(Livonia, MI) – Concordia volleyball competed in the first round of the WHAC conference tournament on Tuesday night traveling to Madonna.  The Cardinals earned the #6 seed after the season while the Crusaders came in as the #3 seed.  CUAA looked to pull off the upset as both teams were missing some key players.  Madonna was able to claim the win in straight sets.

Kaitlin Veihl led the team with 11 kills.  Abigail Austin had a team-high 21 assists.  Tara Schatzle led the back end with 22 digs while Kayla Peters was close behind with 21 digs.  Madalyn Lisman had a team-high 3 blocks.

Set 1 – MU 25, CUAA 21

Kaitlin Veihl began set one with a kill.  Kayla Peters quickly added a service ace and Natalie Waske recorded a kill for a 3-0 lead.  Madonna fought back to take a 5-4 lead, but a kill and ace from Kaitlin Veihl put the Cardinals back ahead 6-5.  The Crusaders later used a 9-1 run to take a 17-9 lead.  After trailing 20-10, CUAA put together a 6-0 run with Abigail Austin recording back-to-back aces.  Alexandra Lucaj kept the Cardinals alive with a late kill, but Madonna took set one 25-21.

Set 2 – MU 25, CUAA 17

Alexandra Lucaj started off set 2 with a kill.  Abigail Austin tied the game 4-4 with a kill and Kaitlin Veihl made a kill and an ace for a 6-5 lead.  Madonna countered with a 7-0 run which was ended by a combined block from Madalyn Lisman and Alexandra Lucaj.  Kayla Peters ended a long volley with a kill to the back spot later in the set, but Madonna built up a double-digit lead.  Natalie Waske made a late kill along with back-to-back kills from Alexandra Lucaj, but Madonna took set two 25-17.

Set 3 – MU 26, CUAA 24

Kayla Peters had the first kill in set 3.  Peters combined with Madalyn Lisman for an early block that tied the game 2-2.  The set continued to be closely contested early on with Kayla Peters and Kaitlin Veihl making kills.  Madalyn Lisman began a 5-0 run with a kill and Mckenzie Peters tacked on back-to-back service aces.  A go-ahead block from Lisman and Alexandra Lucaj put CUAA ahead 17-16.

Kaitlin Veihl made a hit on the run that found the back line for a kill to tie the game 20-20.  Veihl added another kill and a Madonna error put the Cardinals ahead 22-20, but the Crusaders came back to take a 23-22 lead.  Two more strong kills from Veihl led to a 24-24 tie as the set went down to the wire.  The Cardinals fought hard to keep the game alive, but Madonna was able to claim the final two points to finish off the game in straight sets.