Falcons are back-to-back CIT champs!

MEQUON, Wis. – Concordia Wisconsin made the Concordia Invitational Tournament look easy with a trio of 3-0 sweeping victories on Friday and Saturday. The Falcons downed Concordia Texas 3-0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-16) before routing Concordia Chicago 3-0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-14) to hoist the trophy for the second-straight year.

THE BASICS
Final Score: Concordia Wisconsin 3, Concordia Texas 0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-16); Concordia Wisconsin 3, Concordia Chicago 0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-14)
Location: R. John Buuck Field House (Mequon, Wis.)
Records: Concordia Wisconsin 3-0, Concordia Texas 1-2, Concordia Chicago 2-1

QUOTING MH KELSEY KLEBA


HOW IT HAPPENED VS CONCORDIA TEXAS
- The Falcons staved off a late Tornado comeback in the opening set, after leading 21-14, before eventually winning 25-23 to take a 1-0 lead in the match. The hosts built a commanding 18-9 advantage and showed resilience in the early going.
- Concordia Texas was putting up a good fight midway through the second stanza, leading 15-13, however, Concordia Wisconsin answered with seven-straight points following a timeout to straighten things out. After scoring four of the final five points, they won 25-19 to go ahead 2-0.
- The third frame featured spurts of offensive dominance, which was highlighted by five-consecutive points late. Sophomore Megan Mayer (Downers Grove, Ill.) served a pair of aces to put the finishing touches on a victory.
- Junior Amanda Schultz (North Prairie, Wis.) led all players with 10 kills, to go along with a .526 attack percentage. Sophomore Kelsey Kleba (Hartland, Wis.) had seven kills and a .583 attack percentage.
- The setting duo of juniors Mackenzie Wockenfus (Appleton, Wis.) and Haley Sedo (Neenah, Wis.) combined for 41 assists.
- Defensively, senior Lindsey Casper (Hubertus, Wis.) made 16 digs and senior Kaily (Moegenburg) Erdman had four block assists.
- The Falcons hit .261 (49K-18E-119A) and limited the Tornados to just .082 (24K-16E-97A).

HOW IT HAPPENED VS CONCORDIA CHICAGO
- A large 11-1 scoring run midway through the second set was exactly what Concordia Wisconsin needed to take all the momentum. The defending CIT champions turned a two-point deficit into an eight-point lead and went on to win 25-17 for a 1-0 lead in the match.
- A trio of service aces throughout the second set helped the Falcons push their momentum and win 25-18. The frame win was what they needed heading into the final set, because it meant they were 25 points shy of winning another CIT title.
- A 6-0 start which featured two Holly Anderson (sophomore, Grant Park, Ill.) kills and six-consecutive points (two service aces by Mayer) midway through the last set was all the Falcons needed for a sweeping victory.
- Anderson led all players with nine kills and the Wockenfus/Sedo combo had 31 assists.
- Casper had a team-high 13 digs and Erdman dug 12 attack attempts of her own. 

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Concordia Wisconsin hit .224 as a team over the weekend and limited the opposition to just a .047 attack percentage.
- The Falcons served 18 aces in the three CIT matches, with eight coming from Mayer.
- Casper was voted the Concordia Invitational Tournament MVP, while Erdman was named to the All-CIT Team.
- Sedo tied her career-high with 22 assists against Concordia Texas.
- Kleba had a career-high nine kills against Concordia Chicago, while Anderson's three block assists were a career-best against Concordia Chicago.

THE OPPOSITION
- Kelly Farina paced the Concordia Texas lineup with eight kills and Georgia Quiroz had 18 assists.
- Rylee Davis dug 12 attack attempts for the Tornados.
- Julia Spitelli smashed seven kills and Nikki Crowley dished out 15 assists for Concordia Chicago.
- Alexa Lomantini recorded 12 digs for the Cougars.

NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE
- The Falcons begin a road trip that features five road matches with a Wednesday 7 pm non-conference match at Lake Forest.