Women's Volleyball wins two matches at Wisconsin Lutheran Invitational

MILWAUKEE, Wis. -- Concordia Wisconsin got past Elmhurst to begin its day with a 3-2 (25-18, 25-17, 19-25, 20-25, 15-9) victory before sweeping Simpson (25-18, 25-15, 25-17) on Saturday at the Wisconsin Lutheran Invitational. The Falcons reached the 20-win plateau for the third time in a four-season span, marking the third time in program history that has been accomplished.

THE BASICS
Final Score: Concordia Wisconsin 3, Elmhurst 2 (25-18, 25-17, 19-25, 20-25, 15-9); Concordia Wisconsin 3, Simpson 0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-17)
Location: Recreation Complex (Milwaukee, Wis.)
Records: Concordia Wisconsin 21-8, Simpson 8-18, Elmhurst 9-21

HOW IT HAPPENED
Concordia Wisconsin 3, Elmhurst 2
- The Falcons jumped out in front of the Bluejays with convincing set wins of 25-18 and 25-17 before .300-plus hitting percentages. The offense then stalled to a .118 and .189 hitting percentages, which allowed Elmhurst to gain momentum and even the match at two sets apiece.
- The fifth set win and ultimate match victory was sparked by a 5-0 scoring run with a kill by sophomore Gabrielle Pavlik (Pewaukee, Wis.) and sophomore Sophia Collins, while the Falcons took advantage of three Bluejays errors.
- Collins led all players with 15 kills and a .394 hitting percentage, while sophomore Olivia Richter (Naperville, Ill.) tallied 13 kills of her own. Freshman Sierra Lee (Kenosha, Wis.) and sophomore Makenzie Vertz (Mukwonago, Wis.) each had double-double performances.
- Elmhurst's Payton Froats had 12 kills and Hannah Horn and Emily Finkbeiner each had 21 assists.

Concordia Wisconsin 3, Simpson 0
- Concordia Wisconsin shut down Simpson to the tune of a -.042 hitting percent, while the defensive front recorded a pair of solo blocks and had five other blocking combinations resulting in points. In addition, they served up 10 aces on the other side of the net.
- Collins and sophomore Madelyn Alton (Farwell, Minn.) each had seven kills and three other players had six kills. Senior Kendall Stribling (Greenfield, Wis.) had five blocks on the day, with one being solo.

NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE
- Concordia Wisconsin hosts a NACC Tournament semifinal game on Thursday at 7 pm inside the R. John Buuck Field House. Their opponent will be announced Tuesday night.