(Ann Arbor, MI) – Concordia volleyball officially began the 2021 season at home on Tuesday afternoon.  The Cardinals hosted a tri-match, taking on Trinity International in the first match and Huntington in the nightcap.  CUAA came away with wins in both games, downing Trinity International 3-1 and defeating Huntington in straight sets 3-0.

Game 1 – CUAA 3, TIU 1

Kayla Peters led the Cardinals with 15 kills.  Abigail Austin had a team-high 43 assists and 14 digs.  Kaitlin Veihl led the team with 2 blocks while adding 11 kills.

Set 1 – CUAA 25, TIU 15

Abigail Austin started off a 5-0 run with a service ace.  Ellen Stolz and Tara Drinane combined for a block during the run and the Cardinals continued to stay ahead as the set continued.  Breann June recorded a kill and an ace during her first Concordia action and Abigail Austin finished set 1 with an ace.

Set 2 – CUAA 25, TIU 12

Ellen Stolz had the first Concordia kill in set 2.  Breann June made a kill to give the Cardinals a 2-1 lead and Kayla Peters hammered two early kills.  Kaitlin Veihl had 2 kills of her own and an ace as CUAA continued to pull away.  Veihl smashed a hit that deflected out of bounds for the winning kill.

Set 3 – TIU 25, CUAA 19

Breann June had Concordia's first kill in set 3, ending a 3-0 TIU run.  Kayla Peters made a kill after a long volley and the teams continued to trade points throughout the set.  Kaitlin Veihl notched an ace and Tara Drinane made a kill, but the Trojans continued to mount a lead late in the set and took set 3.

Set 4 – CUAA 25, TIU 22

Kayla Peters had the first kill for Concordia in set 4.  Peters notched two more early kills and sister McKenzie Peters recorded an ace for a 5-4 lead.  Andrea Nelson made an ace in her first Concordia appearance, but the set continued to be closely contested with a late 18-18 tie.  After TIU briefly took the lead, kills from Kayla Peters and Breann June put the Cardinals back on top.  Kaitlin Veihl made a late ace and a TIU error closed out the set giving CUAA the win.

Game 2 – CUAA 3, HU 0

Breann June led the Cardinals with 10 kills.  Abigail Austin continued to lead the team with 39 assists.  McKenzie Peters had a team-high 13 digs.

Set 1 – CUAA 25, HU 21

Breann June had Concordia's first kill of the game.  The beginning of the set was closely contested with Kayla Peters and Kaitlin Veihl adding 2 kills apiece.  Veihl added a service ace and Tara Drinane chipped in a kill as the Cardinals kept pace.  After a 16-16 tie, a kill from Kayla Peters started a 5-0 run and CUAA cruised to a 25-21 win.

Set 2 – CUAA 25, HU 12

Breann June had the first kill in set 2 and added two service aces for a 3-0 lead.  Ellen Stolz made an early kill and Concordia used an 8-0 run to build a 16-6 lead.  The Cardinals continued to dominate and more than doubled up on Huntington in a 25-12 set 2 win.

Set 3 – CUAA 25, HU 20

Concordia started set 3 on a 5-0 run with Ellen Stolz notching the first kill.  Huntington answered with 4 straight points until Tara Drinane ended the run with a kill.  Ellen Stolz added 2 kills and an ace midway through the set, but Huntington still managed to tighten the game with CUAA holding a 19-18 lead in the late stages.  A 6-2 run by the Cardinals finished off the game with Kaitlin Veihl hammering the winning kill.

Concordia moves to 2-0 on the year and will now head on the road this Friday and Saturday to compete in the Taylor University Tournament.  On Friday (August 27), the team faces Taylor at 12:00pm and Indiana Wesleyan at 5:00pm.