(Grand Rapids, MI) – Concordia volleyball continued WHAC conference play on Wednesday evening when the team went on the road to face Cornerstone. The Cardinals entered the tilt 4-11 overall while the Golden Eagles came in 9-8 with a 6-3 WHAC conference record. CUAA stayed competitive throughout the game, forcing the match to four sets, but Cornerstone eventually handed Concordia a 3-1 loss.

Lena Thompson (SR/Howard City, MI) led the Cardinals with 11 kills in the game. Delaney Bennett (SR/Fruitport, MI) led the team with 24 digs while finishing second with 8 kills. Tara Schatzle (JR/Brooklyn, MI) also anchored the back end with 23 digs in the contest. Kaitlin Veihl (JR/Muskegon, MI) had a team-high 26 assists while chipping in with 20 digs. Lindsey Luff (SO/Flushing, MI) had a team-leading 4 blocks in the match.

Set 1 – Cornerstone 26, CUAA 24

Concordia took an early lead in a closely contested first set when a kill from Gabrielle den Boer (JR/Canton, MI) put CUAA up 2-1. A pair of kills from Lindsey Luff and another from Delaney Bennett tied the game 6-6 as both teams continued to battle. The Cardinals jumped out to a 10-7 lead, but Cornerstone fought back to go up 11-10 before Gabrielle den Boer tied the game with a kill off a rebounded block.

Cornerstone used a 6-0 run to take a 17-11 lead, but the Cardinals slowly chipped away and stayed in the game. A 5-0 run late in the set was capped off by a kill from Delaney Bennett, tying the game 23-23. Gabrielle den Boer made a kill that tied the game 24-24, but Cornerstone secured the last 2 points to win the first set 26-24.

Set 2 – Cornerstone 25, CUAA 14

A service ace from Gabrielle den Boer gave the Cardinals a 3-2 lead early in the second set. Concordia jumped out to a 6-3 lead when Lindsey Luff made a kill off an assist from Kaitlin Veihl. Cornerstone responded with 5 unanswered points, but an ace from Tara Schatzle tied the game 9-9. After a 10-10 tie, the Golden Eagles pulled away with a 15-4 run to win the second set by a score of 25-14.

Set 3 – CUAA 25, Cornerstone 18

A kill by Delaney Bennett gave the Cardinals their first point in the third set. Cornerstone initially started strong, prompting a CUAA timeout with the Golden Eagles up 7-2. The Cardinals came out strong following the timeout, using a 6-0 run to reclaim the lead with Lena Thompson hammering 2 kills.

A diving dig by Destiny Moore (FR/Fort Wayne, IN) went over the net for a kill, putting Concordia up 12-9 and leading to a Cornerstone timeout. The Cardinals capitalized on errors by the Golden Eagles, taking their largest lead with a 19-10 advantage. Lena Thompson continued to make kills down the stretch, and a kill from Delaney Bennett secured the 25-18 win for CUAA in set 3.

Set 4 – Cornerstone 25, CUAA 21

Nicole Evans (JR/Bristol, IN) made a kill to record Concordia's first point in a critical fourth set. Both teams continued to trade points with a well-placed kill from Lena Thompson putting Concordia ahead 5-4. With the score tied 9-9, Delaney Bennett made a powerful kill to put the Cardinals back in the lead.

Cornerstone slowly began to pull away towards the end of the set, but Concordia still kept fighting with Kaitlin Veihl recording a kill and an ace. Nicole Evans and Lena Thompson recorded late kills, but Cornerstone earned the final point to win 25-21 and claim the match.

The Cardinals will be back in action on Friday, October 11 when they travel to Indiana Tech to begin the Liz Lykowski Memorial Tournament. Visit the official tournament website for the complete schedules, scores, and live coverage.