Chicago, Il., -- North Park Men's Volleyball hosted a competitive tri-match at Carlson Gymnasium on Friday, facing off against the University of Mount Union and No. 15 Aurora University. While the Vikings showed flashes of dominance, pushing Mount Union to the brink in three straight sets, they ultimately dropped both contests in straight sets and move to 1-10 on the season.
The opening match of the day was a game of inches, with every set decided by just two points. The Vikings' offensive effort was spearheaded by Adebayo Adekunle, who hammered home 10 kills on a .333 hitting percentage, with Gerald Buhain Malana followed closely with 9 kills and anchored the defense with 7 digs. North Park's defense at the net was a significant factor, out-blocking the Purple Raiders 6-4 as Josiah Walker and Giovanni Serafini each recording 3 blocks to stifle the Mount Union attack. Defensively, libero Zachary Hayden was everywhere, tallying a match-high 13 digs while the setting duties were split effectively between Gino Hamoy (10 assists), Sebastian Castro (8 assists), and Kevin Motallebi (8 assists). Despite the Vikings' tenacity, they dropped all three sets by a combined 6 points (25-23, 26-24, 25-23).
In the nightcap, North Park faced a formidable challenge in the nationally-ranked Spartans of Aurora. The Vikings found their best rhythm in the second set, keeping pace with the Spartans thanks to the net presence of Raphael de Sousa Macedo, who recorded 4 kills and a team-high 3 blocks. Josiah Walker led the Vikings' offense with 5 kills, while Jonah Johnsamson added 4 kills of his own. Elijah Jasso provided a versatile spark with 5 digs, 2 kills, and an ace, matching Gino Hamoy's 5 digs. Hamoy and Motallebi combined for 13 assists to guide the NPU attack. Aurora's length and sound defense proved to be too much for North Park overall; the Vikings dropped all three sets 25-14, 25-20, and 25-10.
North Park's next match will be on Tuesday, February 10th when they travel to face Marian University in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
