Oct. 8, 2016 - The Concordia University Chicago volleyball team has shown a lot of growth and, most of all, effort over the past few weeks. After not being rewarded during a tough stretch of the schedule , the Cougars headed to Milwaukee to take on the Alverno Inferno in a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference match. CUC got off to a strong start and was able to fight back in all three sets to sweep the Inferno on the road in straight sets (25-20, 25-23, 27-25).

In set one, the Cougars jumped out quickly with opening kills by Austin Thompson.  The Inferno got back to within 4-3 before CUC was able to rip off a 6-1 run with kills by Raven Burns, Jaylynn Johnson and Arendia Ruiter. The Cougars were able to expand the lead to seven when Nicoletta Crowley's serve could not be handled. CUC kept the Inferno at a safe distance for the remainder of the set, getting kills by Burns and Ruiter to take set one 25-20.

In set two, Alverno was able to open up an early lead over CUC. Trailing 7-3, the Cougars made a 7-0 run to take the lead in the set. Ruiter played a key part in the run with three kills while Alyssa Serewicz was serving.  The Inferno did not go away quietly, with CUC leading 14-10, Alverno made their own 6-0 run to reclaim the lead.  The Cougars tied the set back up at 19 with a kill by Thompson and promptly took the lead with an ace by Ruiter. The two teams battled tough into the final points. A kill bySarah Smith gave CUC the lead for good late, taking set two 25-23.

In set three, the Inferno made a run early to open up a 10-5 lead in the set. Multiple Alverno errors allowed CUC to get within 11-9. The Cougars worked back to tie the match midway through the set at 14. A kill by Burns brought the Cougars within two, and an ace by Hannah Johnson allowed CUC to tie the set. Alverno opened up a lead again with a short run, but the Cougar came roaring back with kills by J.Johnson and Ruiter. Another ace by Serewicz gave CUC the lead late at 19-18. Alverno made one last push, taking the lead 22-19 forcing a CUC timeout. CUC was able fight back with kills by Thompson and J.Johnson, and took the match with an ace by Crowley.

Thompson and Ruiter led the way with 12 kills each. Thompson was very effective with her swings on the day, finishing with a .455 attack percentage. Crowley finished the day with 31 assists. H.Johnson finished the day with a team high 14 digs.

The Cougars (3-17, 2-3 NACC) return to action on Tuesday night when they host Division Street rival Dominican University. This will be the third matchup between the two schools as part of the new River Forest Rivalry Cup. Opening serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.