Falcons advance to NACC Tournament Championship match

MEQUON, Wis. -- Concordia Wisconsin turned things around in the second set to gain the momentum and put the crowd into a frenzy during a 3-1 (18-25, 25-19, 25-10, 25-13) NACC Tournament semifinal victory over Lakeland on Thursday night inside the R. John Buuck Field House.

THE BASICS
Final Score: Concordia Wisconsin 3, Lakeland 1 (18-25, 25-19, 25-10, 25-13)
Location: R. John Buuck Field House (Mequon, Wis.)
Records: Concordia Wisconsin 22-8, Lakeland 19-16

QUOTING MAKENZIE VERTZ


HOW IT HAPPENED
- Concordia Wisconsin came out flat in the first set and fell behind early after hitting -.030, which resulted in a 25-18 loss. Things changed from then on and the Falcons got juiced up behind a full house of energetic faithful fans. The offense came to life and the defense communicated on every touch.
- The Falcons offense was clicking on all cylinders during the third set, hitting .483 and winning 25-10 to make a statement that they wanted to move on and continue their season. The fourth set wasn't close either, winning 25-13 to earn the 3-1 victory.
- One of the many highlights from the win came in the third set when Concordia Wisconsin put together a 17-3 scoring run, which included a trio of kills by sophomores Gabrielle Pavlik (Pewaukee, Wis.) and Jenna Chausse (Chilton, Wis.). As well, senior Kendal Stribling (Greenfield, Wis.) and sophomore McKenna Nigl (Richland Center, Wis.) each had two kills and teamed up for a block.
- The Falcons also had a noteworthy 11-3 scoring run to close the match.
- Pavlik had 14 kills (.367 hitting percent), sophomore Sophia Collins (Lake Mills, Wis.) ended with 13 (.378 hitting percent) and Chausse added 10 kills (.280 hitting percent). The offense was directed by sophomore Makenzie Vertz (Mukwonago, Wis.) and freshman Sierra Lee (Kenosha, Wis.) who teamed up for 43 assists. Vertz also had three service aces and 15 digs.
- Nigl and Stribling recorded four and three blocks, respectively.
- Lakeland was led by Shannon Bishop who had 13 kills and 14 digs.

NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE
- Concordia Wisconsin travels to Aurora for the NACC Tournament Championship on Saturday at 7 pm.