(Ann Arbor, MI) – Concordia volleyball began the 2020 campaign on Saturday afternoon when they hosted Trine College in a non-conference match.  Trine entered the match with a 1-0 record while the Cardinals were playing in their season opener.  While CUAA earned a victory in set 3, the Cardinals fell 3-1 overall in the match.

Kayla Peters led the Cardinals with 14 kills in the game.  Hailey McCourt notched a team-high 25 assists.  Allison Tanana and Tara Schatzle tied for a team-high 20 digs.  Nicole Evans led Concordia with 6 blocks.

Set 1 – Trine 25, CUAA 20

The first set was closely contested in the beginning with Nicole Evans and Kaitlin Veihl notching early kills for the Cardinals.  Trine built their largest lead of the first set with a 14-6 advantage.  Kayla Peters ended the run with a kill, but CUAA continued to trail by 6-7 points.

Kaitlin Veihl used a kill and an ace to keep the Cardinals within striking distance.  Trine looked to claim the set with a 24-16 advantage, but Concordia rallied off 4 straight points to stay alive in the set.  Gabrielle den Boer smashed a kill to begin the run and later combined with Nicole Evans for a block.  However, Trine earned the final point to claim a 25-20 win in set 1.

Set 2 – Trine 25, CUAA 23

An even tighter second set began with Concordia taking a 1-0 lead on a Trine service error.  Kayla Peters and Kaitlin Veihl combined for a block early in the set, but Trine jumped out to a 7-2 lead.  Gabrielle den Boer ended the run with a kill off a Hailey McCourt assist.

Hailey McCourt and Kayla Peters each recorded kills to pull Concordia within 3 points.  Trine held an 18-12 lead late in the set, but a 7-2 run pulled the Cardinals within 1 point.  Hailey McCourt began the run with a kill and Concordia capitalized on multiple Trine attack errors.  A block from Kaitlin Veihl and Nicole Evans cut the deficit to 20-19.

Kills from Kayla Peters, Hailey McCourt, and Kaitlin Veihl kept the Cardinals within 1 with a 24-23 score.  However, Trine finished off the set with a kill to claim the 25-23 win.

Set 3 – CUAA 25, Trine 17

The third set began as a close contest with Kaitlin Veihl making Concordia's first kill.  Kills by Gabrielle den Boer and Nicole Evans led to an early 4-4 tie.  After Trine jumped out to a 7-4 lead, CUAA scored 5 unanswered points to take the lead.

A kill from Kayla Peters prompted a Trine timeout after giving CUAA a 14-9 lead.  The Cardinals maintained their advantage behind the serves of Kaitlin Veihl, going up 21-13 after an ace from Veihl.  Concordia claimed a 25-17 win in set 4.

Set 4 – Trine 25, CUAA 21

Kayla Peters made a kill to start set 4 for Concordia.  The Cardinals jumped out to a 4-1 lead, but Trine used a 7-0 run to swing momentum in their favor.  After trailing 13-7, the Cardinals used a 4-0 run to pull within 2 points and force a Trine timeout.  The run included an ace by Tara Schatzle and a kill from Hailey McCourt.

Momentum shifted to the Cardinals after a 6-0 run gave the team a 17-14 advantage.  Trine tightened the set with a late 20-20 tie, but a strong kill from Gabrielle Den Boer pushed CUAA back in front.  However, Trine used a 5-0 run to finish the set and claim the win.

Concordia will remain at home on Wednesday, October 7 when they begin WHAC conference play against Indiana Tech.  The game is set to begin at 7pm.