Falcons Sweep Muskies en route to NACC Semifinals

Written by CUW Student Assistant Lance Schulteis

MEQUON, Wis. – The Concordia Wisconsin women's volleyball team booked its 10th consecutive trip to the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference semifinals on Tuesday night, defeating the Lakeland Muskies in straight sets. The win marked Concordia's second victory over the Muskies in the 2023 season, having prevailed in four sets in late September.

Both squads were locked together in score for the majority of the first set, as neither was able to collect a comfortable lead as it unfolded. Ultimately, it was the Muskies that began to pull away late, leading 19-14 after Kelly Swope, Brelynn Scoles, and Katie Metzler contributed kills towards a 9-4 run. However, just as the Falcons had done throughout the regular season, the lead was erased just as quickly as it was built. Concordia took 11 of the set's final 15 rallies, in part to three kills by sophomore Paige Stickney (Menomonee Falls, Wis.).

While the 25-23 victory in the first frame proved to be the closest of the three in final score, the final two certainly were not lacking in competition. Both the Falcons and Muskies jockeyed for the advantage early in the second, but it was only after Lakeland took a 10-8 lead that Concordia would dominate the remainder of the set. Sophomore Abby Proefrock (Grafton, Wis.) and senior Maycee Karpfinger (Wauwatosa, Wis.) would record service aces as part of an 8-1 Falcons run to give Concordia a lead that it would not relinquish. Sophomore Stella Zarling (West Bend, Wis.), Stickney, and Karpfinger would record kills down the stretch, and sophomore Mickenzi Benter (De Pere, Wis.) would tally a service ace as the Falcons cruised to a 25-18 victory in the set.

The third and final frame was played out with less suspense than the first two, as once the Falcons took the first three rallies, they never looked back. Concordia sustained the lead for the duration of the set and kept the Muskies from drawing closer than two for its entirety. Despite an attempt at a rally while facing match point, Concordia's lead proved to be insurmountable for the Muskies, as the Falcons would take yet another 25-18 victory.

Karpfinger led all players with six kills in the set, while also contributing two service aces to the effort. Her 12 kills and 17 points across the entirety of the match would also lead all players on the court.

Concordia will prepare to face Edgewood on Thursday in the semifinal round of the NACC tournament, as the Eagles defeated the Illinois Tech Scarlet Hawks 3-1 in the quarterfinals. The Falcons lead the all-time series 31-13 and will meet Edgewood in the conference tournament for the first time since 2016.