Falcons Sweep Scarlet Hawks in NACC Semifinals
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Illinois Tech (18-12,9-5 NACC) | 13 | 11 | 22 | 0 |
|
Concordia Wisconsin (23-4,11-2 NACC) | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
MEQUON, Wis. – The Falcons advances to the NACC Tournament Finals with a 3-0 victory over Illinois Tech on Thursday night. The Blue and White bounced Illinois Tech, 25-13, 25-11, 25-22 to improve to 23-4.
The Falcons led wire-to-wire in the first set and jumped on the visitors earlier with a 6-1 run behind the serve of junior Hannah Himmelman (Geneseo, Ill.). CUW pushed the lead to 11 points on three occasions and took the set at 25-13 with a kill by junior Gabriella Kaebisch (Paddock Lake, Wis.).
CUW started the second set with a blistering start. The serve of sophomore Maycee Karpfinger (Wauwatosa, Wis.) gave the Falcons a 7-1 lead. The run was anchored by three-straight kills from senior McKenna Nigl (Richland Center, Wis.) and finished off with a service ace from Karpfinger. The Falcons cruised to a 25-11 victory in the second set.
The Scarlet Hawks did not go down without a fight. The teams kept the score tight to begin the third set. Illinois Tech took an 18-13 lead, but the Falcons stormed back with a 7-0 run behind the serve of senior Annie Marie Olszowska (Bolingbrook, Ill.). The Scarlet Hawks held a 22-21 lead late, but CUW claimed the next four points to win the set, 25-22.
Maycee Karpfinger recorded a double-double performance with 10 kills and a career-high 19 digs.
The Falcons landed seven service aces on Thursday, with Maycee Karpfinger and junior Sierra Lee (Kenosha, Wis.) leading the way with two.
Senior Makenzie Vertz (Mukwonago, Wis.) fed the Falcon offense with 22 assists. Sierra Lee finished the night with 15.
CUW finished the evening with six blocks. Gabriella Kaebisch and Hannah Himmelman both finished with three blocks.
The Blue and White posted a perfect home record for the second-straight season at 12-0.
The Falcons will compete for the NACC Tournament title on Saturday night at Aurora.
