River Forest, Ill. - The Concordia University Chicago (CUC) Cougars women's volleyball team is back with their second home game where they hosted the Lake Forest College Foresters. After five sets of amazing gameplay, the Cougars suffered a tough loss of 3-2.
Inside the Box Score:
- Lili Hunt (Greenfield, Ind.) was our game leader with 12 kills followed closely by Indiah Day (Merrillville, Ind.) with nine kills as well as six aces.
- Harmonie Cooper (Chicago, Ill.) was hard to get past as the main blocker for the Cougars with five blocks and two kills.
- Bethany Roethel (Westby, Wis.) played amazing defense this game with 16 digs.
- Beatriz Goncales and Ava Quevedo (Colorado Springs, Colo.) came in strong with a collective nine blocks.
Here's What Happened
Set One
Although the Cougars started off with an amazing block by Hunt the Foresters were first on the scoreboard, with the Cougars quickly following behind with a kill of their own. Due to amazing offense on the court, the Cougars managed to gain an 8-3 lead over the Foresters. After a quick run with the teams, the Cougars maintained a lead of 17-5, losing the following point, but quickly getting back into the swing of things. The Cougars managed to keep up with a run of 22-7, losing the ball momentarily before Roethel saved the point with a beautiful dig, helping to finish off the set. The Cougars took set one 25-11.
Set Two
The Foresters were first on the scoreboard for set two, leading 3-1 before Hunt claimed back the Cougars' spot with a kill. The Foresters came back with vengeance, leading set two with 13-5. After some back-and-forth, Neva Foster (Parker, Colo.) gained back the point with a well-timed tip. After some amazing digs by Roethel, stellar blocks by Cooper, and some especially strong kills from Foster was not enough for the Cougars and the head to head set resulted in a Forester lead 25-22 over the Cougars. After two sets of play, each team had a set win under their belt.
Set Three
Set three started off with a lead over the Cougars, but that lead did not last long as the Foresters quickly made themselves acquainted with the scoreboard. Both teams played neck to neck for the majority of the set, but the Cougars managed to get that much further and kept the lead they began with. After some amazing back-and-forth gameplay, the Foresters took an 18-16 lead. The Cougars fought for the top spot, Hunt leading some of the final moments with two amazing kills, but ultimately, the Foresters maintained their lead and won the set with a score of 26-24. After three sets of play, the Foresters led 2-1.
Set Four
Hoping to get back into the lead, the Cougars entered their fourth set with a lead of 9-4. The Cougars snuck in some intense digs throughout this set, most notably by Hunt and Roethel, along with strong blocking from Cooper. Even with the will to win screaming from both sides, the Cougars were able to put set four under their belts following a kill from Hunt, with a lead of 25-14.
Set Five
With both teams battling in the final set, the Foresters began the set in the lead, but the Cougars quickly followed to comeback. Halfway through the set, the Foresters gained an 8-4, but got overthrown by the Cougars in turn. Both teams rallied, exchanging points, but the Foresters took the fifth and final set with a score of 15-13. After five sets of play, the Foresters won, 3-2.
What's Next
The Cougars will take a six-day break before making their way to Rockford, Ill. to battle against Rockford University at the Seaver Center at 7:00 pm. Coverage of all things CUC women's volleyball can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.
