(Grand Rapids, MI) – Concordia volleyball traveled to Aquinas on Wednesday evening for a WHAC conference matchup. The Saints came into the contest 5th in the WHAC with a 12-12 overall record and a 9-6 conference record. CUAA pushed Aquinas in the first two sets, but the Saints pulled away to secure a win in straight sets.

Lena Thompson (SR/Howard City, MI) led Concordia with 8 kills. Gabrielle den Boer (JR/Canton, MI) finished second with 7 kills. Hailey McCourt (JR/Toledo, OH) finished with a team-high 21 assists. Tara Schatzle (JR/Brooklyn, MI) led the back end with 15 digs.

Set 1 – AQ 25, CUAA 17

Delaney Bennett (SR/Fruitport, MI) notched a kill for Concordia's first point of the game. A kill by Lena Thompson tied the game early in the set 4-4. Aquinas pulled ahead and held a 4-5 point lead for most the set, but the Cardinals continued to battle with Thompson adding a soft floater over the net for a kill. Hailey McCourt registered an ace as part of a 3-0 run late in the set, but Aquinas took set 1 by a score of 25-17.

Set 2 – AQ 25, CUAA 21

Nicole Evans (JR/Bristol, IN) had the first Cardinal kill to give her team a 3-1 lead. Gabrielle den Boer had a pair of early kills to knot the score 7-7. Aquinas slowly built a lead of 5-6 points, but Concordia continued to hang around when a Destiny Moore (FR/Fort Wayne, IN) kill started a 3-0 run late in the set. Kaitlin Veihl (JR/Muskegon, MI) cut CUAA's deficit to just 20-18 with a kill, but Aquinas would secure the 25-21 win in set 2.

Set 3 – AQ 25, CUAA 13

Aquinas went on a 6-1 run to begin the third set, prompting a CUAA timeout. Kaitlin Veihl notched a kill after the break, but the Saints extended their lead to a 10-3 advantage. Lena Thompson started a 4-0 CUAA run with a kill and both Gabrielle den Boer and Hailey McCourt made a combined block. The Cardinals got within 3 when a Hailey McCourt kill made the score 12-9, but Aquinas used a 13-4 run to finish the set and the game.

Concordia will remain on the road when they travel to UM-Dearborn on Friday, November 1. The game is set to begin at 7pm. The Cardinals will also play on Saturday, November 2 at Madonna with a 1pm start time.