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March 21, 2019
S ports
The Lorian
Opponents, injury bug can’t stop Duhawks With plenty of games left to play this season, the men’s volleyball team already holds the school record for most wins in a season by JON QUINN Sports editor
Despite a number of unforeseen injuries, the men’s volleyball team still executed three-game sweeps this past weekend to improve their overall record to 17-4, the most wins in a season in the program’s history. After picking up two conference wins, the team has tunnel vision on post season. “Even with all the recent injuries, we are a deep team and have a bunch of people who can step up and fill into positions,” said sophomore setter Patrick Hollander. “The connections that all of our hitters have with our setters makes the transition much easier, especially when people get banged up.” Last Friday, Loras hosted Olivet College, which also competes out of the Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League. The team was able to hold Olivet’s top hitter to only six kills. This was definitely a game of runs with Loras going on a 5-0 run in the middle of the first set to level at 14 all. Another 3-0 run by Loras finished the first set 25-23. Then, the Duhawks opened the second set with a 4-0 run which eventually turned into a 14-3. The Duhawks then score 11 of the next 18 points to win 25-10. Olivet wasn’t giving up that easily, in the third set they were hanging with the Duhawks until about 15-12 when Loras pulled away making it 18-12. Freshman middle hitter Patrick Mahoney came off the bench to finish the game off putting away three kills on three swings, including the match winner at 25-17. Ooms lead the team with 11 kills while sophomore outside-hitter Mihajlo Gomez led the team in digs with 12. Junior middle blocker Ian Walsh finished with a season high of seven blocks and seven kills on the night. Hollander stepped up as senior setter Alfredo Lopez sat this weekend out with a torn hip-flexor. He is expected to return next week. “I think with a solid week of practice and the trust that my hitters have with me, that coming off the bench wasn’t a problem,” said Hollander. “It felt good to begin out there, and I was just trying to give everyone the best opportunity to be successful and they did a great job swinging.” Hollander finished with a career-high of 42 assists on Friday and then reset the record with 47 assists on Saturday
photo courtesy LORAS COLLEGE ATHLETICS Sophomore rightside-hitter/outside-hitter Grant Ooms takes a rip from the back row through Adrian College’s defense. The Bulldogs were no match for the Duhawks last weekend.
against Adrian College. The 3-0 (25-23, 25-10, 25-17) victory sparked the fire Loras needed to take down their other two opponents on Saturday, March 16th, Adrian College, and North Park University of Chicago. Gomez fueled the fire starting out with 3 consecutive aces and leading a 4-0 run to set the score 5-1 early in the game. The Duhawks started the second set with a 4-1 run. Adrian tried to start a spark with a 4-0 run which cut the lead to two, 17-15. Loras carried this set out 25-20. Hollander started the third set strong with a 3-0 lead. The Bulldogs battled back but Loras once again broke away and finished the set 25-17. Loras also left the switch on for North Park. The two teams have met previously and Loras won in three
Alumni-approved:
Track-and-field athletes welcome back their former teammates by CHRISTOPHER PONTON sports writer
One week following an unforgettable NCAA Championships in Boston, MA, the track-and-field team was able to ease back into regular season competition with their annual “alumni meet.” With the start of outdoor season less than two weeks away, this event was the perfect opportunity for members of the team to decompress, have a lot of fun, and welcome back former track-and-field athletes. The shenanigans began early in the high jump, where senior Anakin Hall went with the illegal act of using a springboard, an act that is frowned upon by the NCAA. He cleared 5’2” with the springboard, but many questioned his integrity with regards to the event. Afterward, Hall was asked about the cheating allegations, saying, “Cheating, it doesn’t exist…show me in the rulebook where it says you can’t use a springboard in the high jump.” Former jumper and current Loras alumni Sarah Schoel, who also participated in the event, commented on the situation, saying, “I never saw him, so can’t accuse him. As far as I’m concerned, it was perfectly legal.” The NCAA was considering looking into these allegations, but since the meet didn’t
count, they decided to drop the investigation. The high jump, however, was not the only event that took place this past Saturday, March 16. Many also competed in the shot-put competition. Senior Garrett Hammond, a thrower on the team, may have won “best dressed of the meet,” as he competed dressed as a giant banana. Another favorite among the events was the 60-meter spinning stick dash. This competition consisted of athletes running a 60-meter dash, reaching the end and picking up a PVC pipe, spinning around 10 times with their heads resting on the top of the PVC, and then having to run the 60-meter dash back to the starting line. It was an idea that everyone could “wrap their head around.” Finally, a distance competition took place outdoors with Bob Schultz as the moderator. He employed the very strange tactic of handing out candy to the athletes during the race. When asked about this, he replied, “We give this to the athletes halfway through the race as a boost of energy. Very nutritious!” However, regardless of the questionable rule changes and poor nutrition guidelines, this meet was a great place for athletes to have fun and relax before outdoor season, all while interacting with current Loras alumni.
last time. This time was the same thing, Loras finished the weekend winning in three and was able to execute with getting almost all the players on the bench into the game. The Duhawks are now preparing for two high level conference games this weekend against North Central College and Carthage College which were two teams ranked higher than them last year at the Conference tournament. “I’m looking forward to this next weekend to see if we are the team we like to say we are,” said Ooms. “We are facing the No. 1 team in the nation in Carthage and another top 10 team with North Central. If we play well against them, I believe it can be a turning point for our season that could lead us to great success.”
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Samantha Garcia Bracho Loras College, Junior
