The Cavs' Mariah Raudsepp finished with four kills and five block assists in the match against Pacific on Wednesday.
Cavs Sweep by Boxers, 3-0
BOX SCORE - Concordia vs. Pacific
PORTLAND, Ore.—The Concordia volleyball team cruised to a 3-0 (25-19, 25-13, 25-16) victory over NCAA Division III Pacific on Wednesday.
Concordia (6-5) followed the hot hitting of freshmen Jackie Stein and Brianna Hogan to the victory over the Boxers (0-7).
Stein led the Cavaliers with 17 kills in the match, the fourth-straight three-set match in which Stein has recorded at least 15 kills. Stein’s 17 kills also tied her own conference match-high for a three-set match this season, which she first set in the Cavs’ match against Oregon Tech. Stein now holds the top four kill totals within in the CCC for three-set matches.
On Wednesday, Stein proved remarkably efficient for the Cavs, as her 17 kills came in only 28 total attacks. In addition, Stein committed just two errors against the Boxers, giving her a match-high .536 hitting percentage.
Hogan, meanwhile, came in second on the team with 13 kills on Wednesday. Hogan has now totaled 12 kills or higher in four of the Cavs’ last six matches.
However, the two freshmen hitters would have had a tougher time against the Boxers without another strong performance from junior setter Lindsay Mangan. Mangan kept getting better throughout the match on Wednesday, totaling 11 assists in the first set, 14 in the second and then 15 in the third. Mangan’s set crescendo gave her 40 total assists in the match, the sixth-straight match she has averaged at least 10 assists per set.
Those three helped guide Concordia through a tight first set in which a pesky Boxers team took an early 12-10 lead over the Cavs. CU head coach Melanie Hambelton called time out at that point and whatever she said worked as the Cavaliers immediately went on a 10-1 run after the timeout. That run completely flipped the first set, putting the Cavaliers in control, and they’d cruised to the set victory from there.
Mangan was all over the place during the pivotal run as she recorded a kill, a block assist and three total assists during the run for the Cavaliers.
The second set went much smoother for the Cavaliers who ran out to a quick 10-3 lead. Pacific tried to come back in the set, but the Cavalier offense was humming by that point. Concordia upped its hitting percentage from .216 in the first set to .353 in the second set, while Stein and Hogan led the way with seven and six kills in the set, respectively.
The Cavalier defense, meanwhile, held the Boxers to just .028 hitting in the second set. Mariah Raudsepp led the Cavalier defense in the middle against the Boxers, as she recorded a match-high five block assists to go along with a single solo block. Kelsey Kai and Leslie Hanks, meanwhile, each finished the match with double-digit digs as Kai led all players with 18 with Hanks close behind with 11.
The third set then followed a similar script to the second as the Cavaliers took an early lead and rode a strong offensive attack to the end. Concordia upped its hitting percentage even more in the third set, finishing the set hitting .375.
Overall, Concordia outhit the Boxers in hitting percentage (.315-to-.109) and kills (47-to-27) in the match.
Next up, the Cavaliers will face a tough test as they host cross-town rival Warner Pacific for a match on Friday, Sept. 14. That match will begin at 7 p.m.