PLYMOUTH, Wis. - The Concordia University Wisconsin women's volleyball team (11-11, 4-5 NACC) fell to the Lakeland Muskies (16-7, 7-2 NACC) 3-2 (25-14, 20-25, 22-25, 25-21, 8-15) on Saturday night on the road.
In the first set, the Falcons jumped out to an early 7-3 lead, courtesy of a 5-1 run. CUW continued its surge, taking a 10-5 lead with kills from freshman Natalie Nickolai (Sheboygan Falls, Wis.) and sophomore Kaylee Hlinak (Mishicot, Wis.).
Lakeland got within four points halfway through the frame, but Concordia Wisconsin's offense exploded for a 10-3 run to secure the first set victory. Freshman Bailey Bonde (Seymour, Ind.) and sophomore Kirsten Krause (Pocatello, Idaho) combined for five kills in the run.
In the first set, the Falcons earned 15 kills with a 0.375 hitting percentage, along with two service aces.
Moving into the second set, Lakeland went on a 7-0 run to take an early 12-3 lead. The Muskies continued to extend their advantage, leading by as many as 11 points before the Falcons started to fight back.
Concordia Wisconsin continued to chip away at the lead, getting within three points late in the frame, but Lakeland held on to even the match at one set apiece.
In the third set, the Muskies again established an early 13-5 advantage, but the Falcons didn't back down. Krause recorded four kills in the Birds' 5-1 run to get her team within two points halfway through the set.
The battle continued late in the frame, with Concordia Wisconsin pulling within two points before Lakeland closed out the set and took a 2-1 lead in the match.
The Falcons earned 19 kills with a 0.311 hitting percentage in the third frame.
In the fourth set, it was a back-and-forth battle until Lakeland took a 13-9 lead, but Concordia Wisconsin responded with a 6-2 run to tie the game up at 15.Â
The Falcons used that momentum to go on a key 6-0 run including kills from Bonde and Krause along with a service ace from Payton Vogel to take a 21-16 advantage.
Although the Muskies pulled within three points, the Birds closed out the frame with kills from Krause and Nickolai to force a fifth set. Concordia Wisconsin earned 17 kills with a 0.455 hitting percentage in the fourth set.
In the fifth frame, Lakeland jumped out to a 10-4 lead. The Falcons were unable to cut the deficit to fewer than five points, as the Muskies maintained their advantage down the stretch to secure the five-set victory.
Krause led the Falcons with a career-high 25 kills, while earning 10 digs. Senior Emily Dickmann earned a career-high 51 assists and added five kills. Bonde earned a career-high 11, while Nickolai also recorded 11 kills.Â
Freshman Emy Miller (West Bend, Wis.) recorded a game-high 23 digs, and freshman Makenna Thompson (McCordsville, Ind.) tied a career-high with 12 digs.
The Falcons will travel to Lake Forest, Illinois to face Dominican on Oct. 29 at 7 p.m. CST.
