GALESBURG, Ill. -- Looking to gain some momentum amid their nonconference schedule, the Concordia-Chicago women's volleyball team traveled to compete in the Knox College Tournament this weekend. After day one, CUC improved its record to 4-6 as the team dropped match one to Anderson College before coming back to beat MacMurray College in five.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
- The Cougar block was solid all day as CUC's front line out blocked Anderson 9-5 and MacMurray 9.5-2.
- Caroline Gibbons helped lead the block charge for the Cougars, as she finished the day with three solo blocks and five block assists.
- Setters Alex Clasen and Kelly Gootee were dynamic in the game two win, as the duo combined for 49 assists over five sets. With Gootee and Clasen tabbing 25 and 24 assists, respectively, the two were chasing one another for the season-high single game assists total. Gootee previously set the mark with 20 assists against Concordia Ann Arbor on August 31.
MATCH ONE vs. Anderson, L 3-0
The Cougars struggled to find a groove in the opening set of the Knox College Tournament. Midway through the first set, CUC trailed the Ravens 16-10 but gained quick momentum off a huge solo block from
Gibbons.
Despite the clutch play from Gibbons, the Ravens responded with back-to-back kills and extended their lead to 18-11. Down the stretch
Alyssa Henline would come out with the kill on the outside to make it a 23-16 game, but it wouldn't be enough as another pair of Raven kills ended the set at 25-16.
In set two, the Cougars were held to one of their lowest attacking percentages of the season, as CUC hit -.034 compared to Anderson's .281. The frame opened up evenly as Concordia trailed just 3-2 after another kill from Henline. However, from there the Ravens forced the Cougars into four attack errors and one reception error to pull away to a commanding 11-3 advantage. For the remainder of the set, CUC would never pull within closer than seven points to the Ravens as they dropped set two, 25-14.
The Cougars seemed to finally hit their stride in the third set, thanks to the setting efforts from Clasen, who made her sophomore season debut in the match. With five assists and one kill in the final set, Clasen allowed CUC to grab hold of an early 8-4 lead.
Down by four though, the Ravens called a timeout and immediately worked their way back into a tied 9-9 game. At a stalemate, Anderson responded with two aces and a kill that would this time force the Cougars into a timeout. After regrouping with an ace from
Shannon Stamp and two kills from
Julia Spitelli, Concordia-Chicago crawled back within one point of the Ravens at 13-12. As the game progressed, CUC would tie things up five more times and regain the lead once but ultimately Anderson took the final set 25-16 to win the first match of the day.
MATCH TWO vs. MacMurray, W 3-2
Concordia-Chicago came out for match two ready to work. Opening up the first set with five kills, the Cougars managed to establish a solid 13-6 lead over the Highlanders and force the opponents to take a timeout. Despite trying to take momentum from CUC, the Cougars went on to hit .314 for the remainder of the match and solidified a 25-16 first set win.
The Highlanders bounced back early on in the second set and took a 7-6 advantage.
Alexa Lomantini helped Concordia regain momentum though, as she went to the service line and brought CUC on a three-point run to pull ahead 9-7. While the Cougars controlled the pace of the match, MacMurray kept things close. But, at 17-16, CUC's front line produced a nuclear triple block, followed by a
Shannon Stamp ace to give Concordia a much needed three-point stretch. Ultimately, the Cougars pulled out the 25-18 win.
With a 2-0 lead, CUC kept pressure on the Highlanders, but the Highlanders were armed with a response. Producing an average of a .286 attack percentage over the third and fourth sets, MacMurray managed to squeak out 25-22 and 25-20 set wins, respectively. While the Cougars trailed 23-13 during the fourth set, Stamp once again led CUC from the endline and pulled her squad all the way back to a 23-20, three-point deficit. Even with the incredible serving performance however, the Highlanders still found a way to win and force set five.
Concordia's attack was outstanding in the fifth frame, hitting .467 as a team with just one attack error. Henline knocked down two early kills that gave the Cougars an added edge at 5-2. Later on, Henline would also take a two-point run from the endline and extend the match to 10-6 in favor of CUC. At 13-9, the Cougars earned the ball back from a service error by the Highlanders, allowing Gootee and Stamp to then connect for the match point of the second game.
CUC will return to action for two matches beginning at noon tomorrow. Live stats will be available at cucougars.com/coverage.
