On Tuesday, January 25th, the Louisiana Tech Men's Club Volleyball team traveled to Centenary College in Shreveport for their first game of the season. Coming off of a short-played season in 2021 due to the Pandemic, the Bulldogs were excited to be back on the court. With exception to the starting libero, Josh Holland, this would be the first time the team has played together since April of last year. With new additions to the team, such as Drew Thompson and Ethan Clark, nerves were high as the Tech competed in a close battle against their rivals.
The Bulldogs showed up to a gym full of about 70 students ready to be loud and proud of their Gents, definitely giving them the home court advantage. The night started strong with a opening set win for the Dogs of 25-16. Things started heating up as the Gents closed the gap and only lost the second set 26-24. Going into the third set, the Dogs felt the pressure of the student body rallying against them, while the Gents used it to their advantage. Centenary came into the third set with a new lineup, which proved to do the trick as the Dogs fell short with a score of 22-25. The Gents did not stop there, fighting harder the fourth set and giving the Dogs their second set loss of the match with a score of 19-25.
Entering the fifth set, Louisiana Tech found themselves in familiar territory. Just last season, the Dogs defeated Centenary in the last game of the year in what looked to be the same manner as what was unfolding in front of them; and they did just that. In 2021, Tech won in a deciding fifth set against Centenary with a score of 16-14. While the Dogs did not anticipate a mirrored outcome, they pulled the win in repeating fashion: a fifth set score of 16-14.
While the game was a little too close for comfort, the Dogs and Gents put on a show for the fans and kicked off the season with a bang! The boys hope to widen the gap a little on Friday when they take on Centenary at home in Memorial Gym, the first true home game ever hosted by the Dogs. The game will be live streamed on Louisiana Tech Men's Club Volleyball Facebook Page at 6:30 P.M. CT. Fans are of course welcome with free admission!
Game Leaders:
Kills -- Christian Rabalais (15), Logan Sanders (14)
Assists -- Colin Clement (34)
Aces -- Colin Clement (4), Drew Thompson (3)
Blocks -- Ethan Clark (5)
