5-Set Excitement Caps Off Home Schedule

MOORHEAD, Minn. (10/28/22)---Concordia capped off its 2022 home schedule by playing in its most exciting match of the season inside Memorial Auditorium.

The Cobbers rallied from a 2-1 deficit, held off two match points and beat Hamline 3-2 (25-21, 19-25, 24, 26, 25-11, 19-17). It's only the fourth time all season that Concordia has gone to five sets. CC is now 3-1 in 5-set matches.

The win is the third in the last five matches for the Cobbers. They are now 8-15 overall and 4-6 in the MIAC. Hamline falls to 6-21 in all matches and 3-7 in league play.

The dramatic victory was set up by a 13-2 Cobber point streak in the fourth set. After dropping a heart-breaking 26-24 decision in the third set, Concordia led 8-7 in the fourth set after the Pipers had won two straight points and threatened to pull away with the set and the match. CC won four of the next five points and never looked back as they tied the match at 2-2.

The fifth set was classic volleyball with momentum swings aplenty. Hamline took a quick 2-0 lead, and eventually went up 6-3. CC responded by tying the set at 6-6. The teams would be separated by more than two points for the remainder of the match. The Cobbers led 12-10, 13-11 and 14-12. The Pipers answered with three straight points, before CC got to its first match-point at 15-14. A pair of errors by the Cobbers gave Hamline a 16-15 lead, but then senior Brook Carney came through with a huge winner to tie the set at 16-16. The Pipers countered with the next point to set up match point No.2 Concordia came through with the final momentum swing of the night when they followed with three consecutive points. A kill from Anna Brakke, and attack error by HU and then a match-point winner from Maria Watt gave the Cobbers the 3-2 win.

Concordia hit .143 for the match and came away with a season-high 60 kills. The Cobbers also had season-high total in assists (59) and the second highest dig total of the year (96).

Watt posted the best collegiate numbers of her career. She caught fire in the third set and recorded a career-high 17 kills. She also had a career-high .444 attack percentage and had three blocks.

Junior setter Kaia Lill posted a season-high 54 assists and also added 12 digs to come up with her eighth double-double of the year.

Libero Chloe Markovic reached the 20-dig mark for the 10th time in 2022 and came away with 25 digs.

Concordia had five players with at least 10 digs as the defensive presence stepped up in the fourth and fifth sets. Brakke posted her second 20-dig performance of the year. She also had eight kills. Karlie Goschen chipped in 13 digs and freshman Hanna Mooney added 11.

Carney led a group of three players that all had at least nine winners in the match. She tied her career high with 14 kills. Kendra Wiggs and Hannah Keil both chalked up nine winners on the night. Wiggs also added a match-high five blocks.

UP NEXT: Concordia will finish off the 2022 season when they play at St. Benedict on Saturday, Oct. 29 at 5 p.m.