Falcons Beat Benedictine in Four Sets

Written by CUW Student Assistant Lance Schulteis

LISLE, Ill. – The CUW women's volleyball team improved to 8-1 in conference play on Thursday night, by way of a 3-1 victory over the Benedictine Eagles who entered the contest just a game back of the Falcons in the NACC standings.

Concordia dominated the kill game in part to a "strength in numbers" victory, as seven different players combined for 16 kills in the first set. Although the Eagles managed to pull ahead towards the middle of the frame, a strong defensive presence granted the Falcons points on eight of the set's final ten rallies, winning by a 25-21 margin.

Benedictine saw great contributions from a spread of their lineup as well. However, most of the Eagles' offense was generated by star senior Olivia McPherson, who contributed 17 kills towards being responsible for a team-high 21 points.

The second set saw the Falcons jump out to a 4-1 lead; however, the Eagles would control the pace from that point forward. After knotting the score at four, Benedictine would maintain a lead all the way through their set victory, flipping the 25-21 score of the first set back on Concordia.

With the match now tied, the Falcons jumped at the opportunity to regain the advantage, dominating Benedictine throughout the third set. The 25-13 victory was the most lopsided score of the match, highlighted by two service aces from sophomore Stella Zarling (West Bend, Wis.) down the stretch. The two aces were just a fraction of her six total during the contest, matching her career-high.

The fourth set would also be played to Concordia's tune, as Benedictine only served twice while in control of the lead. Despite the Eagles' best attempts to cool off the Falcons' attack with two timeouts late in the frame, the lead proved to be insurmountable, as Concordia took the fourth set by a 25-19 score.

Both junior Brenna Bienek (Shakopee, Minn.) and sophomore Paige Stickney (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) registered career highs in kills, tallying nine and seven, respectively.

Concordia will be back on the court on Saturday, in a NACC matchup against the 9-11 Dominican Stars.