Falcons Handed Loss by Spartans

Written by CUW Student Assistant Lance Schulteis

MEQUON, Wis. – The Concordia Wisconsin women's volleyball fell to 14-12 on the season after taking a loss in four sets to the reigning NACC Tournament champions in the Aurora Spartans. The loss marked just the third conference loss for the Falcons in 2023 and their first home defeat since September 6.

Aurora was led by a pair of juniors offensively, as Lulu Torres and Kate Poellman combined for 38 kills and 40 points. The Spartans likewise established a strong presence from the service line, as the team collected ten service aces from six different players.

The first set proved to be the most competitive out of the four, seeing eleven ties and six lead changes. Each squad was able to build multiple leads of three or more points, however, the other would storm back just as quickly. Aurora led as late as 23-22 before the Falcons took three of the next four rallies to take the game's first frame. Senior Maycee Karpfinger (Wauwatosa, Wis.) would lead Concordia with five kills in the set.

The second set saw Aurora maintain a steady lead for nearly its entire duration. Despite drawing even on six separate instances, the Falcons failed to power through and wrestle the lead away. After approaching the Spartans once again on the scoreboard at 17-16, Aurora managed to pull away yet again, going on an 8-3 run to end the set and winning by a score of 25-19.

The third set continued the same dominance from Aurora, though to an entirely different level. The Spartans' 25-10 victory handed the Falcons their second-largest defeat in a set of the season, behind only a 25-7 loss to then-No. 15 UW-Stevens Point in early September.

The Falcons were finally able to take a multi-point lead in the third frame, their first since the opening set. The 23-21 advantage brought a 15-5 Falcons run to its climax, a strong showing by a team determined to extend the match. Concordia's run featured point contributions from seven different Falcons as the squad positioned itself towards reaching a fifth set. As Concordia reached game point at 24-22, Poellman took over for Aurora. She collected three kills on five points for the Spartans as they surged past Concordia's threat to take a 28-26 victory in the set and a 3-1 victory in the match.

Sophomore Paige Stickney (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) led the Falcons in kill percentage on the day at .333, while also turning in 8.5 points, her second-highest mark of the season.

Fellow sophomore Abby Proefrock (Grafton, Wis.) recorded 22 digs in the afternoon to push her season total to 407.

Concordia will be back on the court on Thursday, November 2, against the St. Norbert Green Knights in the final game of the regular season. The Green Knights and Falcons both sit at 9-3 in conference play and will battle for third in the NACC standings and its respective seeding in the conference tournament.