Concord Extends Home Win Streak, Sweeps Point Park 3-0

ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University volleyball team took down Mountain East Conference newcomer Point Park 3-0 to push its home winning streak to nine games in the Carter Center Friday evening.
 
CU improves to 11-11 overall and 5-2 in the league while Point Park moves to 4-12 on the season and 2-5 against MEC competition.
 
Set 1
Sophomore outside hitter Chloe Thompson and senior middle hitter Kyndra Pilant got Concord on the board in the first set as they joined together for a block. Then, kills from sophomore right side Natalie Brown and sophomore outside hitter Meg Williams pushed the lead to 4-2. A five-point swing then gave the Mountain Lions an 11-4 advantage. Williams added a kill and two service aces, freshman right side Maddie Stull hammered a kill, and sophomore middle hitter Jasmine Anderson tallied a solo block during the run. Point Park closed the gap to 18-16, but Williams and Thompson answered to put CU ahead by four. The Pioneers tied the frame 23-23, but it was a kill from Thompson and a team block that sealed the first set, 25-23.
 
Set 2
Concord got the second set going with a trio of kills and a service ace from Williams to grab a 5-1 lead. Pilant and Brown tacked on two more kills as CU lead, 9-2. After PPU scored three-straight points, the Mountain Lions charged a 9-1 run to lead by 12, 18-6. The spurt included two team blocks, kills by Anderson and sophomore setter Declyn Tooze, as well as a pair of aces from Williams. The Maroon and Gray continued to pile on the points, closing out the set 25-8. CU hit .556 in the frame and held the Pioneers to -.438.
 
Set 3
 It was Point Park that took control early in the third set, but two kills from Brown kept Concord close, 6-4. Williams and Anderson chipped in kills to bring the score to 8-7 in favor of PPU. Then, three consecutive kills from Williams knotted the game, 13-13. Both teams traded points as the score showed 19-19. The Pioneers took a 23-20 lead, but five consecutive points from the Mountain Lions earned them their first win over Point Park in program history, 25-23. Williams connected on four kills as she contributed to all but one of the final five points scored.
 
Match Stats
In the game, the Mountain Lions hit their second-highest mark of the season, posting a .318 hitting percentage. Also, the eight points allowed in the second set marks the fewest points scored on CU in a set this fall. Williams picked up her 11^th double-double, smashing 15 kills and logging 10 digs which ties her total from 2023. Thompson hit for 11 kills on 23 swings while committing no errors for a .478 hitting percentage. Anderson led the way defensively, picking up five total blocks.
 
The Mountain Lions take a trip across Mercer County to face Bluefield State Wednesday at 6:00 p.m.