Alma, Mich. - The Concordia University Chicago (CUC) Cougars women's volleyball team were in Alma for day two of the Alma College Invitational. With two games on the schedule, the Cougars took on the Anderson Ravens at 9:00 am, followed by the Alma Scots at 11:00 am. In game one, the Cougars suffered a tough loss of 3-0 against the Ravens and after three sets, were able to sweep the Scots 3-0.
Game One
Inside the Box Score
- Neva Foster (Parker, Colo.) led the Cougar offense in game one where she had 10 kills, the lone Cougar to reach double digits. Foster also added a block.
- Indiah Day (Merrillville, Ind.) and Bethany Roethel (Westby, Wis.) led the back line where they had 12 and 11 digs respectively.
Here's What Happened
Set One
The Cougars were first on the scoreboard, with the Ravens following quickly behind. For the first part of this set, the teams battled back and forth, until the Ravens eventually took the lead. Hunt came in with her second kill of the first set, which was the start for the Cougars to take the lead of 12-7. After some rallying, the Ravens are back on top with 23-20. Harmonie Cooper (Chicago, Ill.) broke out her skills at the net, giving the Cougars a fighting chance, but the Ravens took the set at 25-22.
Set Two
For this set, the Ravens were the first on the scoreboard. The Ravens took the lead, but a kill from Foster the team tied up at 4-4. Similarly to set one, intense rallying took place between the teams and the leads switched continuously. As a timeout ensued, the Ravens were in the lead 10-7. The Cougars continued to fall behind with six unanswered points from the Ravens before they were finally able to gain a point back. The Cougars kept the ball in their court with another precise kill from Foster, but the success was cut short as the Ravens took the lead 18-14. With a strong kill from Ava Quevedo (Colorado Springs, Colo.), multiple digs from Roethel and two beautiful kills from Day, it did little to stifle the blow as the Ravens took set two with a short lead of 25-21. The Ravens step into set three with a 2-0 lead.
Set Three
The Cougars were first on the scoreboard, going head to head in set three. The Cougars slowly took the lead, but the Ravens maintained their momentum. The teams headed into a timeout halfway through the set to regroup; they entered back into the set with the Ravens in the lead once more. The Ravens rack up their lead, but the Cougars did not give up. This was evident by Foster's overwhelming presence at the net and Day's attempted kills. In the end, the Ravens took set three with a 25-19 lead. The Ravens, overall, swept the Cougars with a 3-0 win.
The Cougars took a short break before going into game two of the day to take on Alma College at 11:00 am.
Game Two
Inside the Box Score
- Rachel Livesay (Medinah, Ill.) was the game leader for the Cougars with 11 kills and 7 digs, followed by Day with 10 kills.
- Quevedo followed closely behind with 6 kills.
- Cooper was today's selected attacker with 7 kills, 5 blocks, and 3 digs.
Here's What Happened
Set One
After a 30-minute delay, the Cougars were back on the court for game two. The Cougars took the lead against the Scots 4-3. Cooper started off the set on the right foot as she showcased her talent at the net; she assisted Livesay into making an amazing kill, earning points back. Quevedo tied up the teams 8-8 with a kill, but a lead from the Scots soon followed. The lead is soon broken by the fast approaching Cougars after a kill from Cooper. The Cougars gained a lead of 17-16 and carried on to win their first set of the day with a score of 25-23.
Set Two
Going into set two with renewed motivation, the first kill goes to Livesay, which puts the Cougars on the scoreboard first. After a short lead, the Scots got a point, but Hunt wouldn't let that stand as she performed an outstanding kill against a Scot on the net. Janelle White (Morton Grove, Ill.) was not afraid to get dirty as she dropped for multiple digs to keep the Cougars in the lead. The Cougars stayed on top with a score of 21-18 and kept growing their lead until they achieved their second set win with a score of 25-18. The Cougars walked into set three with a 2-0 lead.
Set Three
The Cougars were first up on the scoreboard once again from blocks by Hunt and Cooper. This lead did not last long as the Scots took over with a lead of 9-7. The willpower of the Cougars carried on, so they followed closely. The teams became tied up with a score of 11-11, but that was easily broken by Hunt's defense at the net. The Scots slowly took the lead, but got tied up once again after a kill from Beatriz Goncalvez (Belo Horizonte, Brazil). This goes on to a Cougar lead of 19-18. The Scots and the Cougars battled and ultimately, the Cougars came out on top with a 25-21 lead, leaving this doubleheader with a 3-0 sweep.
What's Next
The Cougars will have a break for the next couple of days before returning to Geiseman Gymnasium to go up against Edgewood University at 7:00 pm. Coverage for all things CUC women's volleyball can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.
