CHICAGO – No. 9 Cal Lutheran men's volleyball got back on track Thursday night, plundering North Park in straight sets (25-17, 25-15, 25-21) at Carlson Gymnasium to open its five-match road swing.
The Kingsmen (7-1) seized control early and never let up, using efficient offense to keep the Vikings (1-4) on their heels throughout the night. CLU hit .355 as a team while holding North Park to just .063, creating consistent separation in each set.
Cal Lutheran jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the opening frame and steadily built momentum behind timely kills from
Tyler Linville and
Brendan Hom. A mid-set run fueled by service pressure and Viking errors helped the Kingsmen pull away before closing out the set, 25-17.
Set two was all Cal Lu from the start. The Kingsmen rattled off an early 8-1 run, highlighted by three service aces from Hom, and never looked back. North Park struggled to find rhythm offensively, allowing Cal Lutheran to cruise to a 25-15 win and take a commanding two-set advantage.
The third set saw North Park put together its strongest push of the night, staying within striking distance through the middle stages. Cal Lutheran responded late, earning the final three points to seal the sweep with a 25-21 finish.
Offensively, the Purple & Gold spread the workload with 11 different players recording at least one kill. Linville led the way with seven kills on a .333 clip, while Hom added six kills and a match-high four service aces.
Evan Ford contributed five kills, and
Garrett Ream was flawless offensively, posting five kills on seven attempts with no errors (.714).
Ream also directed the offense with a team-high 15 assists, while
Gavin Galanski (11 assists) and
Keaton Hendry (six assists) also helped keep the Kingsmen attack efficient.
Defensively,
Braden Gonzales anchored the back row with a standout performance, finishing with a season-high 14 digs to go along with five assists as Cal Lutheran consistently frustrated the Vikings' hitters.
The Kingsmen continue their Midwest road trip on Friday, January 30, taking on Illinois Tech at 4 p.m. PT (6 p.m. CT).
