V-Hawks Season Ends on Senior Night

LA CROSSE, Wis. – The Viterbo University Men's Volleyball team saw their season come to an end on Tuesday night, following a 3-1 (20-25, 25-23, 15-25, 21-25) loss to St. Ambrose University (Iowa). The V-Hawks fall to 11-18 (2-8 CCAC) on the year, while the Bees improve to 8-25 (3-7 CCAC).

SJ Nelson started the match with a pair of kills for the V-Hawks, followed by a kill and ace from Guven Gedikoglu. Alex Kratzenstein recorded a solo block to help bring the score to 13-11, but the Bees battled back to take a 14-13 lead. The teams then traded points, VU being led by Ethan Davis and Dane Kerkman, until SAU went on a run to go up 21-17. Nelson ended the run, but St. Ambrose would win, 25-20.

An ace from Logan Amdur started the second set, and a kill form Kratzenstein helped put Viterbo ahead early. After a block from KRatzenstein and Caleb Koza, Davis sparked a Viterbo run to go up 15-12. SAU managed to take the lead, 22-20, but Kratzenstein led the late rally with two Nelson-assisted blocks, a kill, and an ace from Amdur.

In the third set, Nelson and Kratzenstein added another assist to tie the match, to go along with a pair of Gedikoglu kills. However, the Bees would take over, finishing the set on a 12-3 run, only interrupted by errors and a Kerkman-Koza block.

The fourth set saw six early ties, with the V-Hawks offense led by Davis. Back-to-back Gedikoglu kills tied the match again at 12-12. Kerkman and Nelson kept the set close, but following a kill from Juan Banda, the Bees produced the final run of the match, taking the set, 25-21.

Nelson led the V-Hawks with 13 kills on .333 hitting. Amdur dished 24 assists, Banda recorded eight digs, and Kratzenstein had six blocks. Nick Fox had 17 kills on .895 hitting for St. Ambrose.

Banda ends his career as the V-Hawks all-time leader in digs with 854, third in sets played at 327, and fourth in assists with 236. This year, he also set the V-Hawks single season digs record with 292.

Kerkman extends his own career blocks records to 288, claims second on the sets played list with 334, moves up to third in kills with 463. He also broke his own single season blocks record recording 89 this year.

Kratzenstein moves into second, behind only Kerkman, in career blocks with 184. He also moves into fifth in career kills with 337 and matches the second-highest single season blocks mark with 73.

Amdur recorded the second most assists in a single season with 725, and becomes the second V-Hawk ever with 1,000 assists, now totaling 1,083.

Max Dugan's season total of 247 digs ranks fourth in Viterbo history.