Falcons dominate fifth set in victory

MEQUON, Wis. -- Concordia Wisconsin came alive in the fifth set and dominated in all aspects to excite the Falcon faithful in attendance, and in the end earned a 3-2 (25-21, 26-28, 25-19, 23-25, 15-5) NACC win over Lakeland inside the R. John Buuck Field House.

THE BASICS
Final Score: Concordia Wisconsin 3, Lakeland 2 (25-21, 26-28, 25-19, 23-25, 15-5)
Location: R. John Buuck Field House (Mequon, Wis.)
Records: Concordia Wisconsin 7-4, 2-0 NACC; Lakeland 4-12, 0-3 NACC

QUOTING ANDY ELLINGHAM


HOW IT HAPPENED
- It was a match that featured competitive volleyball from the opening serve until the fifth set when Concordia Wisconsin elevated its game to another level. The Falcons dominated the fifth set by a 15-5 score and hit .429 as a team and limited Lakeland to .000 at the net.
- There were an astounding 38 scoring ties and 15 lead changes in the first four sets and in the third and fourth frames each there were 12 scoring ties. The largest lead of the night was by the Muskies who held a 17-10 advantage in the second set.
- Sophomore James Althoff (Kenosha, Wis.) and Lakeland's Nathan Vanderwaal were putting on a show in the first two sets, going back-and-forth at the net. Althoff had 12 kills through the first two sets, while Vanderwaal posted 18 kills. As the match progressed and Althoff began to get keyed in on, the Falcons were able to get others involved and spread out the offense.
- Sophomore Cody Sciabica (Henderson, Nev.) posted his career double-double with 12 kills and 11 digs. Freshman Andy Ellingham (Burlington, Wis.) tallied nine kills and hit .368 at the net, while junior Blake Schwandt (Kenosha, Wis.) smashed seven kills of his own.
- As has been the case all season long, the Falcons front line put on a show and had 16.5 total blocks in the match. As a defensive unit, they had 5.5 blocks in the second set alone. The box score looks like a whose who when it came to blocks against the Muskies. Ellingham tallied eight, Schwandt recorded seven, Sciabica and freshman Connor Rasch (Racine, Wis.) each had five, and Althoff and senior Matthew Korman (Roscoe, Ill.) each had four blocks.
- Althoff ended 16 kills, 15 digs and two service aces. Korman assisted on 38 kills and had 10 digs, while sophomore Turner Fuhrer (Kenosha, Wis.) dug a team-high 15 attack attempts. Freshman Dylan Griffith (Middleton, Wis.) recorded 14 digs of his own.
- The Muskies were paced by Vanderwaal who had 29 kills and 11 digs.

NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE
- Concordia Wisconsin travels to Maranatha Baptist for a Thursday non-conference contest at 7 pm.