Posted: Nov 05, 2021
(Ann Arbor, MI) – Concordia volleyball hosted rival Siena Heights on Friday night for a WHAC conference matchup. The Cardinals entered the tilt 12-15 overall (8-9 WHAC) while the Saints came in 17-7 (12-6 WHAC). Just as in their first meeting this year, the match required a full five sets to decide. CUAA stormed out to a 2-0 lead, but the Saints came back to win 3-2.
Kayla Peters led the team with 16 kills. Abigail Austin had a team-high 46 assists. McKenzie Peters secured the back end with 22 digs. Kaitlin Veihl led the Cardinals with 5 blocks.
Set 1 – CUAA 29, SHU 27
Concordia started on a 3-0 run as Breann June made an ace and Abigail Austin teamed up with Kaitlin Veihl for a block. The lead continued to shift as Siena Heights moved into the lead with a late 22-18 advantage, but a 4-0 Cardinals run with 3 kills from Breann June tied the game. The set required extra serves with both teams trading match points and Kayla Peters recording 4 kills down the stretch. Breann June hammered the winning kill for a 29-27 set 1 win.
Set 2 – CUAA 25, SHU 16
Kaitlin Veihl had the first Concordia kill in set 2. Kayla Peters made a pair of early kills as the lead changed hands early on. A 6-0 CUAA run pushed the team out to a 13-9 lead midway through the set. The Cardinals closed out the set with 4 unanswered points on back-to-back kills from Kaitlin Veihl and an ace from Korie Fowler.
Set 3 – SHU 25, CUAA 19
Abigail Austin had the first Cardinal kill in set 3. Tara Drinane made an early block, but Siena Heights jumped out to a 13-5 lead. Kaitlin Veihl made multiple kills down the stretch while combining for blocks with Abigail Austin and Kayla Peters, but the Saints took the set 25-19.
Set 4 – SHU 25, CUAA 17
Abigail Austin made the first kill in set 4. After the Saints went up 6-2, Concordia made a 4-0 run capped by a combined block from Alexandra Lucaj and Tara Drinane. The Cardinals pulled within a few points several times with Kayla Peters pacing the offense, but Siena Heights forced a fifth set with a win.
Set 5 – SHU 15, CUAA 12
Breann June started the critical fifth set with a service ace. Tara Drinane teamed up with Kayla Peters for a block and added a kill for a 5-5 tie. After Siena Heights went up 11-7 the Cardinals forced a timeout with three straight points. However, the Saints were able to finish out the match with a 15-12 win in set 5.
Concordia will remain at home tomorrow when they host UNOH at 7pm in their regular season finale and senior night.
