RIVER FOREST, ILL.- The Concordia University Chicago (CUC) Cougars women's volleyball team continues Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) play on their home court against the Benedictine University Eagles (BENU) for a midweek matchup. After battling through five competitive sets, the Cougars rallied for a comeback victory, defeating the Eagles 3-2.
INSIDE THE BOX:
- Indiah Day (Merrillville, Ind.) made an impact with 20 kills and led with 61 attacks.
- Bethany Roethel (Westby, Wis.) made her presence known with 27 digs and four assists.
- Neva Foster (Parker, Colo.) recorded ten kills and followed behind with 40 attacks.
- Beatriz Goncalves (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) added to the scoreboard with 17 assists and 18 digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET ONE
The Eagles jumped out to a commanding six-point lead to start the first set. The Cougars got on the board with a kill by Day, assisted by Goncalves, making the score 6-1. The Eagles quickly responded with a five point run, extending their lead to double digits at 11-1. The Cougars answered with back-to-back points,beginning with a kill by Foster followed by an Eagles attack error. The Eagles added a kill of their own before Brynn Icenogle (Brentwood, Calif.) responded with a kill for the Cougars. Following substitutions by the Cougars, the Eagles added two more points before a service error gave the Cougars another point, bringing the score to 14-5. Both teams traded points, but Day sparked the Cougars' offense with back-to-back kills, cutting into the Eagles' lead. The Cougars continued to build momentum with a four point run, narrowing the score to 17-12. The Eagles responded with two consecutive points before another service error gave the Cougars a point, making it 19-13. Following a Cougar timeout, the Eagles opened with a kill, but the Cougars capitalized on two Eagles attack errors. After adding three more points, Foster recorded a kill to keep the Cougars within reach. However, the Eagles secured the final point to win the opening set, 25-16.
SET TWO
Perkins opened the second set with a kill to give the Cougars an early 1-0 lead. The teams traded points and remained tied at 2-2 before continuing to exchange points throughout the set. The Eagles eventually pulled ahead by three, leading 10-7, but the Cougars fought back with two consecutive service aces to tie the score at 10-10. Both teams continued to trade points until a kill by Icenogle energized the Cougars. A point resulting from a block assist by Ava Quevedo (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Icenogle, followed by a kill from Day, gave the Cougars a 17-14 advantage. The Eagles responded with a five-point run to take a 19-17 lead. After the Cougars added a point, an Eagles kill brought the score to 20-18. Day tied the set for the Cougars before an Eagles attack error gave them a 21-20 lead. Following an Eagles timeout, the team tied the score again, but Day answered with another kill to put the Cougars ahead 22-21. The teams exchanged points down the stretch, but the Cougars closed out the set with an Eagles attack error, winning 25-23 and tying the match at one set apiece.
SET THREE
With each team having won a set, the third set opened with a kill by Goncalves to give the Cougars a 1-0 lead. The Eagles answered with a point before adding three consecutive points to take a 4-1advantage. After the teams traded points, the Eagles went on a seven point run before Perkins ended the streak with a kill for the Cougars, bringing the score to 9-7 in favor of the Eagles. Following another Cougar point, the Eagles added two more before Day recorded a kill. The Eagles then scored three consecutive points to extend their lead to 14-8. After a service error by the Eagles, the Cougars rallied for five consecutive points, cutting the deficit to 14-13. The Eagles added another point before a media timeout, but Day came out strong with a kill, followed by two more Cougar points to give them a 16-15lead. The Eagles responded with three consecutive points, but the Cougars answered with four of their own. The teams traded points to tie the score at 20-20 before Foster recorded a kill to put the Cougars ahead. However, the Eagles responded with three straight points to take a 23-21 lead. Debanhi Moreno (Dallas, Texas) entered the game and recorded a kill for the Cougars, but the Eagles reached match point and secured the final point to win the set, 25-23.
SET FOUR
The fourth set began with both teams trading points and tying the score at 1-1. The teams continued to exchange points before a block assist by Foster and Cooper sparked the Cougars offense. The Cougars followed with three consecutive points to take an 11-8 lead. The Eagles responded with a three-point run to tie the score at 11-11, but Cooper answered with a kill. An Eagles attack error and another kill by Goncalves helped the Cougars maintain their advantage. The Eagles narrowed the deficit to one point, but Day recorded two consecutive points to extend the Cougars' lead to 18-14. The Eagles responded with a point, but Moreno added a kill before the Cougars went on a five-point run to build an eight-point lead at 23-15.The Eagles attempted to rally with four consecutive points, but the Cougars held on and secured the set with an Eagles attack error, winning 25-21 and forcing a decisive fifth set.
SET FIVE
In the fifth set, Day opened with two kills to give the Cougars an early 2-0 lead. The Eagles fought to get on the board and tie the score at 3-3. The Cougars added two more points, but the Eagles responded to tie the score at 5-5. The teams continued to trade points, keeping the set close through the opening nine points. Goncalves then sparked the Cougars' offense, helping lead the team on a decisive six-point run. Day capped off the run with a kill, securing the Cougars' victory in the fifth set, 15-9, and completing their comeback after dropping the opening set.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Cougars will continue NACC play this weekend on October 17th on home courts at 12 PM, for a theme of Maroon Out. Coverage for all things CUC women's volleyball can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.
