For the second straight year, the end of the postseason road came suddenly for Cal Lutheran men’s volleyball team at the hands of Springfield College.
Top-ranked Springfield defeated Cal Lutheran (23-7) in straight sets, 25-20, 25-21, 25-18, on its home court in the NCAA Division III Men’s Volleyball Tournament semifinals on Thursday, April 23, in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Connor Crawford finished with 10 kills, three aces, two blocks and an assists, while Thousand Oaks High School and Moorpark College alum Braden Gonzales finished with 10 digs. Gavin Galanski had 25 assists and seven digs, Brendan Hom had five kills and an assist, and former Westlake High hitter Aidan Godfrey had four kills in the loss.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our guys,” Cal Lutheran men’s volleyball head coach Kevin Judd told The Star. “This team showed so much heart all season and fought through adversity to get back to the Final Four. Our senior leadership, especially Connor and Braden, has been the foundation of everything we’ve done — their work ethic, composure, and belief in the group set the standard every single day.
The Kingsmen faltered in the beginning of the opening set, falling behind 18-9 before rallying to within four points of Springfield, trailing 22-18. A hit that ricocheted off of three Cal Lutheran players sealed a pivotal opening-set win for the home team.
Springfield’s high-velocity serves put Cal Lutheran out of system from the start of the match and the pressure did not let up. The Kingsmen struggled to pass and to set their talented pin hitters whose big arms powered the team into the Final Four.
“Huge credit to Springfield — they played with discipline, served tough, and never let us get comfortable,” Judd said. “We’re disappointed with the result, but we’re incredibly grateful for this season and for the level of competition we faced.”
Dominic Massimino is a staff writer for The Star. He can be reached at dominic.massimino@vcstar.com. For more coverage, follow @vcsdominic on Twitter and Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: CLU men's volleyball falls in Final Four for 2nd straight year