Falcons defeat Spartans in battle of NACC’s undefeated teams

MEQUON, Wis. – It was a highly anticipated and touted match between Concordia Wisconsin and Aurora for quite some time, but it was the Falcons who ended up celebrating on Friday night after a convincing 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 26-24) victory over the Spartans in a battle of the last two undefeated teams in the NACC.

THE BASICS
Final Score: Concordia Wisconsin 3, Aurora 0 (25-20, 25-21, 26-24)
Location: R. John Buuck Field House (Mequon, Wis.)
Records: Concordia Wisconsin 23-2, 9-0 NACC; Aurora 19-6, 8-1 NACC

QUOTING HEAD COACH JANELLE KATZ


HOW IT HAPPENED
- The floor was cleaned and lines were retaped inside the R. John Buuck Field House in preparation for the matchup everyone in the NACC was waiting for, as the winner would gain the inside track on the outright regular season league title.
- Concordia Wisconsin put an exclamation point on the schedule after its 3-0 victory over Aurora, sending a message that they wanted another regular title trophy in the case and to let it be known they are the team to beat. The Falcons now need to defeat Benedictine on Saturday and MSOE on Tuesday to go undefeated in league play for the second-consecutive season.
- It would be an understatement to say the Falcons offense was clicking on all cylinders, as they ended with a .355 attack percentage, which included a .444 percentage in the opening set and an eye-popping .556 percentage in the second frame.
- There were just six scoring ties and three lead changes in a match dominated by the Falcons. They had six players hit .250 or higher, with senior Lauren Nevinski (New Berlin, Wis.) leading the way with a .600 attack percentage and 10 kills. Sophomore Megan Mayer (Downers Grove, Ill.) also had 10 kills and hit .381, to go along with seven digs.
- Concordia Wisconsin led by as many as seven points in the first set and five in the second and third frames. While it doesn't seem like much, it was enough to hold off their difficult foes. The match nearly went to a fourth stanza after Aurora put together a 7-1 scoring run to turn a five-point deficit into a one-point lead, 23-22. Not to be outdone, seniors Kaily (Moegenburg) Erdman and Nevinski smashed home kills to energize the offense and senior Lindsey Casper (Hubertus, Wis.) made highlight-reel defensive plays to keep the action alive and give the Falcons the victory.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The Falcons 11 victories at home are the most in a season in program history.
- Concordia Wisconsin is one win shy of tying the program's single-season record of 24 set in 2014 and this season 20 of its 23 victories have ended in a 3-0 sweep.
- A victory on Saturday over Benedictine will give Concordia Wisconsin at least a share of the NACC regular season title and a win on Tuesday at MSOE gives them the outright title with an undefeated record for the second-straight season.

THE OPPOSITION
- Karli Chambers had a match-high-tying 10 kills, while Emily Lines assisted on a match-best 27 kills.
- Katie Vondra had 10 digs and Lindsey Simpson posted five block assists.

NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE
- Concordia Wisconsin hosts Benedictine on Saturday at 2 pm during a Senior Day matchup.