Cobbers Fight Back, Come Up Short Against St. Catherine
Concordia fought hard but fell to St. Catherine in three tightly contested sets, 27-25, 25-20, 25-22, in their home opener Thursday night.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
25 | 20 | 22 | 0 |
|
|
27 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Team Stats
St. Catherine
| Game Statistics | St. Catherine | Concordia-M'head |
|---|---|---|
| Hitting % | 0.162 | 0.202 |
| Blocks | 6 | 9 |
| Digs | 57 | 57 |
| Aces | 5 | 4 |
MOORHEAD, Minn. (9/26/2025) - Concordia went toe-to-toe with St. Catherine in nearly every set but couldn't quite push through late, falling 3–0 (27-25, 25-20, 25-22) on Thursday night inside Memorial Auditorium.
The Cobbers nearly stole the opening frame after erasing a big deficit. Down 18-11, Concordia clawed back behind a kill from Addy Klemin and a spark from Betsy Schiltz, who ignited a 6-1 run to close the gap to 22-20. After the Wildcats reached set point at 24-21, the Cobbers strung together three straight points capped by another Klemin kill to tie it at 24-all. The momentum looked to swing CC's way, but St. Kate's responded with the final two points to squeak out the set, 27-25.
Concordia carried that energy into the second, grabbing a 7-5 lead on swings from Mallory Leitner and Kali Malvey and an ace by Annie Horan. But a long Wildcat run flipped the script and put CC in a 19-13 hole. Once again, the Cobbers battled back, capitalizing on St. Kate's miscues and steady play from the pin hitters, but the Wildcats were able to side out late and hold on for a 25-20 decision.
The third set was another showcase of Concordia's grit. After the Wildcats stormed ahead 15-4, the Cobbers refused to fold. A surge led by Leitner and Schiltz at the net, paired with sharp defense, fueled a 6-1 run to trim the margin. CC continued to apply pressure, cutting the score to 23-21 after a Malvey kill and a St. Kate's error. The comeback effort, however, fell just short as the Wildcats secured two of the final three points to close the match.
Leitner paced the Cobber offense with 11 kills while hitting .417, while Schiltz filled the stat sheet with eight kills, 25 assists, and an ace. Defensively, Lauren Bangs led the way with five blocks, while Kelsi Martini and Horan anchored the back row with 12 digs apiece.
Concordia is back on the court next week, returning to Memorial Auditorium on Thursday, Oct. 3, to host St. Olaf at 6 p.m.
