The Concordia University Chicago women's volleyball team hosted Benedictine University in the opening round of the NACC South tournament. The Cougars, coming into the match as the No. 2 seed, ended up securing the win in tonight's contest, defeating the No. 3 Eagles three sets to one to move on to the finals.
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Benedictine came out strong in the first as they grabbed the momentum early. This resulted in BU winning the first set 25-18. But the Cougars weren't ready to call it a night. They battled back in the second set, squeezing by the Eagles with a score of 25-22.
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Once the third set rolled around, both teams were battling for the lead. It took a pair of aces from junior libero
Julia Beers (Mishawaka, Ind.) to give the Cougars the much-needed push in the third set to grab a 25-23 win. From there, CUC kept all of the momentum as they came out strong in the fourth. Concordia maintained control of the game as they finished the fourth and final set with a score of 25-13.
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Leading the Cougars tonight were outside hitters
Alyssa Henline (Fort Wayne, Ind.) and
Katie Stonich (Sadieville, Ky.). The sophomore finished the night with 14 kills as she hit .308 (2 errors, 39 attempts) on the night while freshman Stonich notched 10 kills and 11 digs to finish with a double-double. This was her second double-double in the last three matches she played at the pin for CUC.
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Controlling the offense was freshman
Isabelle Vernengo (Plainfield, Ind.), who registered 38 assists while also recording a team-high three aces. In the back row, the duo of Beers and freshman
Sophie Kovachevich (Huntley, Ill.) made major contributions as they finished with 18 and 15 digs, respectively. Junior
Caroline Gibbons (Roselle, Ill.) also helped the team's defensive efforts in the front row as she tallied four blocks.
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The Cougars will have two days off before they compete in the NACC South Finals on Sunday, April 18. They will travel down Division Street as they take on the Dominican Stars in the title match. A time for the game has yet to be announced.
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