RIVER FOREST, ILL. – To open up Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) play for the season, the Concordia University Chicago (CUC) women's volleyball team (3-3, 0-0) hosted Wisconsin Lutheran College (WLC) (2-6, 0-0) in a conference matchup. What proved to be a battle in this matchup, the Cougars fell to the Warriors 3-1.
Inside the Box Score:
- Grace Heywood (Northbrook, Ill.) was dominant on the offensive end tonight. The fifth-year recorded 14 kills and 18 digs.
- Isabelle Vernengo (Plainfield, Ind.) played a significant role with dishing out 32 assists and 10 digs.
First Set
To start off the first set of the match, The Cougars came out swinging in the match with a 6-3 lead. Later on, they would go on a 5-0 run that would eventually lead to a Warriors timeout. WLC did not back down, as they battled hard to cut the deficit.
With the final play of the match ending up with a
Kate Foley (Milwaukee, Wis.) block, the Cougars would end up taking set one with a score of 25-21.
Second Set
Going into the second set, the Warriors came out guns blazing, getting the first point of the set. However, the Cougars quickly answered with some points of their own. With most of the set being within one point difference, the Warriors started to pull away with a 9-7 lead. With some offensive kills from
Akasia Brown (Addison, Ill.) and Heywood, the Cougars managed to cut the deficit.
The Warriors proceeded to go on a 4-0 run that would lead to a Cougars timeout.
In a thrilling back-and-forth contest that had Geiseman fans on the edge of their seats, The WLC Warriors took the second set by a score of 25-21. Both teams were now tied with a set apiece.
Third Set
Starting off the third set, the Warriors came back with a vengeance getting the first two points of the match. Following some slight Cougar miscommunications, The Warriors went on an offensive run.
Following back-to-back blocks and kills from Heywood, the Cougars were slowly cutting down the deficit. Warriors managed to keep up the momentum and took set three with a score of 25-17, giving them the 2-1 lead going into set four.
Fourth Set
Heading into the fourth set, the Warriors were not letting up, starting off hot with a 3-1 lead. Cougars weren't going down without a fight, answering back with four quick points of their own. Constant kills from both sides had led to back-and-forth rallies. An ace from
Lili Hunt (Greenfield, Ind.) gave the Cougars an extra boost.
However, the Warriors run was explosive and ultimately defeated the Cougars 25-23 in the final set of the match.
The Cougars will continue to play this Friday as they travel to Wheaton, Illinois to compete in the Wheaton College Tournament. They will play Bethel University on Friday at 7 p.m., Maryville College on Saturday at 11 a.m. and Manchester University on Saturday at 3 p.m. Coverage for all of our sports can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.
