FOND DU LAC, Wis. – The North Park men's volleyball team opened their season at Marian University on Friday and Saturday, earning a season-opening win over Calvin, 3-1, before losing to The University of Olivet, 3-1, and host Marian in straight sets.
Junior outside hitter Vicente Cabrera drove five aces against Calvin in the Vikings' lone win, tying for third-most in program history and second-most in a four-set match. The 13 aces for NPU against the Knights are second-most in program history, trailing 24 they served against Fisher last season, March 18, in Boston.
Across the three matches, the Vikings hit .152 and averaged 9.9 aces per set, stymied by 45 service errors while driving 25.
2023 All-CCIW pick Ty Ingrao led the Vikings with 34 kills while senior setter Teddy Gedville and junior middle Sam Robinson each had five blocks.
Ingrao had 12 kills against Calvin while sophomore outside hitter Pablo Ocasio was the only other player to reach double-digit kills with 11. Parker Payne his an astounding .875, obtaining seven kills in eight attacks. In his 25 total swings across three matches, he totaled 13 kills and just one error: a .480 hitting percentage.
Robinson had four blocks against The University of Olivet while Gedville added three.
Additional Historical Notes:
The fourth set of the NPU vs. The University of Olivet match today was the longest in NPU MBB. The previous longest was 29-27, reached on four different occasions in the 2022 season.
What's Next?
North Park (1-2) has one more match on the road before opening up at home this coming Friday, Jan. 26, against Rockford. That away match will be played next Tuesday, Jan. 23, at IIT. First serve will be 7:00 PM.
