(Ann Arbor, MI) – Concordia volleyball played host to Rochester on Saturday afternoon as the team competed in their third straight home contest. The Warriors entered the match featuring a 2-1 record on the year. After both teams traded sets to begin the game, the Cardinals pulled away to secure a 3-1 victory.
Kayla Peters led the Cardinals with 10 kills and 5 blocks in the match. Hailey McCourt finished with a team-high 24 assists. Tara Schatzle anchored the back end with 19 digs. Abigail Austin and McKenzie Peters also finished in double figures with 13 and 10 digs respectively.
Set 1 – CUAA 25, Rochester 19
Hailey McCourt notched a kill to open scoring in the game, starting a 3-0 Concordia run. McCourt and Kaitlin Veihl continued to pace the team's attack with CUAA doubling up Rochester 10-5. A pair of powerful kills by Kayla Paters pushed the Cardinals to a 16-9 lead.
Concordia never trailed in the 1st, working their lead up to 24-15 late in the set. While the Warriors scored 4 straight points to stay alive, Kayla Peters smashed the game-winning kill to secure the set 1 win.
Set 2 – Rochester 25, CUAA 21
Madalyn Lisman had Concordia's first kill in set 2. The set remained closely contested early on with Kaitlin Veihl and Kayla Peters again recording kills for the Cardinals. Gabrielle den Boer rose up over the Rochester defenders for a kill to tie the game 7-7.
Hailey McCourt tied the game 14-14 midway through the set with a kill. A Gabrielle den Boer kill gave the Cardinals a 19-16 advantage late, but Rochester was able to close set 2 with a 9-2 run to tie the game.
Set 3 – CUAA 25, Rochester 15
Madalyn Lisman notched the first Cardinal point in set 3. After Rochester went up 8-4, CUAA used a 6-0 run to take their first lead with Gabrielle den Boer making multiple kills.
Concordia held a narrow 15-14 lead midway through the set, but the team rattled off a 10-1 run to conclude set 3 with a win. The final play featured multiple low digs by the Cardinals with Hailey McCourt hammering the winning kill.
Set 4 – CUAA 25, Rochester 18
Hailey McCourt notched the first Concordia kill in set 4. Kaitlin Veihl and Kayla Peters combined for a block to break a 5-5 tie. Rochester took a timeout with the Cardinals holding a 10-6 lead.
The Cardinals continued to stay ahead as Hailey McCourt notched an ace to give CUAA a 19-14 lead and prompt another Rochester timeout. A forceful kill by Kayla Peters put the Cardinals ahead 21-15. The team was able to secure the victory when a kill by Gabrielle den Boer clinched the game.
Concordia improves to 1-2 on the year. The team will play their next match on Wednesday, October 14 when they travel to Lawrence Tech. The game is set to begin at 7pm.
