Falcons finish NACC-IIAC Crossover Challenge with 2-2 record

WAVERLY, Iowa – It was a repeat of Friday's results for Concordia Wisconsin, as a loss began the day before a victory closed the afternoon. The Falcons dropped a 3-0 (23-25, 20-25, 15-25) match to host Wartburg before defeating Loras by a 3-0 (25-19, 25-23, 26-24) score.

THE BASICS
Final Score: Wartburg 3, Concordia Wisconsin 0 (23-25, 20-25, 15-25); Concordia Wisconsin 3, Loras 0 (25-19, 25-23, 26-24)
Location: Levick Arena (Waverly, Iowa)
Records: Concordia Wisconsin 11-5, Loras 8-8, Warburg 10-4

HOW IT HAPPENED
- Concordia Wisconsin came out flat against Wartburg, which resulted in its second 3-0 sweep of the NACC-IIAC Crossover Challenge, before responding with a sweeping victory against Loras.
- During the opening match of the day against the host Knights, the Falcons hit a poor .014 (29K-27E-145A). Their highest hitting percentage in the three sets was a .064 in the opening frame.
- Credit should be given to Wartburg, as they recorded 74 digs in the three sets and had three players with double-figure dig totals.
- Concordia Wisconsin fell behind 5-0 early, but responded and stayed within two points the rest of the opening stanza. They did lead 13-12 midway through, however, two critical attack errors down the stretch proved to be important.
- The Knights Aryn Jones smashed a pair of attempts to close out the second set, 25-20, and give the hosts a 2-0 lead in the match.
- A 12-3 lead to begin the third set and a 6-0 scoring run to close the match gave Wartburg all the points it needed for a sweeping victory.
- Junior Kaily Moegenburg (Plymouth, Wis.) had eight kills, three service aces and 12 digs for the Falcons against the Knights. Senior Karina Klotz (Hubertus, Wis.) finished with 15 assists and eight digs, while sophomore Lindsey Casper (Hubertus, Wis.) had 12 digs.
- Concordia Wisconsin's final match of the tournament ended on a positive note, defeating Loras by a 3-0 score. The day was a repeat of Friday's matches, with a loss in the opener and victory to end the day.
- The Falcons hit .161 (48K-21E-137A) against the Duhawks and recorded 8.0 total team blocks. They did overcome 10 service errors.
- Loras trailed from the start and never got closer than three points, before the Falcons scored three-straight to win the opening set 25-19.
- After leading 23-19 near the end of set two, Loras put together a 4-0 scoring run to put pressure on Concordia Wisconsin. The Falcons responded with a Lauren Nevinski (junior, New Berlin, Wis.) kill and taking advantage of a Duhawks ball handling error to go ahead 2-0 in the contest.
- Several mini scoring runs is what gave Concordia Wisconsin all the firepower it needed to close the match in a 3-0 decision. They tallied at least four unanswered points on three occasions before winning four of the final five points.
- Junior Terese Zymanek (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) had a team-bets nine kills, while sophomore Ashley Jehlicka (Salem, Wis.) and freshman Kendall Stribling (Greenfield, Wis.) each posted eight kills, respectively.
- Klotz and Jehlicka combined for 35 assists, while Casper registered 19 digs and six assists. Jehlicka also had 11 digs.
- Defensively, Moegenburg had 10 digs and five block assists. Nevinski posted eight block assists.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The Falcons finish the NACC-IIAC Crossover Challenge with a 2-2 record. They are 9-7 all-time in the tournament against foes from the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
- Concordia Wisconsin is now 6-2 in neutral site matches.
- Stribling's eight kills versus Loras were a season-high.
- Nevinski's eight block assists against Loras are tied for the seventh most in a single match in program history.
- Moegenburg was named to the all-tournament team. 

THE OPPOSITION
- Aryn Jones led Wartburg with nine kills, while Josie Esser and Claire Willenbring each had seven kills apiece, respectively. Mallary Erbes led all players with 17 assists and Kathryn Nasby dug a match-high 23 attack attempts.
- Loras was led by Claire Ritchie with 10 kills and 11 assists, while Jenna Erickson had 14 assists and 12 digs. Haley Bergan led all players with 21 digs.

NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE
- The Falcons continue their six-match road swing with match five at Aurora on Friday, September 30 at 7 pm, which is a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference contest.