Volleyball loses to Titans, Knights at Pizza Hut Classic

OSHKOSH, Wis. – Concordia University Wisconsin dropped a pair of matches during the opening day of the Pizza Hut Classic on Friday afternoon inside the Kolf Sports Center. The Falcons took UW-Oshkosh to a deciding fifth set before falling 3-2 (25-18, 22-25, 20-25, 25-16, 13-25) and then were swept by Martin Luther College, 3-0 (18-25, 20-25, 24-26).

Junior Carley Valentine (De Pere, Wis.) led the Falcons with 17 kills and 32 assists. Juniors Britta Duchow (Potter, Wis.) and Hannah Griffiths (Antigo, Wis.) each had 16 kills, while sophomore Jessica Eggebrecht (Napoleon, Ohio) recorded 15 kills.

Defensively, Griffiths paced CUW (2-6) with 23 digs, while sophomore Kelsey Paramore (Tomahawk, Wis.) finished with 22 digs. Duchow and junior Gabrielle VanBeaver (Green Bay, Wis.) had 11 and 10 total blocks, respectively.

Match One: UW-O 3, CUW 2

CUW's offense came alive during its match against UW-O, hitting .224 compared to the Titans .091. During the opening frame the Falcons recorded a .438 attack percentage.

Three Falcons accumulated double-figure kills and three finished with double-digit digs. The duo of Valentine and freshman Karina Klotz (Hubertus, Wis.) combined for 48 assists.

Jordyn Bratel paced the Titans with 11 kills, Alison Tomczyk assisted on 26 kills and Mandy Trautmann dug 31 attack attempts.

CUW hit above .143 in all five sets.

Match Two: MLC 3, CUW 0

The Falcons offense clicked in the second set only, hitting .364 after smashing 15 kills on 33 attempts. However, they faltered in the first and third sets in the defeat to the Knights.

Klotz and Valentine paired for 25 combined assists to lead CUW.

Rebecca Engelbrecht smashed 14 kills and Miranda Maasz had 35 assists.

CUW returns to the court on Saturday for pair of matches to close the tournament. It is scheduled to play St. Norbert College at noon before competing against UW-Stevens Point at 2 p.m.