MEQUON, Wis. — The Concordia University Wisconsin volleyball team battled through a pair of matches Saturday inside the R. John Buuck Field House, earning a 3-1 victory over Luther College before falling to Elmhurst University, 3-2, in the afternoon.
The Falcons opened the day with a strong offensive performance against Luther before facing a five-set battle with Elmhurst to close out the day. Concordia moves to 6-4 on the season following Saturday's matches.
Match One
Concordia Wisconsin opened the day with a 3-1 victory over Luther, winning by scores of 25-16, 20-25, 25-13 and 25-13.
Set One
The Falcons came out strong in the opening set, hitting .290 as a team with 12 kills and just three errors. Concordia controlled the set from the start and finished with a 25-16 victory. Kirsten Krause and Kaylee Hlinak helped lead the offensive attack as the Falcons took an early 1-0 match lead.
Set Two
Luther responded in the second set, holding the Falcons to a -.063 hitting percentage. Concordia recorded seven kills but committed nine errors as the Norse evened the match with a 25-20 victory.
Set Three
The Falcons bounced back in the third set with a more efficient offensive performance. Concordia recorded 13 kills and hit .175 while limiting Luther to six kills. The Falcons pulled away for a 25-13 win and regained control of the match.
Set Four
Concordia closed the match in dominant fashion, posting 15 kills with just two errors for a .371 hitting percentage. The Falcons held Luther to 13 points and secured the 3-1 victory with another 25-13 set win.
Krause paced the Falcons with 15 kills, while Hlinak added nine kills and hit .368. Lauren Kellner finished with seven kills and four total blocks, while Natalie Nickolai contributed seven kills and three blocks. Emily Dickmann recorded 37 assists in the victory.
Match Two
Concordia returned to the court Saturday afternoon for a five-set battle against Elmhurst, ultimately falling 3-2. The Falcons won the first and fourth sets but Elmhurst claimed the decisive fifth set, 15-13.
Set One
The Falcons opened the second match with another strong offensive showing, hitting .281 with 12 kills and only three errors. Concordia held Elmhurst to a 25-20 decision to take an early 1-0 lead.
Set Two
Elmhurst answered in the second set, recording 16 kills and hitting .333. The Falcons managed seven kills while hitting .056, allowing the Bluejays to even the match with a 25-17 victory.
Set Three
The third set featured another competitive battle, but Elmhurst eventually pulled ahead for a 25-22 win. Concordia recorded 14 kills and hit .186, but the Bluejays maintained enough of an advantage to take a 2-1 match lead.
Set Four
Facing elimination, the Falcons responded with one of their strongest offensive sets of the afternoon. Concordia posted 11 kills with just two errors for a .346 hitting percentage. The Falcons held Elmhurst to 19 points and forced a decisive fifth set with a 25-19 victory.
Set Five
The deciding set went down to the wire. Concordia recorded five kills and stayed within striking distance throughout the final frame before Elmhurst ultimately secured the 15-13 victory and the 3-2 match win.
Krause led all Falcons with 23 kills while hitting an impressive .417. Lauren Kellner added four kills and six blocks, while Dickmann contributed 32 assists. Concordia finished the match with 49 kills and a .194 team hitting percentage.
The Falcons will return to action on Wednesday, September 23 at 7 p.m. in Lisle, Illinois.
