Wheaton, Ill. - The Concordia University Chicago (CUC) women's volleyball team traveled to Wheaton, Ill. for day one of the Marilyn Scribner invite. With two games planned for the day, the Cougars battled against Saint Mary's College at 4:00 pm, followed up by Wheaton College at 6:30 pm. In game one, the Cougars took a devastating loss of 3-0 against the Belles; the Cougars would put up a strong fight, but would ultimately succumb to the Thunder, 3-2.
Game One
Inside the Box Score:
- Neva Foster (Parker, Colo.) walked away with six kills and 12 total attacks.
- Indiah Day (Merrillville, Ind.) and Weronika Kurnat (Burbank, Ill.) both had three kills. Day also had 14 total attacks and a dig, while Kurnat had 11 total attacks and a dig as well.
- Ava Quevedo (Colorado Springs, Colo.) had four kills and 13 total attacks, followed up by a dig.
Here's What Happened
Set One
The Belles are on the scoreboard first with a kill. The teams traded points for the first portion of the set; the Belles took the lead with strong attacks, building up a six-point lead. The Belles continued to hammer down on the Cougars, stacking on points and putting the Cougars in an 11-point deficit. The Cougars remained in the single digits as the Belles passed up 20 points. A kill from Kurnat and an error from the Belles finally got the Cougars to double digits. The Belles were first to get to set point; the Belles took the first set at 25-12, moving into the second set 1-0.
Set Two
The Belles took up the first points of the set with some kills, going on an eight-point run. A kill from Quevedo halted the run, but the Belles quickly earned the ball back. The Cougars fell into a 15-point disadvantage. Kurnat and Foster tried their best to fight back, but the Belles quickly took the lead and, inevitably, the set at 25-6. The teams moved into the third set, the Belles leading 2-0.
Set Three
The set opened up with a kill from
Debanhi Moreno (Dallas, Texas). This success was miniscule as the Belles quickly grabbed the lead. The Cougars attempted to come back with kills from Quevedo and Foster, along with a service error from the Belles giving them some points. The Cougars remained at an 11-point disadvantage, but Quevedo and Moreno tried to eat away at the points. Foster powered forwards with kills of her own, bringing the deficit to seven. Unfortunately, the Belles would take the third and final set at 25-15, sweeping the Cougars 3-0.
The Cougars took a lengthy break before coming back onto the court to take on Wheaton College at 6:30 pm.
Game Two
Inside the Box Score:
- Foster showed out for game two with 13 kills and 31 total attacks; she also contributed two blocks and three digs.
- Day delivered 10 kills and 44 total attacks, along with two blocks and eight digs.
- Brynn Icenogle (Brentwood, Calif.) ended the night with seven kills and 17 total attacks, followed up by three blocks.
Here's What Happened
Set One
An ace from
Malainna Adler (Fenton, Mo.) started off the set, followed up by a kill from Icenogle. Kills from Icenogle and Foster, along with aces from
Jessalyne Perkins (Chicago, Ill.) had put the Cougars into a four-point run. The Thunder attempted to chip away at the Cougars' lead, but kills from Day and
Beatriz Goncalves (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) kept them at a distance. The Cougars remained in the lead by seven;
Harmonie Cooper (Chicago, Ill.) joined the mix, adding in another attack for the Cougars. The Thunder ate away at the Cougars' lead, coming within two. A kill from Day and another ace from Adler had put the Cougars within set point. Blocks from the Cougars would give the Cougars the set at 25-23. The teams moved into the next set, the Cougars on top 1-0.
Set Two
The Thunder grabbed the first point of the set with a kill. Day defended the Cougars with a kill herself. The teams exchanged points, trying to take the lead for themselves. The Thunder took the lead, with the Cougars trailing by two. The Cougars caught up but continued to struggle to get past the Thunder.
Jordan Brown (Bensenville, Ill.) entered the game and put the Cougars within three of the Thunder. The Thunder were the ones to approach set point first. A kill would close out the set; the Thunder would take the second set at 25-17. Both teams would transition into the third set, tied 1-1.
Set Three
The Thunder opened up the set with a kill, the Cougars earning the next point off an error. Both teams continued to give each other points, coming after one another in pursuit of the lead. The Thunder eventually took the lead, with the Cougars behind by four. Day and Foster tried to catch up with the Thunder, but the point gap remained stagnant. The Cougars fell into a 10-point deficit, slowly losing their fire. The Cougars were able to get the gap down to six points. Multiple errors from the Thunder, plus a kill from Perkins brought the Cougars within five, but the Thunder had gotten to set point. The Thunder would take the third set at 25-19, moving into the fourth set in the lead 2-1.
Set Four
Errors from the Cougars, along with an ace would give the Thunder their first points of the set. A kill from Icenogle would get the Cougars on the scoreboard. The Thunder would take on a seven-point advantage. The Cougars clawed their way back into a promising position, coming within one of the Thunder. Attacks from Icenogle and Foster would tie the teams, 16-16; the Cougars were the first to break 20, kills from Kurnat and Day putting them in the lead. A kill from Day would bring the Cougars to set point. The Cougars would take the fourth set at 25-22. The teams moved into the final set, tied 2-2.
Set Five
An error from the Cougars opened the final set, giving the Thunder their first point. The Thunder would take on the lead. The Thunder built their lead up to four points; the Cougars tried to battle back, an ace from
Rosemary Brenner (Frankenmuth, Mich.) and an attack from Kurnat would bring the team onto the tails of the Thunder. Final attacks from the Thunder would give them the fifth and final set at 15-8. The Thunder would end the night 3-2.
What's Next
The Cougars will continue in the invitational, where the next two games will be played tomorrow on Saturday, September 19th, against both Central College and Alma College. The matches will be at 10:30 am and noon, respectively. Coverage for all things CUC women's volleyball can be found at
cucougars.com/coverage.
