SANTA CRUZ, Calif. – Cal Lutheran men's volleyball will return home undefeated in the UCSC Slug Slam after sweeping No. 8 Carthage College 25-22, 25-19, 25-19 on Sunday morning.

Head Coach Kevin Judd said, "sweeping a top-ranked opponent after three grueling days is no small feat!"

The Kingsmen handed Carthage its first loss of the year, hitting .330 on the match while holding the Firebirds to a .163 percentage. Cal Lutheran out-dug its opponent 34-27 and enjoyed a 8-3 blocking advantage.

Jordan Cooper led with 13 kills, followed by Ben Weber and Michael Stahl who each added nine more. Matthew Wilcox had a season-high eight kills and two service aces, while Borys Horiuk posted five kills and a team-leading seven blocks. 

"Freshman setter Keaton Hendry has done an incredible job at running the offense and keeping our guys firing on all cylinders," Judd added. This morning, Hendry set up the attack with 33 assists on top of adding six digs, two blocks and an ace.

Cal Lutheran owned the Firebirds throughout the majority of the match, never falling behind more than three points. In the final set, the Kingsmen put out Carthage's flame with a Cooper kill, two Firebird errors, and a Wilcox service ace.

"We look forward to some rest and connections next weekend with our Alumni," said Judd.

On Saturday, January 25, Cal Lutheran will welcome back its alumni for an exhibition before hitting the road again. The team's next official match will be on January 30 at 4 PM PT in Illinois.