Career Win No.1 Comes In Opener

ST. PAUL, Minn. (8/30/19)--- First-year head coach Faith Dooley didn't have to wait long to experience her first collegiate victory. The Cobbers gave her the opening victory in the first match of the season as they outlasted Buena Vista 3-2 (23-25, 25-20, 25-14, 19-25, 15-13) in the opening contest of the Northwestern Invite.

"There was no way I was going to wait to get that first win," Dooley said. "I wanted to get it done with so we can move on."

While the final score proved to be in the Cobbers' favor, it was a long journey to get there. Concordia dropped the first set but then settled in and won the next two.

"It was a matter of first match nerves and just trying to settle down and play the way we are capable of," Dooley explained about the first set.

Concordia then rattled off two straight decisive wins before reverting back to the first-set form as they dropped a 19-25 decision in the fourth set.

The Cobbers then battled down the stretch, and won four of the final six points after the tie-breaker was deadlocked at 11-11.

"We just told them to get on the same page and communicate and we would come away with the win," stated Dooley about the difference in the final six points.

Concordia finished the season opener by hitting .265 for the five sets as compared to .177 for Buena Vista. The Cobbers hit a match-high .381 in the fifth set.

The Cobbers were led by Kendra Wiggs and Jill Klaphake. Wiggs finished with 10 kills and hit a team-best .474 while Klaphake had 29 assists and 11 digs.

Anna Brakke came away with 13 kills while Bailey Gronner had 11 winners to give CC a trio of players with double-digit kill totals. Newcomer Gabby DeBoer was the catalyst of the defense as she posted 28 digs.

WHAT'S NEXT: Concordia will look to continue their early-season success when they finish off the Northwestern Invite on Saturday. The Cobbers will play St. Scholastica at 10 a.m. and then square off against Coe at 12 p.m