CHICAGO, Ill. -- The Vikings (0-2, 0-0) returned to Carlson Gymnasium on Friday night to take on the Adrian College Bulldogs (0-3, 0-0) after a tough loss last night to Edgewood University. Despite a standout offensive performance from Gerald Buhain Malana and a series of tight rallies, the Vikings move to 0-3 on the young season, unable to secure a set falling to the Bulldogs in three frames (23-25, 18-25, 19-25).
The opening set was a highly competitive affair that saw eight ties and four lead changes. North Park grabbed momentum midway through the frame behind the service of Giovanni Serafini, whose ace fueled a run that turned a deficit into a 16-14 lead. The Vikings continued to push, holding a late 22-21 lead following a service ace from Gino Hamoy, but the Bulldog's Adrian's Sam Landers delivered late to help Adrian edge out a 25-23 victory.
Adrian established an early lead in the second set, but the Vikings' defense at the net kept them within striking distance. Blocks from the duos of Adekunle Adebayo/Serafini and Kevin Motallebi/Bobby Vaughn III highlighted NPU's defensive effort. Despite these flashes, a late 10-1 run by Adrian proved too much to overcome, as the Bulldogs took the set 25-18. Looking to extend the match, North Park received a boost off the bench from Raphael de Sousa Macedo, who recorded four kills in the set. Trailing 20-14, the Vikings mounted a late charge fueled by kills from de Sousa Macedo and Serafini to close the gap to 22-19. Adrian regained their composure, however, and closed out the match with a 25-19 win.
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What's Next?
The Vikings will look to build on their defensive performance and find their first victory of the season in their upcoming match at Lakeland University on Tuesday, January 27th.
