RIVER FOREST, ILL. -- Concordia University Chicago (CUC) came out swinging in their season opener, battling against North Central College (NCC) through three tightly contested sets. Despite falling in three consecutive sets, the Cougars showcased plenty of fight and promise highlighted by a memorable collegiate debut, an all-around returning presence, and high-energy gymnasium to exemplify what's to come this season.
INSIDE THE BOX
- Indiah Day (Merrillville, Ind.) led the offense with five kills and three service aces while also adding in six digs.
- Debanhi Moreno (Dallas, Texas) made her collegiate debut in a memorable fashion, picking up five kills, one service ace, and three digs.
- Ava Quevedo (Colorado Springs, Colo.) built a brick wall at the net, collecting five total blocks.
- Malainna Adler (Fenton, Mo.) tallied 14 assists and ten digs on the night.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set One
The Cardinals got to work quickly, taking a 3-0 advantage over the Cougars, but a couple of errors would let CUC stay within one point. Another stretch of back-and-forth volleyball would be broken up by a four-point run from the Cardinals before the Cougars would secure their first point off their own offense, with the first kill coming from Moreno. With the Cardinals getting to work quickly and surpassing the 20-point mark first, the Cougars continued to play aggressive with a kill from Day, a block from Quevedo and Adler, and a service ace from Adler.
Set Two
After falling in the first set 25-18, the Cougars kept momentum heading into set two with a kill and an ace from Day, giving them the 2-0 advantage. North Central responded to Concordia's early push, but as CUC kept applying pressure they'd secure a pair of aces from Adler and a kill from Moreno to build an 8-3 advantage and force an NCC timeout. The Cardinals answered after the timeout with a kill of their own, but Moreno added another ace to keep the Cougars ahead. North Central kept chipping away and inched within one point before forcing a CUC timeout, forcing the Cougars to regroup. Out of the break, CUC regained footing as Day added a kill followed with NCC attack errors and a block from Day and Quevedo to push the Cougars further ahead yet again. The Cardinals responded with a 3-0 run of their own to inch closer before knotting up the set at 21 apiece. From there, the Cardinals took their first lead of the set before closing it out with a late surge.Â
Set Three
In a need-to-win set for the Cougars, things started off in a back-and-forth battle yet again before the Cardinals would find their rhythm and take a 7-4 lead. The Cougars quickly answered with a block from
Harmonie Cooper (Chicago, Ill.) to help pull them to a level score. Things would continue to ping-pong back-and-forth up to a 10-10 score before the Cardinals would jump ahead by three. The Cougars responded after Day opened the rally with a kill before adding an ace, while Moreno and Quevedo followed with kills of their own to give the Cougars their lead back at 16-15. The Cardinals answered again, but it would be the Cougars who would pass the 20-point threshold first. The Cardinals would take the lead late in the stretch and force CUC to battle from behind. An unexpected kill from
Rosemary Brenner (Frankenmuth, Mich.) paired with a crucial ace from
Rachel Livesay (Medinah, Ill.) would tie up the set at 23, before a kill and attack error would give the Cardinals two consecutive points to steal the 25-23 victory, closing the match with a 3-0 sweep over the Cougars.Â
WHAT'S NEXT
The Cougars host a two-day tournament this weekend with four scheduled matches across the two days. They'll face off against Knox College to start on Friday, September 4th at 2:00 PM before hosting Bethany Lutheran College at 6:00 PM. On Saturday, September 5th, they'll host Blackburn College at 9:00 AM and Buena Vista University at 1:00 PM. Coverage for these matches, and the entire Concordia-Chicago Invite, can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.
Â
