MILWAUKEE, Wis. --- Looking to close out the 2021 season on a high note, the Concordia University Chicago women's volleyball team hit the road for two final matches at the Warrior Invitational hosted at Wisconsin Lutheran College. The Cougars put their best foot forward on the final day of the season, downing Carroll 3-1 before taking down Mount Mary 3-0 to close out the season.

Match one vs. Carroll

The Cougars' offense was clicking at a high level in the first match of the night against Carroll. The Cougars came out and hit .371 in the opening set, finishing with 16 kills and just three errors on 35 attempts. After dropping set two, the Cougars rebounded in set three, getting a kill from Alyssa Henline and a block from Chloe Martin and Isabelle Vernengo to take the set 26-24. CUC then came out and dominated in set four, using multiple long runs to take the set 25-13. The Cougars hit .429 in set four, and .268 for the match. Joy Greco led a trio of Cougars who finished with double-digit kills with 20. Vernengo finished the match with a career-high 50 assists. Henline recorded a double-double in the match with 16 kills and 15 digs, and Julia Beers led the team with 17 digs. 

Match two vs. Mount Mary

CUC carried the offensive momentum from the win over Carroll into the final match of the season against Mount Mary. CUC came out on fire in the opening set, hitting .632 as a team with just one error. The Cougars had multiple large runs in the opening set which led to a 25-8 win in the opener. Serving helped to carry the Cougars in set two, with Alex Clasen and Henline helping to power two separate runs with multiple aces. CUC took the second set 25-18. Henline continued the momentum in the third set, where she recorded four straight aces to open the set. CUC would never look back, taking set three 25-16 to record the sweep. In total, the Cougars recorded 17 total service aces, led by Henline with six. In total 16 different players were able to make an appearance in the season finale. 

Finishing up

The Cougars close out the 2021 campaign with a record of 12-16 overall and 3-10 in the NACC. You can view all of the photos from the 2021 season at cucougars.com/photos. You can also keep up to date with everything happening in the offseason on Twitter @cuc_volleyball.