SANDUSKY, Ohio – The fall season began this afternoon for the Concordia University Chicago (CUC) women's volleyball team, as the Cougars took a trip to Sandusky, Ohio to compete in the Great Lakes Crossover Tournament. On day one, CUC faced the Muskies of Muskingum University and the Yellowjackets of Baldwin Wallace University. The Cougars battled until the end but ultimately fell in both matches.
 
Match One vs Muskingum
Inside the Box Score

• Senior Kate Foley (Milwaukee, Wis.) led the Cougars offense with nine kills, followed by fellow senior, Lili Hunt (Greenfield, Ind.) who had seven.
• Newcomer Eva Fitzgerald (Houston, Texas) made her mark on the court, putting up 20 assists.
• Defensively, senior Janelle White (Morton Grove, Ill.) totaled 16 digs, followed by Hunt and Foley with seven and six, respectively.

 
Set One
The Cougars struck first with a kill from Hunt, assisted by first year Indiah Day (Merrillville, Ind.). The Muskies then took the next three points, but Hunt made sure that they couldn't break away. After a kill from Foley tied the set, Muskingum found a rhythm and went on a 6-0 run. Fitzgerald and sophomore Harmonie Cooper (Chicago, Ill.) posted back-to-back kills to stop the run, but the Muskies answered back to lead 14-7. The Cougars tried to hinder the Muskies, but their opponent's offense proved too strong, and CUC fell 25-10.
 
Set Two
After falling behind 3-0, Day smashed the first kill and point of the set for the Cougars. Then, Hunt and Foley showed their experience and talent at the net, tying the score at 4-4. Muskingum once again found its rhythm as Concordia fell onto the backfoot in the middle of the set, 15-9. Day's kill broke up their run, but the Muskies continued to build a steady lead, 20-12. However, a service error from the Muskies sparked a 6-0 run for the Cougars which included Cooper and Foley trading off kills and a service ace from Hunt to put CUC back within two, 20-18. The Muskies would manage to keep the lead, 23-19, but the Cougars had something to say about it. A block by Day, a kill from first year Ava Quevedo (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and two service aces from junior Bethany Roethel (Westby, Wis.) put the Cougars ahead, 24-23. Unfortunately, Muskingum scored the next three points, winning the set 26-24, and now led the match 2-0.
 
Set Three
Quevedo put CUC up on the board first as the Cougars and Muskies traded points, until the Muskies had a 7-6 advantage. The Cougars then went on a 6-1 run, including kills from Hunt and Cooper, a block by Cooper, and service aces from Foley and Roethel. The Muskies managed to come back at the Cougars and secure the next 12 points to go up 20-12.  Sophomore Jordan Brown (Bensenville, Ill.) ended Muskingum's run but the Muskies kept a 22-15 lead. CUC put themselves right back into the mix with a 6-0 run. A few Muskingum errors combined with kills from Foley and a service ace by White brought the Cougars within one, 22-21. However, the Cougars couldn't take the lead and fell 25-22, losing the match 3-0.
 
Match Two vs Baldwin Wallace
Inside the Box Score

• Junior Rachel Livesay (Medinah, Ill.) made her stamp on the court with 11 kills, followed closely by Hunt and Day who each had 10.
• Fitzgerald continued to shine with 24 assists, followed by sophomore Malainna Adler with 16.
• Day put in the work on both sides of the court, leading the squad with 15 digs while Roethel had 13.

 
Set One
Livesay and Hunt put the first kills up on the board for CUC as the Cougars and Yellowjackets traded points to begin the set. The Yellowjackets would take a slight 8-6 lead, but Brown wouldn't let them pull away. Baldwin Wallace tried to extend their lead again but would only put one extra point between the Cougars and themselves, 12-10. Kills from Hunt and Livesay, sandwiched around a service ace from Day put CUC back ahead 13-12. The teams battled back-and-forth, tying the set up nine times on the way up to 22 all. The Cougars were able to break the tie, but the Yellowjackets ended the set on top, 25-23.
 
Set Two
The Cougars refused to back down and came out hot in the second set, going on a 9-4 run, which saw multiple kills from Livesay, a service ace from Adler, and a kill from senior McKayla LeVoy (Kankakee, Ill.). Roethel excelled on the service line with a trio of aces to take a 13-5 lead. The Yellowjackets tried to come back, cutting the lead to 15-10, but the Cougars answered right back with five points to claim a 10-point lead, 20-10. Baldwin Wallace picked up the next four points but from there, the teams traded points. With kills from Livesay, Quevedo, and Day, CUC took the set 25-18 and tied the match 1-1.
 
Set Three
CUC struggled at the beginning of the set, falling behind 7-2. Quevedo broke up the Yellowjackets' run, but Baldwin Wallace continued to overpower the Cougars for a 12-3 lead. The teams traded points until an error by the Yellowjackets and back-to-back service aces from LeVoy put the Cougars within five, 16-11. CUC and Baldwin Wallace went back and forth for the next nine points, but the Yellowjackets ended the set on a 5-0 run to take it 25-16 and lead the match 2-1.
 
 Set Four
The Cougars kept the set close early, as a kill by LeVoy and ace from Day helped the Cougars stay within one, 5-4. The Yellowjackets extended their lead to 7-4, before Quevedo, Brown, and Adler charged the Cougars forward to an 8-7 lead. Baldwin Wallace went on a small run to reclaim the lead, but Day and Brown made sure the difference between the two teams was still only one point, as the Cougars trailed 14-13. Unfortunately for the Cougars, the Yellowjackets were able to go on a 5-1 run and extend their lead to 19-14. Concordia continued to battle, but another short run for Baldwin Wallace put them ahead 24-19. CUC wouldn't go down easy, scoring the next three points, but ultimately it wasn't the Cougars' day, and they fell 25-22 in the set, 3-1 in the match.
 
CUC will continue its run in the Great Lakes Crossover Tournament tomorrow, Saturday, August 30. The Cougars will face Franciscan University of Steubenville at 7:00 am and then Heidelberg University at 11:00 am. Coverage for all of our sports can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.