Falcons Split Saturday Action

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The CUW women's volleyball team went 1-1 on Saturday, as they defeated Earlham in three sets but fell to Albion in four later in the day. The Falcons' overall record sits at 7-7 with the split.

Saturday morning's women's volleyball match against the Earlham Quakers was about as competitive as a straight-sets victory can get, with the two squads exchanging blows throughout the contest. The back-and-forth affair saw a total of 18 ties and nine lead changes, but ultimately, it was the Falcons that were able to break through in all three sets consistently.

Despite jumping out to a 6-2 lead early in the first set, the Falcons saw Earlham slowly claw back into the contest, taking a 16-14 lead in full stride. After a kill from sophomore Ashley Habermehl (Brookfield, Wis.) to take the next point, the Falcons took control of the set, taking a 1-0 advantage on the back of an 11-2 run.

The second set saw a much narrower scoring gap, with neither squad able to secure a comfortable lead. However, a sudden scoring outburst from the Quakers pushed them ahead 22-17, seemingly poised to draw even with Concordia. Much like the first set, a Falcons kill flipped the momentum, this one coming from senior Maycee Karpfinger (Wauwatosa, Wis.). The Falcons went on an immaculate 8-0 run to snag the second set away from Earlham, a stretch topped off by an ace from Karpfinger.

Determined not to go away without a fight, the Quakers persisted to extend the match, powering to a 6-2 lead as the third set began. Not to be outdone, the Falcons were equally motivated to shut the door, scoring four straight points to tie the game. The next 21 rallies were just as competitive, as despite taking the lead, the Falcons failed to secure an advantage of more than three points. However, just when they started to pull away, the Quakers responded, drawing within two.

The Falcons once again started to move closer to the finish line, as a kill by sophomore Stella Zarling (West Bend, Wis.), an ace from sophomore Mickenzi Benter (De Pere, Wis.), and a Quakers fault broke the tape at 25-21 to seal the team's fourth consecutive win. 

In CUW's second game of the day, the women's volleyball team fell to the Albion Britons in four sets.

Having lost 4 of 5 games after a 7-2 start, the Britons were seeking a redemption opportunity to get back to their winning ways.

The first set saw the Falcons jump out to an early 7-3 lead, only for the Britons to battle back, thus making for a tightly contested opening frame that saw the score knotted eight times. Despite the Falcons jumping ahead late, Albion reached the 25-point summit first, taking a 1-0 lead.

Concordia dominated the second frame, picking apart the Briton defense by a margin of 25-15. The set was highlighted by the Falcons going on an 8-0 run, which featured a kill from sophomore Stella Zarling and two aces from sophomore Mickenzi Benter.

The third set saw Albion return the favor, and as a result, the Falcons only led once in the frame, 1-0. While Concordia spent the set playing from behind, it was never out of the equation, able to keep pace with the Britons the entire way until their eventual strides of separation that gave them the 2-1 lead.

The fourth set was a back-and-forth affair, as neither team was able to stay comfortably ahead of the other. The score was tied at eight, 11, 12, 13, and 16, and when the dust settled, the Britons had possession of the lead. Despite the Falcons drawing within two, Albion had no plans to relinquish its advantage, winning the fourth set 25-21 to take the match 3-1.

Maycee Karpfinger's18 kills led the match, while Mickinzi Benter's 42 assists set a Falcons program record, toppling the previous mark of 36 set by Sierra Lee in 2022.

For her exceptional play throughout the tournament, Maycee Karpfinger received All-Tournament Team honors. 

Concordia will look to get back into the win column on Sept. 28th at Sadoff Gymnasium, home of the Marian University Sabres.