TERRE HAUTE, IND -- The Concordia University Chicago women's volleyball started their weekend series off with a 3-0 loss on Friday afternoon.

Inside the Box

• Grace Heywood (Northbrook, Ill.) led the Cougars with 16 kills on the day, marking her ninth straight contest with double-digit kills.

• Isabelle Vernengo (Plainfield, Ind.) put her name on the leaderboard in assists, aces, and blocks with 20, four, and one respectively, surpassing 300 assists on the season.

• Julia Beers (Mishawaka, Ind.) grabbed 14 digs on the day, marking her fourth straight contest with at least ten digs. 

Early in the first set of the match, the Cougars stayed point-for-point with the Panthers until they went on a 10-3 run and fell behind. Finding themselves in a bit of a hole, the Cougars were forced to fight, but couldn't defend the intense Panther offense. 

Despite scoring first in the second set, the Cougars stayed even with the Panthers for the first five points. A momentum-changing kill from Heywood would jumpstart the 12-0 run that would put the Cougars ahead. Within this massive stretch, Heywood would pick up four kills while Vernengo would pick up three service aces. The Panthers quickly rallied back and brought the score even before eventually overcoming the Cougars 29-27.

Falling behind two sets, the Cougars jumped out to a 2-0 lead to start the third set. A series of back-and-forth runs from both the Cougars and the Panthers would level the score at 13 apiece. With the Panthers scoring two to every point the Cougars put up, they would eventually find success in the third set, closing the match 3-0.

The Cougars face a quick turnaround as they continue their weekend with two games tomorrow with the first contest starting at 10:00 am against Manchester University followed by a 12:30 pm matchup against Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Coverage can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.