NACC Tournament Champions!

MEQUON, Wis. – A perfect set and a powerful kill sent Concordia Wisconsin into elation as they captured the NACC Tournament Championship with a 3-1 (17-25, 25-118, 25-21, 25-18) victory over Aurora inside the R. John Buuck Field House. The Falcons earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

THE BASICS
Final Score: Concordia Wisconsin 3, Aurora 1 (17-25, 25-118, 25-21, 25-18)
Location: R. John Buuck Field House (Mequon, Wis.)
Records: Concordia Wisconsin 28-2, Aurora 26-7

HOW IT HAPPENED
- A free ball by the Spartans led to an Ariana Richmond pass to Mackenzie Wockenfus who set a perfect ball that Holly Anderson smashed to the court with force for the 25th and final point the Falcons needed to win their second NACC Tournament Championship in a row.
- Concordia Wisconsin had dominated nearly every opponent this season and wasn't rattled after Aurora took the opening set 25-17 after the offense and defense started slow. The Falcons regrouped in the huddle before the second set, got back on the same page and started showing the fans in attendance why they were the top seed and the defending NACC Tournament Champions.
- Concordia Wisconsin hit over. 200 in each of the second, third and fourth sets. They ended the match hitting .189, but the defense shined down the stretch and had 15.0 total team blocks.
- The opening set wasn't to be remembered, but from then on everything was clicking, including the front line blocking of seniors Lauren Nevinski and Kaily (Moegenburg) Erdman, along with juniors Amanda Schultz and Holly Anderson, and sophomore Kendall Stribling. The Falcons had 5.0 total blocks in the second frame, 6.0 total block in set three and 4.0 total blocks in the final stanza.
- The Falcons built a comfortable 17-9 lead in the second frame, which forced a Spartans timeout. They held onto the lead before scoring the final three points of the set to knot the match at a set apiece.
- The third stanza was back-and-forth, but eventually went to Concordia Wisconsin, 25-21. After the hosts trailed 12-11 in the fourth set, a timely 8-1 scoring run shifted the momentum as they went ahead 22-14 and never looked back.
- Schultz (junior, North Prairie, Wis.) had a match-high-tying 18 kills, hit .357 and had five block assists, while sophomore Megan Mayer (Downers Grove, Ill.) recorded 12 kills and six digs. Junior Haley Sedo (Neenah, Wis.) posted 25 assists and six digs, while her setting partner Wockenfus (junior, Appleton, Wis.) had 16 assists and six digs.
- Erdman (Plymouth, Wis.) ended with 22 digs, five kills and four block assists. Nevinski (New Berlin, Wis.) was a force at the net with seven block assists and Stribling (Greenfield, Wis.) had a career-high six block assists and two solo blocks.
- Anderson (junior, Grant Park, Ill.) ended with five kills and three block assists.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- There were just 12 scoring ties and nine lead changes in the match.
- Concordia Wisconsin improves to 6-1 against regionally ranked teams this season.

THE OPPOSITION
- Katie Vondra had a match-high-tying 18 k ills, to go along with 13 assists; while Emily Lines posted 41 assists and 20 digs.
- Imani Freeman had 13 kills, four digs and two block assists. Julia Wood added 26 digs.

NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE
- Concordia Wisconsin received the NACC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament and will await the NCAA's bracket announcement on Monday at 11:30 am. Click here to watch the selection show.