Women's Volleyball drops pair of matches to begin season

CHICAGO -- Concordia Wisconsin took a set from host ninth-ranked Chicago but eventually lost 3-1 (25-15, 25-27, 25-17, 25-21), before playing a highly competitive contest against Texas-Dallas but fell 3-0 (26-24, 25-23, 28-26) to begin the season at the Gargoyle Classic on Friday inside the Ratner Center.

THE BASICS
Final Scores: No. 9 Chicago 3, Concordia Wisconsin 9 (25-15, 25-27, 25-17, 25-21); Texas-Dallas 3, Concordia Wisconsin 0 (26-24, 25-23, 28-26)
Location: Ratner Center (Chicago, Ill.)
Records: Concordia Wisconsin 0-2, Chicago 1-0, Texas-Dallas 1-0

HOW IT HAPPENED
No. 9 Chicago 3, Concordia Wisconsin 0
- Ninth-ranked Chicago was on point offensively in the opening set, hitting .387 to win 25-15, but Concordia Wisconsin responded with a set victory of its own. They used a 4-2 scoring run in the end to even the match, however, the Maroons claimed the third and fourth set for the match victory.
- The Falcons hit .090 in the contest and were led by senior Holly Anderson (Grant Park, Ill.) who had 13 kills and hit .243. Senior Megan Mayer (Downers Grove, Ill.) added 10 kills and sophomore Makenzie Vertz (Mukwonago, Wis.) dished out 23 assists.
- Defensively, senior Ariana Richmond (South Elgin, Ill.) posted 18 digs and sophomore Oliva Richter (Naperville, Ill.) recorded four blocks.
- Chicago had a trio of players with 11 kills and Emma Griffith had 41 assists, 20 digs and three blocks.
Texas-Dallas 3, Concordia Wisconsin 0
- Close was just one of many ways to describe the match between the Comets and Falcons, as each set was decided by two points.
- Concordia Wisconsin used a 4-0 scoring run to tie the opening set at 24-24, but Texas-Dallas smashed a pair of kills to take an early 1-0 set advantage. The Falcons owned a 23-18 lead in the second set before the Comets put together a 5-2 scoring run to go ahead 2-0 in the non-conference tilt.
- The third set was back-and-forth with numerous scoring ties and lead changes, but in the end Texas-Dallas walked away with the sweep.
- Senior Kendall Stribling (Greenfield, Wis.) paced the lineup with nine kills and a career-best .500 attack percentage. Vertz had 19 assists and Mayer served a trio of aces. Richmond dug 12 attack attempts.
- Texas-Dallas was led by Jillian Via with 13 kills, while Caroline Shecterie and Syndey Fitt combined for 41 assists.

NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE
- Concordia Wisconsin will have little time before competing on Saturday in the Concordia Invitational Volleyball Tournament. The Falcons will compete against host Concordia Chicago and Concordia Ann Arbor.