V-Hawks Secure a Win in First Match of the Seaosn

PARKVILLE, Mo. – The Viterbo University Men's Volleyball team started their 2024 season by splitting a pair of matches at the Park University (Mo.) Pirate Invitational. The V-Hawks secured a 3-0 (25-23, 25-18, 25-18) win over Brescia University (Ky.) to start the day, but then fell to Missouri S&T University, 0-3 (18-25, 18-25, 17-25).

The Bearcats took advantage to start the match, 5-3, but a kill by Guven Gedikoglu closed it to a one-point game, and he and Dane Kerkman led the offense as the V-Hawks took an 18-15 lead. BU battled back for a 19-19 tie, but late errors doomed the Bearcats, as a Kerkman-Logan Amdur block ended the match, 25-23.

The second match started similarly, with Brescia going up 5-2 before Gedikoglu and Kerkman combined for a block to tie the match at 7-7. Alex Kratzenstein recorded two straight blocks, one assisted by Koza, followed by a Gedikoglu kill and ace as Viterbo went up 17-13. Ethan Davis and Kerkman fueled the attack as the lead expanded, with Max Dugan getting a late kill, before a late error ended the match, 25-18.

The V-Hawks started the third behind again, and again, Gedikoglu's kills helped revive VU's offense. Kratzenstein recorded another kill and another solo block to bring the score to 12-8. The Bearcats brought the match within two, but Viterbo had one final run for the win, with a Koza-Amdur-Kerkman block, and a Davis kill ending it, 25-18.

Gedikoglu led all players with 13 kills, while Kerkman added nine. Amdur posted a match-high 33 assists, and Juan Banda had 14 digs. Kerkman also recorded five blocks. Meric Akovali had 12 kills for Brescia, and Finn Berger had 23 assists.

Guven Gedikoglu started the match against Missouri S&T with a pair of aces for the V-Hawks, but the Bearcats responded with a run to go up 10-3. A kill by Ethan Davis ended the run, but Bu continued to build their lead until Juan Banda's ace help start a VU run that included a Caleb Koza kill, and Logan Amdur-Dane Kerkman block. However, the miner had the final run of the set, winning 25-18.

Dugan and Kratzenstein had early kills as the second set started much closer, and after MST built a small lead, Gedikoglu's kill and ace help tie it again, 15-15. However, there would only be tow more kills from the V-Hawks, and one Mine error, as they took over for the 25-18 win.

The squads traded points early in the third, with errors by both sides, until Missouri S&T went up 10-6. Logan Taylor, Dugan, and Garran Wilming each had kills to keep it close, but a 6-1 Miner run proved too much, as even though Gedikoglu and Taylor contributed late kills, MST won, 25-17.

Gedikoglu led the V-Hawks with eight kills, Amdur dished 23 assists, and Banda had seven digs. Aaron Sallade led Missouri S&T with a match-high 11 kills.

The V-Hawks return to action on Saturday, Jan 27 against Rio Grande University and Westcliff University to finish the Pirate Invitational.