Volleyball sweeps Benedictine, advances in NACC Tournament

MEQUON, Wis. – Concordia University Wisconsin did what it needed to do on Thursday night, earn a victory to keep its season alive. The Falcons swept Benedictine University, 3-0 (25-15, 25-16, 29-27), inside the R. John Buuck Field House during a quarterfinal matchup in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Tournament.

THE BASICS
Final Score: Concordia Wisconsin 3, Benedictine 0 (25-15, 25-16, 29-27)
Location: R. John Buuck Field House (Mequon, Wis.)
Records: Concordia Wisconsin (18-11), Benedictine (12-19)

HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Falcons controlled all facets of the first two sets, leading by double-digits in each to own all momentum. The third and deciding set was interesting down the stretch, but CUW showed resiliency and overcame a 27-26 deficit with three-straight points for the sweeping win.
- CUW put the throttle down to the floor boards during the opening set and pushed its lead to 20-8 before Benedictine knew what happened. During the scoring run, the Falcons had six service aces and would go on to win 25-15.
- Following a 12-7 advantage, CUW used a 10-3 scoring run to run away with the second frame. The Falcons gave up a few points at the end before a Mackenzie Paszek kill gave the hosts a 25-16 win and a 2-0 lead in the match.
- Seven scoring ties and four lead changes gave fans excitement in the third set, as extra points were needed before the Falcons won 29-27. The Eagles appeared to be on pace for the set win after going ahead 24-22, but CUW answered with a kill by Amanda Lehnerz and took advantage of an attack error to knot the scoreboard at 24-24. Benedictine scored again, but CUW answered with two points for a 26-25 lead. The Eagles responded with two points off Falcon attack errors to go back in front 27-25. From then on CUW tallied three-consecutive points to end the back-and-forth rally scoring.
- Sophomore Kaily Moegenburg (Plymouth, Wis.) was the star of the night with 17 kills and a .500 attack percentage (17K-2E-30A). She was the only player with double-figure kills. Moegenburg also dug 14 attack attempts for her fourth double-double of the season.
- Freshman Amanda Schultz (North Prairie, Wis.) recorded four service aces, while the Falcons had nine service aces. Freshman Haley Sedo (Neenah, Wis.) also served a pair of aces and assisted on 10 kills.
- Junior Karina Klotz (Hubertus, Wis.) helped direct the offense with 18 assists and CUW ended with a .176 attack percentage (41K-22E-108A).
- Defensively, freshman Lindsey Casper (Hubertus, Wis.) recorded 12 digs and Sedo added nine digs. Senior Kelsa Rubeck (Eau Claire, Wis.) finished with seven digs.
- Sophomore Lauren Nevinski (New Berlin, Wis.) led the front line defense with four block assists, while Moegenburg and sophomore Terese Zymanek (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) had three and two block assists, respectively,

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The Falcons advance to at least the NACC Tournament semifinals for the sixth time and the second year in a row. Last season they were upset in the NACC Tournament semifinals by third-seeded Edgewood after earning the second seed.
- Moegenburg's .500 attack percentage was a season-high and her 17 kills were the second most this season.
- Schult's four service aces set a new career high and were also tied for the most by a Falcon this season. As well, the Falcons nine service aces were tied for the most in a match this season.
- CUW improved to 12-5 in matches decided in three set. The Falcons also own a 38-20 advantage in the second and third sets combined.

THE OPPOSITION
- Erin Wiegand paced the Eagles with eight kills and Beckie Whitmarsh added five kills. The Eagles finished the match hitting .000 (23K-23E-111A).
- Kelcey Adams had 21 assists and a pair of service aces.
- Kristina Billie dug a match-best 22 attack attempts and 10 of the 11 Eagles that played had at least one dig.

NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE
- No. 3 CUW travels to second-seeded Dominican for a 7 pm NACC Tournament semifinal match on Thursday. The winner will advance to the NACC Tournament Championship match.