Rutherford, N.J. – The Concordia women's volleyball team traveled to face Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) opponent Felician College on Tuesday evening. After trailing 2-0 in the match the Clippers mounted a comeback to edge out a 3-2 victory over the Golden Falcons.
In the opening set Concordia held a 13-6 lead as Felician went on a 5-0 run to cut into the deficit. Five unanswered points by the Clippers would give them a 19-12 advantage but the Golden Falcons ended the set on a 15-6 run to take the win.
The second set would go back-and-forth between both sides as neither team grabbed an advantage on the scoreboard. Following a deadlocked score at 22-22 Felician scored three unanswered points to take a 2-0 match lead and one step closer to victory.
Concordia would challenge the Golden Falcons in the third set as they took a 20-13 lead and continued to dominate the set. The Clippers would go on to win the set by a score of 25-18 and still keep their hopes alive.
In the fourth set Concordia rallied off eight straight points after the score was knotted at 14-14 to shock the crowd at Job Gym. A service ace by senior Courtney Hanson (Bellerose, N.Y.) would cap the set as the Clippers took a 25-16 set victory and tie the match at 2-2.
The fifth and final set would determine the winner of the long match as Felician started out on a 3-0 run. Concordia would trail the Golden Falcons for much of the set until an attack error by Felician tied the score at 11-11.
The Clippers grabbed their first lead of the set after Olivia Thompson (Peoria, Ariz.) and Leina Braga (Salvador, Brazil) combined for block assists to give Concordia a 12-11 lead and a huge momentum builder. A kill by Braga and then an attacking error by Felician would give the Clippers a 15-11 fifth set victory to complete the come-from-behind victory and Concordia's first win of the season.
Braga led Concordia with a season-high 15 kills on the offensive end while senior Chelsea Zurcher (Crofton, Md.) added a season-high 14 kills of her own. Junior Hillary Hoffman (East Meadow, N.Y.) recorded a season-high 46 assists while junior Irina Impellittiere (Cold Spring, N.Y.) led the defense with a season-high 23 digs. As a team the Clippers recorded a season-best .228 attacking percentage with 60 kills and 52 assists.
Concordia (1-6, 1-1 CACC) will look to build off their win in their next match which will be on Thursday at Southern Conn. St. The Clippers will take to the court of the Moore Field House in New Haven, Conn. for a 7pm match. Fans unable to attend can follow the action via Live Stats found on ConcordiaClippers.com.