MARION, IND. - No. 1 Indiana Wesleyan volleyball dropped a thrilling five set match against No. 4 Concordia (Neb.) on Friday. Both teams showed why they are ranked top five in the NAIA with nearly all five sets seeing dramatic endings.
THE ESSENTIALS
- Location: Indiana Wesleyan University | Marion, Ind.
- Records: IWU - 2-1 | Concordia - 4-0
- NAIA Top-25 Ranking: IWU - #1 | CUNE - #4
MATCH VITALS
- In set one, IWU went on an 8-4 run following a Wildcat timeout after the Bulldogs took a 10-7 lead. A back and forth set saw both teams take leads late, but after CUNE took a 24-23 lead looking to steal the set, Shae Williams put down back-back kills and Marissa Mullins aced the final points to finish a dramatic opening set.
- Concordia looked dominant to start the second set, taking a 6-0 lead and forcing an early Wildcat timeout. IWU fought the rest of the way, eventually pulling within 2 points at 22-20 after a Marin Sanchez kill. The Bulldogs were able to prevail however, taking the set 25-21.
- CUNE looked poised to take a commanding 2-1 lead in the match, taking an early lead. The Wildcats continued to show their resiliency, taking a 17-16 lead. The Bulldogs regained the lead and extended it to as much as 5 at 23-18. After reaching set point at 24-19, Indiana Wesleyan began a run reminiscent of their 14-8 comeback in the 5th set of last year's national championship game, rattling off 6 straight points to take a 25-24 lead. Concordia evened the set at 25 but a kill from Avery Beall and a Bulldog error finished a wild third set.
- The visitors opened up a early lead in the fourth set and were never threatened on their way to a 25-17 win.
- A slow start to the fifth set doomed the Wildcats, falling behind 8-4 before switching sides. The red and gray were never able to make a run, only scoring back-to-back points once in the final set leading to a 15-10 loss.
KEY WILDCATS
- Marin Sanchez led the team with 14 kills while Marissa Mullins added 13.
- Mullins posted a career high 9 blocks. Abbigail Porter tallied 4 and Allysen Fullenkamp recorded 3.
- Porter led the offense with 45 assists. She finished with a double-double also recording 22 digs, matching a career high she set during her freshman campaign.
- Cadee Notter led the Wildcats with 32 digs, also matching her career high, set in her sophomore season.
LOOKING AHEAD
- Indiana Wesleyan hits the road for four games in the CSM Labor Day Classic in Omaha, Nebraska.
- Their first game will be on August 29th at 1:00 PM against Hastings College. They will later take on No. 2 Bellevue in a rematch of last season's national title game.
- On Saturday IWU will fave No. 16 Viterbo and No. 7 Northwestern, a rematch of the 2023 national title game.
NEXT HOME MATCH
- The Wildcats host Bethel on September 13th at 1:00 PM.
- Individuals looking to attend can purchase tickets at IWUWildcats.com/Tickets
- Links for live stats and video can be found at IWUWildcats.com
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