Men’s volleyball sweeps all sets in season-opener tournament

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Courtesy of Park University Sports Information Freshman outside hitter Joao Friedrich jumps to return the ball to Pirates’ opponents, Dordt University.

The Park University Pirates men’s volleyball team started off the 2021 season with three wins at the Pirate Invitational tournament.

On Thursday, Jan. 21, the Pirates beat Dordt University winning the first three sets. This win also marked head coach Michael Talamantes’ 200th win with the Park men’s volleyball program, according to the Park University Athletics Department. It was his 564th collegiate win.

The Pirates held Dordt to 11 points in the first match, 14 in the second, and 13 in the last.

On Friday, Jan. 22, the Pirates beat both Saint Ambrose University and Ottawa University by winning the first three sets.

Freshman outside hitter Joao Friedrich had an amazing kick save in the first set of the Ottawa game to help Park capture the victory. The Pirates blew out the Braves in the first match and held Ottawa to 14 points. The Pirates allowed only 18 points in the second set and 20 in the third.

In the matchup against Saint Ambrose, the team had a dominating 41 kills. Junior outside hitter Felipe Guirau lead the team with 14 kills. While Park finished on top, Saint Ambrose still scored 17 in the first set, 21 in the second, and 20 in the last.

The Pirates’ next game is against the University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis at 6 p.m. on Jan. 29 at Breckon Sports Center. It will be streamed live by Park Athletics on the Stretch Internet portal.