fourth straight match to improve to 5-3.The Duhawks, however, have now dropped to a 3-3 record on the season thus far.
In set one, the Vikings kept a strong lead with the help of senior outside hitter Justin Murphy and opposite Caleb Minnis, junior. Both hitters established themselves early in the match, taking set one quickly and winning 25-20 against the Duhawks.
Loras came out much stronger in set two, stepping up their serving game and finding holes on the Vikings’ side of the court. The set was neck and neck throughout, but the Duhawks took the win in a hard fought battle, scraping by with a 29-27 final score.
The loss fueled the Viking’s to step up in set three. Running the offense with 48 assists was junior Sanchit Khaitan, feeding the ball to the game’s kill leaders. Senior outside Gary Dodovich took control of this set, totaling 10 kills and one block for the whole match. The Vikings took down the Duhawks quickly, winning the set 25-17.
Although Khaitin had often been feeding the ball to pin hitters Dodovich, Minnis and Murphy, he realized the hot hand had shifted to middle blocker, junior Luis Zavala, racking up nine kills and  blocks for the Vikings.
The game went wildly back and forth in set four. The game was neck and neck for the first part, until Loras went on a 4-0 run, making the score 17-12, Duhawks. Justin Murphy stepped up to the plate by going on a four kill run, and the Vikings going on a 7-1 run, making the score 19-18, Vikings. The set was closed out at a tight 25-23, leading to a Viking match win.
The defense this match was led by senior libero, Brett Kliegl, with a notable 16 digs. With an unstoppable front row, and a strong defense behind them, the Vikings are well on their way to an impressive season.
Photo Above: Senior, Justin Murphy spikes the ball into Loras College’s territory while teammates (left to right) Junior, Luis Zavala, Senior, Gary Dodovich, Freshman, Max Sellers, and Sophomore, Jarod Hesse watch it all go down on Tuesday night in the Carver gymnasium. Photo by Mina Garner.