Sept. 9, 2011 - The Cougar volleyball team fell to 1-5 on the young season with losses to host North Park University and North Central College.
North Park bested Concordia in four sets of the tournament's opening match (25-20, 14-25, 25-13, 25-18). The Cougars had the momentum after a strong second set but inexplicably lost it in the third. According to head coach Kathy Gebhardt, "we started reacting instead of anticipating, and we were a step or two behind North Park the rest of the way." The Cougars received a solid hitting performance by sophomore Bianca Gordon (Milwaukee, WI/Milwaukee Lutheran) with eight kills and a .500 attack. Claire Mackey (Shelton, NE/Heartland Lutheran) added seven kills and 15 digs, while Allison Sapiro (Milwaukee, WI/Milwaukee Lutheran) played strongly at the net with one solo block and five block assists.
In Friday's second match, North Central swept Concordia by scores of 25-17, 25-17 and 25-16. The Cougars committed a slew of hitting errors in the first set and were unable to recover against the Cardinals' powerful hitting attack. Sarah Potter's (New Haven, IN/Woodlan) six kills topped the Cougars while libero Maryl Pinotti (Evergreen Park, IL/H.S.) led the defense with 13 digs.
The Cougars will face familiar rivals Aurora University and Marian University on day two of the tournament Saturday. The two matches will not count as Northern Athletics Conference contests.
