Concord Rallies to Defeat Point Park in Four Sets

PITTSBURGH – The Concord University volleyball team downed Point Park in four sets, 3-1, to pick up their fourth straight Mountain East Conference victory Friday night at the PPU Student Center Gym.
 
Concord (16-2, 6-1 MEC) needed four sets to dispatch Point Park (3-14, 2-4 MEC) after a very sluggish opener. The Mountain Lions settled in after the first and didn't look back, taking three straight sets to end it, 25-19, 25-18, 25-16.
 
In the first set, Concord got off to a slow start. CU made five attacking errors and hit just .069 while the Pioneers came out scorching hot, hitting .500 on 15 kills. Point Park won 12 straight points from the 4-3 mark and Concord couldn't erase the big lead.
 
After recording just one in the first, Concord's block set the tone in the second set, recording eight blocks as a team. From the 13-12 mark in the second, CU went on a five-point run capped off by back-to-back blocks from freshman middle hitter Addison Adkins and sophomore right side Maddie Stull.
 
Junior outside hitter Chloe Thompson took over in the third set picking up seven kills herself. It wasn't just Thompson though as the Mountain Lions collectively hit .500 in the set on a match-high 19 kills. Concord won three straight points to make it 21-16 after an Adkins kill and ace. PPU got within 22-18, but no closer as CU won the final three points of the set.
 
The Mountain Lions played another efficient set in the fourth and their staunch block forced the Pioneers into seven attacking errors. CU went on a 9-3 run after the score was knotted at 5-5, to take a 14-8 lead. Concord kept its foot on the gas pedal and finished off Point Park, 25-16.
 
Thompson led the team with 13 kills and picked up seven digs to go with it. Fellow junior outside hitter Meg Williams racked up nine kills and 13 digs, just missing what would have been her seventh straight double-double. Junior libero Allie Davis tallied 18 digs for CU
 
Junior setter Paige Richmond finished with 24. Sophomore setter Savannah Davila collected a career-high 12 assists. Freshman right side Elaina Balling finished with six kills on six attacks, a perfect way to notch a career-high in kills.
 
The Mountain Lions stay on the road as they face Salem 12:00 p.m. in a non-conference tilt.