Hogan, Taylor Leads Cavs to LC State Sweep
PORTLAND, Ore.—In their first meeting in five years, Concordia planted a 3-0 sweep over Lewis-Clark State in volleyball action at the Cavalier Gymnasium on Saturday.
Battling warm temperatures inside the gym and missing their All-American setter, Concordia (4-2) outhit the Warriors .171 to .099 while taking the three close sets by a combined eight points.
The Cavs rallied from a 15-11 deficit in the opener behind strong early play by Briana Hogan and
Mariah Raudsepp (Dundee, Ore./C.S. Lewis Academy). After watching CU tie the set at 17-17, the Warriors regrouped after a timeout and recaptured and rebuilt their lead to 22-19.
Concordia received kills from
Jackie Stein (Portland, Ore./Westview H.S.),
Melanie Miller (Hillsboro, Ore./Liberty H.S.), Hogan and Raudsepp down the stretch to knot the set at 23-23 and an ace from Shantel Gritsh switched the lead once again. Miller and Raudsepp would team up for a block on a Willow Markowitz attack to close out the comeback.
Repeating the dramatics, the second set featured 10 ties through the first 32 points. After a Markowitz kill tied it at 16-16, the Cavs created separation with three straight winners. The Warriors closed to within a point at 20-19 and again at 23-22, but Miller and Hogan closed the door with successful spikes.
Benefitting from four service errors by the visitors and three aces of their own, Concordia finished the sweep with the aid of a 10-5 run midway through the final set which featured three kills each from Hogan and
Brenna Huwe (Troutdale, Ore./Reynolds H.S.).
Hogan led all attackers with 12 kills against five errors for a .233 hitting percentage. Stein added nine kills and Raudsepp six, with several coming via a near-net slam on a free ball.
LC State libero Chelsea Shears led the floor with 11 digs, one more than her Concordia counterpart
Shantel Gritsch (Gresham, Ore./Clackamas H.S.). All 12 CU players that participated in the match recorded at least one dig. Behind Gritsch in that department were:
Melanie Miller (Hillsboro, Ore./Liberty H.S.) (8),
Leslie Hanks (Hockinson, Wash./Hockinson H.S.) (6) and
Lindsey Montgomery (Salem, Ore./Salem Academy) (5).
The sole true setter for the Cavs for the night,
Jenessa Taylor (Beaverton, Ore./Sunset H.S.) compiled a match-high 31 assists out of the team's 38 total kills.
The Cavs had only one win in the previous five matchups against the Warriors, a 3-0 victory in2007. Since 2003 Lewis-Clark has handed the Cavs 3-1 losses in 2004 and 2006 while going on to sweep Concordia in the 2006 postseason.
As
Tod Pickett, the Voice of the Cavaliers, put it, Concordia will be trading a hyphen for an ampersand as the team will next take the floor when it hosts cross-town rival Lewis & Clark College on Sept. 4. Opening serve is set for 6 p.m. against the Pioneers.