THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – The Calvin University men's volleyball team opened the 2025 season with a 3-0 defeat at number-three ranked California Lutheran University by the scores of 25-14, 25-14 and 25-11 on day one of the CLU Invitational.
 
In just their second season of competition, the season opener against the defending NCAA III national champion Kingsmen was a tough test for the Knights, and Cal Lutheran (1-0) came out strong to start with a 25-14 set-one win.
 
Calvin (0-1) got off to a better start in the second set and built an early 10-8 lead, but the Kingsmen responded with a run of 11 straight points to take control on the way to another 25-14 set and 2-0 overall lead.
 
The Kingsmen continued to showcase their quality into the third set as they held off the Knights from making a run on the way to completing the three-set win.
 
Cal Lutheran finished the match hitting .333 on the attack. The Kingsmen also finished with eight blocks and four service aces.
 
Brady Gudauskas (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) led the Calvin attack with six kills. Nick Bultje (Byron Center, Mich./South Christian) and Giovanni Serafini (Sao Paulo, Brazil/American School of Sao Paulo) each finished with three kills. Bultje also added two blocks.
 
COACH'S COMMENT: "It was nice to shake the rust off," Calvin head men's volleyball coach Spencer Fredrick said. "We're still a young team and the best part is that it's just day one for us. Still a lot of good volleyball to be played tomorrow."
 
NEXT UP: Calvin men's volleyball will close the CLU Invitational at Cal Lutheran tomorrow (Saturday, January 11) when the Knights face UC-Santa Cruz at 12:00 PM (PT) and Wisconsin Lutheran College  at 3:00 PM (PT).