MILWAUKEE, Wis. (WLCSports.com) – Wisconsin Lutheran College dropped a 3-1 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference match to Concordia Chicago on Saturday at Time of Grace Center. The Cougars handed the Warriors their first home conference loss of the season by set scores of 25-23, 25-13, 27-29, and 25-20.
WLC (9-6, 3-2 NACC) finished the match with a .181 hitting percentage, totaling 49 kills on 144 attempts. CUC (9-7, 2-3 NACC) recorded an efficient .248 hitting percentage with 56 kills on 137 swings.
Wisconsin Lutheran jumped out to an early advantage in the opening set, using an 8-3 run to build momentum. The Warriors maintained the lead late and held a 21-16 lead, but Concordia Chicago rallied with a 9-2 closing run to steal the first set 25-23.
The Cougars carried that momentum into the second set. After the teams traded points early, CUC used a surge to turn a 9-5 lead into a 17-9 advantage. Concordia Chicago continued to pull away down the stretch, closing the set on a 6-0 run to take a 25-13 decision and a 2-0 match lead.
WLC responded in the third set with one of its strongest stretches of the match. Wisconsin Lutheran used a 6-1 run to build a 10-5 lead and later pushed the margin to 22-16 following a service ace from sophomore
Brady Pichler (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) and a block by freshman
Adam Bedalov (Waukesha, Wis.) and senior
Drew Wempner (West Allis, Wis.). The Cougars battled back to force extra points, tying the set at 24-24, but the Warriors held firm. Junior
Josh Ward (Mukwonago, Wis.) delivered a late ace and Pichler posted a pair of kills as WLC prevailed 29-27.
In the fourth set, CUC regained control midway through. After the set was tied 10-10, Concordia Chicago strung together a 6-3 run to take a 16-13 lead. The Cougars later extended the margin to 23-18 and closed the match at 25-20.
Picher paced Wisconsin Lutheran with 15 kills and 10 digs for his second double-double of the season, while sophomore
Noah Kern (Brookfield, Wis.) tied a career high with 14 kills. Freshman
David Warren (Brookfield, Wis.) distributed 24 assists to pace the Warriors' offense. Wempner led WLC at the net with five total blocks.
CUC was led offensively by Jackson Stella's 19 kills, while Leon Gudzovski added 11. Elijah Mosher totaled 42 assists and 16 digs for Concordia Chicago. Gudzovski led the team with three blocks, and Michael Cardines tied for a match-best 16 digs.
Wisconsin Lutheran will return to action on Saturday, March 14, hosting Rockford (1-16, 0-6 NACC) at 12 p.m. at Time of Grace Center. Live coverage links can be found at WLCSports.com.
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