(Ann Arbor, MI) – Concordia volleyball is about to kick off their 2022 campaign with a tri-match at Huntington this upcoming Tuesday. The Cardinals achieved back-to-back WHAC tournament appearances after last year, earning the #6 seed after a 10-10 conference record. 5th-year head coach Danielle Cook returns to the helm, returning 12 players while adding 8 talented newcomers to the team.
2021 Season Review
Concordia finished 14-17 overall in 2021 with a 10-10 WHAC conference record. The Cardinals opened the year with 2 wins at their home tri-match. CUAA won 2 of their first 3 WHAC games and rattled off a 5-game conference winning streak later in the year. The team finished as the #6 seed in the WHAC, falling to #3 seed Indiana Tech but securing back-to-back years with a conference tournament appearance.
2022 Season Outlook
The Cardinals will kick off the year at the Huntington Tri-Match this Tuesday, facing off against host Huntington and Trinity International. The team will finish the month of August at the Amber McClure Fayerweather Memorial Tournament hosted by Taylor. Concordia will play Thomas More, Spring Arbor, St. Thomas and IU-Kokomo in a 2-day span.
The Cardinals will start WHAC play at Lourdes on September 7. The team will participate in a non-conference 2-day tournament at Indiana Tech, facing Indiana Southeast, Saint Ambrose, Goshen and Saint Francis (IL).
After traveling to Indiana Tech, Concordia will host their home opener on September 16 against UNOH. The team will play at Lawrence Tech, host UM-Dearborn, and then travel to rivals Siena Heights and Madonna on September 24 and 28. A home match against Cornerstone on September 30 concludes the month.
The Cardinals will travel to Aquinas to start October and then return home to host Rochester. The team will face Trinity Christian and Saint Francis (IL) in a non-conference tournament before returning home to host Lourdes. Concordia will head on the road to UNOH and UM-Dearborn, and then they will host back-to-back rivalry games versus Siena Heights and Madonna. A home game against Aquinas and a road match at Cornerstone rounds out the month.
The month of November concludes with a home match against Indiana Tech and a road contest at Rochester. If the Cardinals finish among the top 8 teams in the conference, they will qualify for the WHAC tournament.
Concordia Personnel
Junior Kayla Peters returns after notching a team-high 411 kills while adding 372 digs and 40 blocks. Junior McKenzie Peters led the team with 595 digs while also making 68 assists. Junior Abigail Austin led the Cardinals with 1,143 assists last year and added 408 digs. Junior Madalyn Lisman leads all returners with 44 blocks in 2021 while adding 104 kills. Junior Tara Drinane comes back after recording 132 kills and 40 blocks last season. Junior Korie Fowler notched 11 aces and 143 digs last year.
Sophomore Breann June had a team-high 43 aces last year while recording 289 kills and 291 digs. Sophomore Claudia Grepke had 41 kills along with 4 digs and 3 blocks. Sophomore Paige Staton had 5 aces along with 53 digs. Sophomore Jessalyn Peavyhouse notched 12 kills, 5 digs and 9 blocks. Sophomore Megan Neumann saw some action with 3 assists and a dig. Sophomore Sadie Gerlach provides additional depth to the team.
The Cardinals have added 8 new returners to this year's team: sophomore Hannah Duchene, and freshmen Abigail Goldobin, Alyesa Brown, Ella Lucas, Grace Morse, Leah Troyer, Madeline Vnuk, and Olivia Grimpo.
5th-year head coach Danielle Cook is joined by assistant coaches Kristin Adams, Kaitlin Veihl, and Austin Cook. The team also features 3 student managers: Madison Phillips, Juliana Helisek, and Andrea Nelson.
2021 Team Stats
