River Forest, Ill. -- The Concordia University Chicago women's volleyball team kicked off homecoming weekend at CUC by playing host to the Raiders of the Milwaukee School of Engineering on Friday night. The team fell by a final of 3-0, but there were no shortage of highlights. 

Prior to the match, the team honored their eight seniors: setter Alex Clasen (Naperville, Ill.), libero Julia Beers (Mishawaka, Ind.), opposite Lily Goldstein (Indianapolis, Ind.), middle blocker Caroline Gibbons (Roselle, Ill.), middle blocker Chloe Martin (Effingham, Ill.), defensive specialist Kallie Appleman (Amboy, Ill.), middle blocker Mikala Perino (De Pere, Wis.), and opposite Tori Steele (Elizabethtown, Ky.). 

After the teams traded blows for the first 10 points of the first set, the Cougars fell behind by a score of 10-6. Despite their best comeback effort and several competitive rallies, they were unable to draw much closer through the remainder of the set. The Raiders eventually emerged by a score of 25-18. 

The second set began in a similar fashion, with the teams again going back and forth early on. This time neither team was able to pull away. There was never a lead greater than four until MSOE went ahead 23-18 before escaping with a 25-18 victory. 

The Cougars trailed by as much as seven on more than one occasion in the third set but refused to quit, putting pressure on MSOE down the stretch. A quick 5-0 run cut the Raider lead to 17-15 Raider before Cougars pulled as close as one on two separate occasions. The comeback fell just short, however, with the Raiders capturing a 25-21 victory. 

Top Performers

• Perino had a team-high four total blocks. 

• Junior Joy Greco (Brookfield, Ill.) led the team with 12 kills. Her 12.5 total points were also tops on the team. 

• Fellow junior Alyssa Henline (Fort Wayne, Ind.) was second on the team with eight kills, also adding two total blocks and eight receptions. 

• Sophomore Katie Stonich (Sadieville, Ky.) had eight digs, eight receptions and five kills.

• Beers led the team with 12 digs. 

It's a quick turnaround for the team, as they're back at it right here in River Forest tomorrow, Oct. 16, for a battle with Wisconsin Lutheran. The match is set to begin at noon and a stream can be found on cucougars.com/coverage.