Volleyball dominates Finlandia in season opener

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – It became evident just a few points into the season opener for Concordia University Wisconsin that it was the better team. The Falcons cruised to a dominating 3-0 (25-6, 25-4, 25-21) non-conference victory over Finlandia University on Friday afternoon.

CUW (1-0) gave up the first two points of the opening set before putting together an impressive 25-4 scoring run. The momentum continued into the second frame, as they outscored FU (0-1) by a commanding 25-3 margin.

Second-year head coach Janelle Gabrielsen-Katz's played everyone that dressed on her youthful roster during the win. In all, nine players recorded at least a kill and 10 players registered a dig. Senior Carley Valentine (De Pere, Wis.) and freshman Ashley Jehlicka (Salem, Wis.) directed the offense with 10 assists each, while freshman Emily Hammann (Sheboygan, Wis.) had a match high eight kills.

The Falcons finished the win with a .349 attack percentage and nine service aces, while posting an astonishing .769 attack percentage in the second set. Defensively, they held FU to a dismal -.181 attack percentage for the match.

CUW returns to action on Saturday to defend the Concordia Invitational Volleyball Tournament title, which it won on its home court a season ago. They will compete against host Concordia University Ann Arbor at 9 a.m. CDT before playing against Concordia University Chicago at 11 a.m. CDT.