Stritch seniors at their final home game
Milwaukee, Wis. - The Cardinal Stritch University Wolves took care of business on Tuesday night, earning a match win in five sets by the scores of 30-24, 30-17, 28-30, 28-30, 15-13 against the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE).
All six seniors started the evening’s match in the first set, knowing that it would be the last home game of their careers. Seniors Matt Tauaese (Ponoma, Calif.) and Austin Cass (Madison, Wis.) combined for seven kills and six digs to help push the Wolves out in front where they would remain for the entire set. Scott Golden (Vernon Hills, Ill.) kept the Wolves’ middle attack strong by providing four kills and one block. The Wolves’ powerful offense was simply too much for MSOE as Stritch took the first set 30-24.
The Wolves would build on the momentum of the first game and easily handle MSOE in the second set. Cass stepped up on the outside and recorded seven kills in the game to lead the Wolves in kills for the game. Dan Vick (Wauwatosa, Wis.) served his second ace of the match and Garrett Payne (San Diego, Calif.) handed out 10 assists en route to a 30-17 victory.
Stritch was unable to repeat their game two performance, as MSOE fought long and hard to steal game three. A strong showing by Cass and his game leading six kills was one of the few bright spots in the set. Payne led the Wolves with five digs, followed by Tauaese with three. The Wolves were unable to overcome nine attack errors and three service errors as they dropped the third set, 28-30.
The fourth set did not get any easier for the Wolves, as MSOE came ready to compete. Brendan McDevitt (Chicago, Ill.) did his best to keep the ball off of the ground with his game leading five digs. Cass yet again led the Wolves with four kills and George Ghassan (Naperville, Ill.) was the lead blocker with two. Eight attack errors and four service errors would be the demise of the Wolves in the fourth set as they fell, 28-30.
The fifth and final set started with side out volleyball as neither team could gain control of the lead. The Wolves would end up scoring the eighth point of the match to go up by one point as the teams switched sides. Golden’s relentless attacks in the middle would help give the Wolves a one point advantage, 14-13. A final kill by Golden on game point closed the set and match for Stritch, giving them a 15-13 win.
Cass led the way for the Wolves with 23 kills in the match, while Golden added 13 in 14 attempts. Tauaese and Fernando Bernal (Miami, Fla.) each recorded 11 kills. Stritch combined for ten total blocks, led by Cass with five and Golden with four. Bernal and Ghassen picked up three apiece. Payne dished out a game-high 54 assists and also led the Wolves with 11 digs. McDevitt and Cass earned nine and eight digs, respectively.
Stritch moves to 23-10 overall with the win. The Wolves’ next stop will be at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa for the MAMVIC East Conference Tournament on April 9th and 10th.