Offense gets in a groove

MEQUON, Wis. -- The day after the defense made a statement, Concordia Wisconsin's offense found its groove during a pair of 3-0 victories at the CUW Invitational inside the R. John Buuck Field House. The Falcons defeated Olivet 3-0 (25-21, 25-19, 25-21) before dropping Maranatha Baptist 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-23).

THE BASICS
Final Scores: Concordia Wisconsin 3, Olivet 0 (25-21, 25-19, 25-21); Concordia Wisconsin 3, Maranatha Baptist 0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-23)
Location: R. John Buuck Field House (Mequon, Wis.)
Records: Concordia Wisconsin 4-2, Maranatha Baptist 3-7, Olivet 1-4

HOW IT HAPPENED
Concordia Wisconsin 3, Olivet 0
- The Falcons hit .329 at the net, which is the second-highest in a match in program history, and four players had at least five kills. They hit .400 or better as a team in the first and third sets. Sophomore James Althoff (Kenosha, Wis.) posted a team-high 16 kills and a .448 hitting percentage, to go along with three service aces, seven digs and two blocks.
- Senior Matthew Korman (Roscoe, Ill.) was setting the offense up efficiently to the tune of 30 assists. Freshman Connor Rasch (Racine, Wis.), sophomore Cody Sciabica (Henderson, Nev.) and junior Blake Schwandt (Kenosha, Wis.) each had five kills in the victory. Korman also added eight digs, while freshman Andy Ellingham (Burlington, Wis.) recorded four blocks.
- Olivet was led by Aaron Smith who tallied 17 kills, while Brock Pringle had 11 kills and seven digs.
- The match wasn't a runaway for the Falcons, as it was tied 19-19 in the first set before they put together a 6-2 scoring run to build some early momentum. There were 12 scoring ties and five lead changes.

Concordia Wisconsin 3, Maranatha Baptist 0
- Concordia Wisconsin's offense wasn't on fire like it was earlier in the day against Olivet, but had enough firepower to pickup another 3-0 win over the Sabercats. They hit .263 in the opening frame, their highest of the match, and ended with a .190 hitting percentage.
- In the opening set, the Falcons put together a 5-1 scoring run to close out the first set. During that scoring spurt Althoff and Ellingham each had two kills. The third set was tight throughout and Maranatha Baptist hung close and had the score tied at 23-23 on the scoreboard. However, a pair of attack errors allowed the Falcons to walk away with their third-consecutive sweeping win. 
- Althoff again posted MVP-like numbers with 17 kills and a .350 hitting percentage, to go along with three service aces and 10 digs. Ellingham and Schwandt each had six kills. Korman dished out a career-best 32 assists. Griffith ended with a match-high 12 digs.
- Maranatha Baptist was led by Phillip Holbrook who had 11 kills, while Taylor Dafoe had 25 assists and 10 digs.

MATCH NOTES
- Althoff was named CUW Invitational MVP, while Blake Schwandt and Dylan Griffith were also named to the all-tournament team. Althoff hit .318 at the net after smashing 40 kills in the three matches; to go along with eight service aces, 23 digs and nine blocks. Schwandt ended with 10 kills, a .238 hitting percentage, 10 blocks and eight digs. Griffith posted 38 digs in the three wins.

NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE
- Concordia Wisconsin returns to the court on Wednesday for a 7 pm non-conference match at Loras.