(Sylvania, OH) – Concordia volleyball went on the road Saturday afternoon to face off against Lourdes. The Cardinals came in 4-6 overall (4-4 WHAC) while the Gray Wolves entered 3-7 overall (3-6 WHAC). CUAA moved above .500 in WHAC conference play with a 3-1 win over Lourdes for the first time since 2010. The Cardinals earned their first win over the Gray Wolves for the first time in the last 15 tries with a 17-2 mark all-time in the matchup series.
Kaitlin Veihl led the team with 14 kills. Kayla Peters and Tara Drinane finished second with 12 kills apiece. Abigail Austin had a team-high 26 assists. Tara Schatzle led the team with 24 digs.
Set 1 – CUAA 25, LU 23
Tara Drinane started the first set off with a kill. Kaitlin Viehl had a pair of early kills to put the Cardinals ahead 5-2. Lourdes tied the game 12-12 midway through the set and the teams continued to trade points. With the score 24-23 late in the set, Kayla Peters recorded a kill for the win in set 1.
Set 2 – LU 25, CUAA 19
A kill from Kaitlin Veihl ended a 5-0 Lourdes run in set 2. The Gray Wolves took control in the second set, pulling ahead by double digits. The Cardinals tightened the set later on with back-to-back kills from Abigail Austin cutting the deficit to 21-17. However, Lourdes claimed set two 25-19.
Set 3 – CUAA 25, LU 13
Hailey McCourt had the first Concordia kill in set 3. Kayla Peters had a service ace and a Tara Drinane kill put the team ahead 7-3. The Cardinals made a 9-0 run behind the serves of Abigail Austin to take a 17-6 lead with Austin adding two aces in the run. CUAA claimed set three 25-13.
Set 4 – CUAA 25, LU 20
Kaitlin Veihl had the first kill in set 4. Kayla Peters made back-to-back kills early and Veihl notched an ace. Hailey McCourt had several kills and an ace as the Cardinals maintained their lead throughout the set. While Lourdes pulled within 3 points with a 23-20 deficit, Tara Drinane and Kaitlin Veihl finished the game with kills to claim the match.
Concordia will play next on Tuesday, March 9 when they host rival Siena Heights at 7:00pm. The Cardinals will be honoring the seniors in a special pre-game ceremony.
