MEQUON, Wis. – The Concordia University Wisconsin women's volleyball team served up a special victory on Thursday night. The Falcons celebrated Dig Pink Night with a commanding sweep of Concordia Chicago, claiming three identical 25-17 victories inside the R. John Buuck Field House.
The victory marked the second straight win for the Blue and White, who improved to 11-10 overall and 4-4 in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference play.
The Falcons used a balanced offensive attack and a strong performance from the service line to overpower the Cougars. CUW finished with 39 kills, a .314 hitting percentage and nine service aces while holding Concordia Chicago to just 22 kills and a .136 hitting percentage.
Thursday's contest also carried a special significance as the Falcons hosted Dig Pink Night, raising awareness for breast cancer and showing support for those affected by the disease.
The opening set saw the Cougars jump out to a 5-1 advantage before the Falcons found their footing. Freshman Bailey Bonde (Seymour, Ind.) helped ignite the comeback with consecutive kills to even the score at six.
The two teams traded points until the Falcons began to create separation. With CUW leading 10-9, freshman Emy Miller (West Bend, Wis.) delivered a service ace to help push the advantage to 12-10.
Senior Emily Dickmann (Grafton, Wis.) followed with a service ace of her own before setting up freshman Brianna Stewart (De Pere, Wis.) for a kill that extended the lead to 16-11.
The Falcons continued to apply pressure down the stretch. Sophomore Kirsten Krause (Pocatello, Idaho) delivered a pair of late kills before Miller put an exclamation point on the opening set with a service ace to secure the 25-17 victory.
The second set featured another early challenge as Concordia Chicago opened with three straight points. The Falcons quickly responded, erasing the deficit and eventually taking the lead for good at 7-6.
Leading 10-8, the Blue and White caught fire offensively. Krause started a four-point run with a kill before freshman Natalie Nickolai (Sheboygan Falls, Wis.) added another. Dickmann then took matters into her own hands, delivering consecutive kills to stretch the advantage to 14-8.
The Falcons continued to find success at the net, hitting an impressive .417 in the set with 13 kills and just three attacking errors.
Krause added a service ace to push the lead to 20-15, and junior Madison Cimbalnik (Sturtevant, Wis.) helped CUW close the door with a strong stretch from the service line. Bonde delivered two of the final three CUW points with kills, including the set-winning swing to secure another 25-17 victory.
The third set brought one final challenge from the Cougars, who built a 7-4 advantage in the early going.
The Falcons answered with a three-point run to even the score before Dickmann delivered a kill and followed with a service ace to give CUW a 9-8 advantage.
With the score tied at eight, the Falcons began to take control. A kill from Krause pushed the lead to 10-8, and Nickolai continued to find openings in the Cougars' defense.
Leading 12-10, Cimbalnik delivered a service ace to create some breathing room. The Falcons then used another three-point run to extend the advantage to 16-11.
The Blue and White refused to let the Cougars back into the contest. Stewart delivered a kill to make it 19-14, and Dickmann followed with her third service ace of the night.
Sophomore Kaylee Hlinak (Mishicot, Wis.) and Stewart added late kills before Nickolai delivered back-to-back kills to close out the match, 25-17.
Bonde led the Falcons with a match-high 10 kills on 15 attempts, finishing with a .533 hitting percentage.
Nickolai was nearly unstoppable at the net, recording eight kills without an attacking error on 15 swings for a .533 hitting percentage. Krause added eight kills, 10 digs and two service aces.
Dickmann orchestrated the CUW offense with 25 assists while adding five kills, four digs and three service aces. She finished with a remarkable .714 hitting percentage, committing no attacking errors on seven attempts.
Stewart chipped in five kills and a .444 hitting percentage, while Miller anchored the back row with 10 digs, four assists and three service aces.
Freshman Makenna Thompson (McCordsville, Ind.) added seven digs as the Falcons held a 40-31 advantage in the category.
The Falcons finished the evening with nine service aces, including three each from Dickmann and Miller, while recording their second consecutive match with a hitting percentage above .300.
The Blue and White will look to carry the momentum into Saturday when they travel to Lakeland for another NACC showdown.
