(Mishawaka, IN) – Concordia volleyball traveled to Bethel on Friday afternoon to compete in the Liz Hossler Labor Day Classic. On Friday the Cardinals squared off against Cumberland University in the first match of the day and Saint Francis (ILL) in the second game. CUAA pushed both matches to a full 5 sets, narrowly falling in the first match and claiming victory in the second. On Saturday, the Cardinals squared off against Grace in the morning and then IU-Kokomo later in the afternoon. CUAA ground out a win in straight sets over Grace in game 1 but fell in straight sets to IU-Kokomo in game 2.
Game 1 - CUM 3, CUAA 2
Kayla Peters led Concordia with 11 kills. Abigail Austin provided a team-high 30 assists. McKenzie Peters anchored the back end with 12 digs.
Set 1 – CU 25, CUAA 19
Breann June made an ace to tie the set 2-2. Ellen Stolz and Kayla Peters notched early kills as the teams battled early on. While Stolz and Tara Drinane combined for a block late in the set, Cumberland took set 1 by a score of 25-19.
Set 2 – CU 25, CUAA 20
Breann June and Tara Drinane combined for a block to kick off a 6-0 opening run by Concordia. Abigail Austin had back-to-back aces during the run and Ellen Stolz capped it off with back-to-back kills. However, Cumberland battled back to take a 12-11 lead near the midway point. Ellen Stolz put the Cardinals up 15-14 with a block, but Cumberland controlled the remainder of the set and claimed a 25-20 win.
Set 3 – CUAA 25, CU 23
Andrea Nelson started set 3 off with a kill. An ace by McKenzie Peters followed by a block from Kayla Peters and Kaitlin Veihl tied the set 4-4. Kills from Breann June and Tara Drinane kept the game close down the stretch. With the set tied 21-21, a Tara Drinane kill started a 3-0 run with Andrea Nelson capping it off with an ace in the back corner. Ellen Stolz claimed the winning kill for a 25-23 set 3 win.
Set 4 – CUAA 25, CU 18
Ellen Stolz opened set 4 with a kill. McKenzie Peters recorded an early ace for a 7-2 lead. Breann June and Kaitlin Veihl teamed up for an early block and each recorded kills to pace the offense. Kayla Peters made back-to-back kills late in the set and a combined block from Ellen Stolz and Tara Drinane clinched the win in set 4.
Set 5 – CU 15, CUAA 11
Breann June made a cross-court kill to open the deciding set 5. The set was tied 7-7 midway through, but Cumberland began to pull away later on. Despite a late kill from Kayla Peters, Cumberland claimed the hard-fought win in set 5.
Game 2 - CUAA 3, USF 2
Breann June had a team-high 17 kills. Abigail Austin led the team again with 31 assists. McKenzie Peters led the Cardinals with 13 digs.
Set 1 – USF 25, CUAA 23
Breann June had the first kill of the game, starting a 3-0 CUAA run. Saint Francis fought back to take an early lead, but the Cardinals continued battling with a kill from Kayla Peters and a block by Breann June and Tara Drinane. The set went down to the wire with a 22-22 tie, but USF finished off set 1 with a 25-23 win.
Set 2 – USF 25, CUAA 19
Breann June had Concordia's first kill in set 2, ending a 4-0 USF run. The Cardinals rallied with a kill by Tara Drinane tying the game 7-7. Saint Francis used an 8-1 run to surge back into the lead, but Concordia responded on a 4-0 run with back-to-back kills from Kayla Peters. Peters added a big kill later in the match, but USF took set two 25-19.
Set 3 – CUAA 25, USF 19
Breann June paced Concordia's offense early on with 3 kills and an ace in a 4-0 run. After a 7-7 tie, Kaitlin Veihl started a 4-0 run with a kill. The Cardinals' offense kept them in the lead throughout the remainder of the set and Andrea Nelson clinched the set with a kill to extend the game.
Set 4 – CUAA 25, USF 15
McKenzie Peters made 2 early aces to push the Cardinals ahead 5-3. USF took an 11-9 lead, but a kill from Madalyn Lisman started a 6-0 Concordia run. Kaitlin Veihl added back-to-back kills later in the set to keep the Cardinals ahead. Veihl went on to make the winning kill for a 25-15 set 4 win.
Set 5 – CUAA 15, USF 12
Madalyn Lisman had the first kill in the deciding set 5 to tie the game 2-2. Lisman and Kaitlin Veihl added early kills as the final set continued to be close. Abigail Austin recorded a service ace to tie the game 9-9 and Breann June added a go-ahead kill. With the set tied 12-12, Kayla Peters stepped up with 2 of the final 3 kills to secure the victory.
Game 3 – CUAA 3, GC 0
Breann June had a team-high 11 kills. Abigail Austin led the Cardinals with 24 assists. McKenzie Peters solidified the back end with 13 digs.
Set 1 – CUAA 25, GC 20
Madalyn Lisman had the first Concordia kill in set 1, ending a 4-0 Grace run. Kayla Peters made a kill and McKenzie Peters added an early ace as the Cardinals looked to come back. Attack errors by Grace helped CUAA to take a brief 11-10 lead, but the lead continued to shift. Madalyn Lisman made a go-ahead kill later on, but the set would still be tied 18-18. The Cardinals closed the set on a 7-2 run with Breann June claiming the winning kill.
Set 2 – CUAA 25, GC 22
Tara Drinane notched the first kill in set 2. Kayla Peters added 2 early kills, but Grace pulled ahead to go up 7-4. Abigail Austin recorded back-to-back service aces on a 4-0 run that tied the set 10-10. Back-to-back kills from Breann June later on gave the Cardinals the lead, but the set went down to the wire with a 21-21 tie. Concordia was able to finish the set with a 4-1 run and Kayla Peters notched the winning kill.
Set 3 – CUAA 25, GC 21
After Grace went up 3-0, Tara Drinane notched back-to-back kills to start a 4-0 CUAA run. Kayla Peters had back-to-back kills and the teams continued to trade scoring runs that swapped the lead around. The Cardinals trailed 20-19 late in the set, but once again the team used a strong late performance with a 5-2 run to clinch the game. Breann June notched the winning kill to secure the victory.
Game 4 – IUK 3, CUAA 0
Kayla Peters led the team with 10 kills. Tara Drinane had a team-high 6 assists and 2 blocks. McKenzie Peters led the back end with 10 digs.
Set 1 – IUK 25, CUAA 17
Madalyn Lisman had the first Concordia kill to tie the set 2-2. Lisman combined with Tara Drinane for a block to put the Cardinals ahead, but IU-Kokomo slowly built and maintained a lead throughout the set. Kayla Peters made 4 late kills and added 2 service aces, but CUAA fell 25-17 in set 1.
Set 2 – IUK 25, CUAA 14
A kill from Breann June ended a 7-0 IU-Kokomo run. Abigail Austin and Tara Drinane recorded early kills, but the Cardinals began to fall behind by double digits. Breann June added two late kills but CUAA fell 25-14 in set 2.
Set 3 – IUK 25, CUAA 14
Tara Drinane had the first kill in set 3. Kayla Peters and Jessalyn Peavyhouse had early kills for the Cardinals. Kayla Peters notched back-to-back kills midway through the set, but Concordia was unable to erase their deficit and fell 25-14 in set 3.
Concordia will return home on Wednesday, September 8 when they begin WHAC conference play against Aquinas. The game is set to begin at 7pm.
