CHICAGO, Ill. - North Park Men's Volleyball pushed Concordia Chicago to four sets on Thursday night. Despite a dominant opening set and several marathon frames, the Vikings, now 1-11, ultimately fell to the Cougars in four sets (25-18, 25-27, 29-31, 22-25).
North Park opened the night with authority, jumping out to a commanding 10-1 lead. The defensive duo of Giovanni Serafini and Adebayo Adekunle set the tone early with multiple blocks to stifle the Cougar attack. Jonah Johnsamson added a service ace during the run, and Jan Dragan provided consistent offense to help the Vikings secure a 25-18 victory in the opening frame. The momentum shifted in the second set as both teams traded leads. Gerald Buhain Malana kept the Vikings in the hunt with a pair of service aces, tying the score at 3-3 and 10-10. The Vikings continued to fight late into the set, but Concordia Chicago managed to edge out a 27-25 win to even the match.
The third set was a showcase of resilience by both teams, extending well beyond the standard 25 point mark. North Park's defense was anchored by libero Zachary Hayden, who recorded several of his match-high 19 digs in this frame; Hayden's 19 digs sets a new career-high in that category after setting his previous record last week against Mount Union. Despite 10 blocks as a team throughout the match, the Vikings narrowly fell 31-29 in a back-and-forth thriller. The final set remained competitive until the very end, much like the first three. Gino Hamoy continued to direct the offense, finishing the night with a career-high 27 assists, while Adebayo hammered home late kills to keep NPU within striking distance. However, Concordia Chicago's offensive efficiency proved to be just enough to take the set 25-22 and clinch the match.
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The Vikings will will have some time to rest up and prepare for their next match that takes place on Saturday, February 21st when they travel to Dubuque, Iowa to face #12 Loras College.
