RIVER FOREST, Ill. – It was another big week for Concordia University Chicago (CUC) athletics. Check out all the action below.
 
Women's Basketball (8-13, 6-7)
The women's basketball team competed in two Northern Athletic Collegiate Conference (NACC) games this week, on the road, against Benedictine University and Wisconsin Lutheran College (WLC).
 
Against the Eagles of Benedictine, the Cougars kept the intensity all game, but came up just short, falling 82-67. Jocelyn Chammas (Chicago, Ill.) showed out with a career-high day, securing 18 points while shooting 70% from the field. Ai Yonemura (Yachiyo, Chiba-Japan) led the charge, playing all 40 minutes, and registering 25 points, five assists, and a block. Rounding out the double-digit scorers was Grace King (Fairland, Ind.), who added 15 points, five rebounds, and two steals.
 
In Milwaukee, the Cougars faced the top ranked team in the conference, WLC. It was a tough battle and ultimately CUC fell 92-41. Naveya Jackson (Sun Prairie, Wis.) picked up a team-high 11 points and eight rebounds. Abbi Dykstra (Yale, Mich.) earned nine points and recorded an assist while Yonemura followed with six points and three assists.
 
This week, the Cougars defend their home court. On Wednesday, February 11, CUC hosts Edgewood University. Tipoff will be at 7:00 pm. Then at 1:00 pm on Saturday, February 14, the Cougars welcome Marian University to Geiseman Gymnasium.
 
Men's Basketball (6-15, 5-9)
The men's basketball team also played Benedictine and WLC this week.
 
Against the Eagles, the Cougars rallied in the second half but couldn't overcome the deficit from the first half and fell, 79-65. Honore Yangoua (Williamstown, Ky.) had an all-around impressive game, leading the team with 13 points while adding four rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and three steals. Darrian Williams (Garland, Texas) followed closely behind his teammate with 12 points, three rebounds, two assists, and a steal. Aaron Brown (Joliet, Ill.) led on the boards with 11 rebounds while  Kenton Pryor (Hazel Crest, Ill.) grabbed five rebounds.
 
On the road against WLC, three Cougars hit double-digits, but CUC ultimately dropped the game, 76-54. Yangoua picked up a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Jacob Robinson (Saint Louis, Mo.) led the squad with 15 points. The final Cougar to score double digits for the maroon and gold was Brown, with 12 points. Brown also added seven rebounds and one assist.
 
This week, the Cougars travel to Madison, Wis. on Wednesday, February 11, to play Edgewood at 7:00 pm. CUC comes back to River Forest on Saturday, February 14, to take on Marian at 3:15 pm.
 
Track & Field
Both track & field teams competed at the Tadd Metzger Invite/Multi, hosted by Carthage College.
 
The men's team showed out, finishing fourth of 10 teams. Kamren Hannah (El Paso, Texas) secured gold in the 55m with a time of 6.62. He also took silver in the 200m with a time of 23.18. Gael Arroyo (Cicero, Ill,) put in two bronze medal performances, one in the 3000m with a personal best time of 9:23.56 and one in the 600m with a personal best time of 1:28.81. Austin Knight (Forest Park, Ill.)  secured a top three finish in the 200m with a time of 23.37. Also finishing in the top three of their respective event was Dominic Carlson (Loves Park, Ill.) in the 5000m with a time of 16:59.52.
 
The women's team finished fifth of seven teams. Izzy Fairless (Royal Oak, Mich.) led the Cougars with a third-place finish in the 600m with a time of 1:50.81. Fairless also took fifth in the mile with a time of 5:43.26. Madison Hipshire (Riverview, Mich.) placed fourth in the 400m with a personal best time of 1:04.22. Lydia Vonderhaar (Apple Valley, Minn.) secured fifth in the 55m with a time of 7.59.
 
The Cougars' next meet will be the Chicagoland Championships, hosted by North Central College. The women's team will compete on Friday, February 13, while the men will compete on Saturday, February 14.
 
Men's Volleyball (5-2, 0-0)
The Cougars hosted University of Mount Union and Wabash College for the NACC-MCVL Challenge.
 
CUC started the day with a 3-1 victory over Mount Union. Tyler Holubek (New Lenox, Ill.) led the squad with 15 kills, eight digs, and a block. Jackson Stella (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) followed with 13 kills and a block. Tyrise Armstrong (Grayslake, Ill.) totaled 12 kills, two assists, and 11 digs. Elijah Mosher (Clayton, Ohio) led the squad in both assists (43) and digs (13).
 
The Cougars ended the day with a 3-0 sweep over Wabash. In the victory, Holubek not only led the team with 11 kills, six digs, three blocks, and an assist, he also recorded his 1,000^th career kill. Alexander Ford (Skokie, Ill.) and Stella ended the match with eight points. Stella totaled eight kills and an assist while Ford had five kills and two blocks.
 
CUC plays two more non-conference matchups on the road this week. On Thursday, February 12, CUC will play North Park University at 7:00 pm. Then on Saturday, February 14, the Cougars will play Roosevelt University at 3:00 pm.
 
Men's Tennis (0-4, 0-0)
The men's tennis team faced off against University of Dubuque.
 
Despite falling 6-1, the Cougars showed a lot of grit. Kevin Bullens (River Forest, Ill.) secured the lone point, defeating his opponent at No. 4 singles (1-6, 6-3, 10-7). While the Spartans took the doubles point, Bullens and his No. 3 doubles partner, Kyle Pelzek (Hales Corner, Wis.), won their match, 7-6 with a 7-5 tiebreaker.
 
The Cougars' next two matches will be Saturday, February 21. CUC will head up to Ripon, Wis. to face Ripon College at 10:00 am and University of Wisconsin-Superior at 1:00 pm.
 
Esports
Both Smash and Overwatch played this week.
 
Smash opened the season with a 2-0 victory over Buena Vista White (BVU). Game one was an intense battle, but the Cougars came out on top, 12-11. Cameron Hall (Chicago, Ill.) took Buena Vista's first two stocks while Luis Cortes (Maywood, Ill.) came in to take their third to take down their first player. Chrisovalanti Charisis (Elmwood Park, Ill.) dominated against Bunea Vista's second player but fell to the third player. As the team's anchor, James Bruxvoort (Holland, Mich.) came in clutch, taking the final from Buena Vista to take a 1-0 lead into game two. In the second game, Hall took all three stocks of BVU's starter for an early lead. Cortes went back and forth with his opponent and Bruxvoort came in to seal the victory for the Cougars. Bruxvoort only lost one stock in three matches to clinch the game two win and lead CUC to a 2-0 victory. The Cougars start off the season, 1-0. CUC's next match will be Tuesday, February 10 at 6:00 pm against Tiffin University Dragons.
 
Overwatch competed against North Park. Despite winning the first game, the Cougars ultimately fell, 3-1. The first game was on Control. Connor Bleazard (Saint Joseph, Mo.) led the team, going 32-8-6 with 16k damage and 11k damage blocked. Ephraim Fisher (Yorkville, Ill.) went 20-22-6 with 7k damage and 12k healing in their first official match. The second game was Flashpoint. CUC struggled to find momentum against the Vikings and fell 3-1. In game three, the Cougars seized the first point in under a minute before getting stalled out and falling 3-1. Cortes kept the Cougars in the game with their DPS play, going 11-0-7, dealing 8k damage. Game four was very similar to the previous game, as CUC was unable to stop the aggressive play from the Vikings until the end of the first map. The Cougars were able to fight back and force overtime but fell 3-1. Oscar Buitimea (Chicago, Ill.) also made their debut, going 10-25-8 with 3k damage and 14k healing.
 and dropped the match 3-1 to North Park. Julia Pataluna (Commerce City, Colo.) played DPS well, going 27-7-8 with 15k damage dealt. The Cougars are 0-1 on the season. CUC's next match will be Friday, February 20 at 7:00 pm against FSU Black.
 
You can keep up with all things CUC Athletics on Twitter @CUChicagoSports, watch all the action at cucougars.com/coverage, and view all photos from the seasons here.