Volleyball defeats No. 21 UW-Oshkosh, splits matches at Pizza Hut Classic

OSHKOSH, Wis. – Concordia University Wisconsin dropped its first match of the day against UW-River Falls at the Pizza Hut Classic, but found its rhythm in a thrilling five-set victory over No. 21 UW-Oshkosh.

THE BASICS
Final Score: Concordia Wisconsin 1, UW-River Falls 3; Concordia Wisconsin 3, No. 21 UW-Oshkosh 2
Location: Kolf Sports Center (Oshkosh, Wis.)
Records: Concordia Wisconsin (2-3), UW-Oshkosh (8-2), UW-River Falls (5-3)
Tournament: Pizza Hut Classic

HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Falcons struggled in their first of four matches at the Pizza Hut Classic against UW-River Falls. They had 28 attacking errors, nine serving errors, four blocking errors and two ball handling errors.
- CUW dropped the opening two sets before hitting .259 (12K-5E-27A) in the third frame to extend the match. However, a dismal .056 attack percentage in the fourth set was too much to overcome against UW-River Falls.
- The nightcap was the highlight of the matches, as the Falcons handed the Titans their second loss of the season. They didn't hit well (.080), but got revenge from a 3-0 sweep UW-Oshkosh gave them a season earlier.
- CUW won the second, fourth and fifth sets to earn its first five-set victory of the season. The Falcons needed extra points in the fourth set (28-26) to extend the match. They are now 1-1 in five-set matches this season.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The Falcons hit .099 in the two matches and held the opposition to a .152 attack percentage. Despite now hitting as well, they did finish with a 96-86 advantage in kills.
- Freshman Makenzie Paszek (Sussex, Wis.) was the only Falcon to smash double-figure kills in both matches.
- UW-River Falls and UW-Oshkosh combined for 20 service aces, while CUW managed to serve just nine aces in nine sets. Sophomore Kaily Moegenburg (Plymouth, Wis.) and freshman Lindsay Casper (Hubertus, Wis.) each had three service aces.
- Defensively, Moegenburg led the team with 38 digs, while Casper had 33 digs and senior Kelsa Rubeck dug 24 attack attempts. Casper has now led the team in digs for four of the five matches. Moegenburg and Capser had double-digit digs in each match.
- Sophomore Lauren Nevinski (New Berlin, Wis.) had seven total blocks, which included six block assists. Moegenburg also had five blocks assists and freshman Amanda Schultz (North Prairie, Wis.) recorded four block assists.

THE OPPOSITION
- Rebecca Gasper recorded 10 kills for UW-River Falls and Raven Klein assisted on 28 points. Klein also served four aces.
- A trio of UW-River Falls player had double-figure digs, with Lexi Pingel digging 20 attack attempts.
- Amara Meyer had four solo blocks.
- Katelyn Malcheski and Laura Trochinski combined for 21 kills for UW-Oshkosh. Lexi Theil assisted on 37 kills for the Titans.
- Mandy Trautmann was the lead defensive player for UW-Oshkosh with 31 digs, while three of her teammates had double-figure digs.
- Brook Brinkman was impressive at the net with two solo blocks and five block assists.

UP NEXT
- The Falcons conclude the Pizza Hut Classic against Maranatha Baptist and St. Norbert on Saturday.