CHICAGO, Ill. -- The North Park University men's volleyball team earned their first home win of the season tonight with a 3-2 win (25-23, 25-22, 19-25, 18-25, 15-11) on Wednesday night.
The Vikings posted quality first and second sets, carrying hitting percentages of .333 and .375, respectively.
Through those first two sets, Arthur Barczak already amassed 11 kills and the Vikings earned 4 blocks
In the third set of the night, the Cougars woke up while the Vikings saw a streak of inconsistent hitting. Concordia-Chicago bounced back with a .345 hitting percentage while marking 3 service aces. North Park carried just a .069 hitting percentage in the set, falling 19-25.
North Park weathered the storm in the fourth set, marking a .292 hitting percentage with 10 kills and 9 digs. Yet, the Cougars posted their best set of the night with a .441 hitting percentage, 18 kills, and a pair of service aces to earn a 25-18 victory and force a fifth set.
In the final set of the night, the Cougars jumped out to a quick 4-0 after a service ace from Virgilio Rodriguez, a kill by Brian Perez, and a pair of North Park attacking errors.
After head coach Michael Sopocy called a timeout, the Vikings worked their way back into the match when Jackson Goo and Frank Mauigoa teamed up for a block and Nathan Nguyen picked up a service ace.
Two service errors and an attacking error from the Cougars also aided in the Vikings' comeback, as NPU trailed just 6-7.
Three more attacking errors, a service error, and a Nathan Nguyen kill gave the Vikings their first lead of the set, 11-10, and they didn't look back.
Tallying 4 of the next 5 points, the Vikings held on to earn a 3-2 victory and earn their first win in front of the home crowd.
Quick Hits
- Arthur Barczak set a new season-high 18 kills for the Vikings
- Nathan Nguyen was a wall yet again, marking 6 blocks
- Nguyen also picked up a pair of service aces
- Moises Zavala posted a season second-best 40 assists
What's Next?
North Park (4-11) travels to Watertown, Wisconsin on Friday, March 8, to face Maranatha Baptist University. The match is set to begin at 5:00 p.m.