(Dearborn, Mich.) – Concordia volleyball competed in a pair of WHAC matches against UM-Dearborn and Madonna on Friday and Saturday. The Cardinals faced UM-Dearborn on Friday, pushing the Wolverines to five sets but falling 15-13 in the 5th
Game 1 – UM-Dearborn 3, CUAA 2
Lena Thompson (SR/Howard City, MI) led the Cardinals with 13 kills in the game. Delaney Bennett (SR/Fruitport, MI) and Gabrielle den Boer (JR/Canton, MI) tied for second with 10 kills apiece. Hailey McCourt (JR/Toledo, OH) and Kaitlin Veihl (JR/Muskegon, MI) both tied with a team-high 19 assists. Tara Schatzle (JR/Brooklyn, MI) led the back end with 18 digs.
Set 1 – CUAA 25, UM-Dearborn 19
Lena Thompson had the first kill for Concordia to tie the set 1-1. After falling behind 5-2, the Cardinals scored 3 straight points with an ace from Kaitlin Veihl and a kill by Delaney Bennett. Bennett paced the CUAA offense with an ace and multiple kills in a set which featured 9 tie scores. Concordia pulled away later in the set with a pair of blocks from Nicole Evans (JR/Bristol, IN), and a Hailey McCourt ace finished the 25-19 win.
Set 2 – UM-Dearborn 25, CUAA 18
Lena Thompson once again had the first Concordia kill. An early kill from Lindsey Luff (SO/Flushing, MI) tied the game 6-6 and a Gabrielle den Boer ace pulled the Cardinals ahead by a point. UM-Dearborn responded with a 5-0 run and took a 16-10 lead later in the set, but Concordia made a 7-3 run with two blocks from Gabrielle den Boer. However, the Wolverines took set 2 by a 25-18 score.
Set 3 – CUAA 25, UM-Dearborn 20
Destiny Moore (FR/Fort Wayne, IN) recorded the first Concordia kill and both Gabrielle den Boer and Kaitlin Veihl recorded aces early in the set. A block by Veihl put the Cardinals ahead 15-10, but the Wolverines fought back to force a 16-16 tie. Lena Thompson made 3 kills during a 9-4 CUAA run and Gabrielle den Boer finished off the 25-20 set 3 win with a kill.
Set 4 – UM-Dearborn 25, CUAA 22
Gabrielle den Boer had Concordia's first kill in set 4. After a 4-4 tie, the Wolverines forced a CUAA timeout with a 5-0 run. CUAA eventually tied the set 17-17 after kills by Delaney Bennett and Gabrielle den Boer, and a combined block by the duo gave the Cardinals their first lead. Lena Thompson made three kills late in the set, but former Cardinal Bronte Michura secured UM-Dearborn's 25-22 win.
Set 5 – UM-Dearborn 15, CUAA 13
For the fourth time in the last five meetings, the Cardinals and Wolverines went to a 5th set. UM-Dearborn started on a 4-0 run and maintained their lead throughout. An ace from Kaitlin Veihl cut the deficit to 7-6 midway through the set, and Nicole Evans notched a pair of kills down the stretch. After trailing 14-10, the Cardinals made a 3-0 run capped off by a combined block from Lena Thompson and Lindsey Luff. However, the Wolverines got the final point to finish off the match.
