Coming off a huge Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) upset victory Saturday, the St. Catherine University volleyball team had another opportunity to start a conference winning streak against a tough Concordia College squad. For the first time at home this season, the Wildcats managed to force a decisive fifth set but couldn't slow down the Cobbers falling 3-2 (25-18, 22-25, 25-22, 27-25, 15-8) Thursday evening in the Butler Center. 

The match opened in favor of the Cobbers who took the first set 25-18 after the Wildcats hit just .119. In the second set, though, the WIldcats showed up to play jumping out to an early 11-4 lead before pushing that to 20-11. The Cobbers didn't quit despite the Wildcats' early dominance and won 12 of the next 14 points to pull within two at 24-22. The Wildcats were able to close out the set finally on an setter-attack Johna Radke (Muskego, Wis./Muskego). 

In the third set, the Cobbers jumped out to an early 9-4 lead before allowing the Wildcats to win the next five points to tie it up at nine a side. The set remained close until the Cobbers lsowly began to distance themselves from the Wildcats and claim a 2-1 advantage in the match. 

The fourth set was tight throughout with each team fighting point for point to remain within two. Down 15-13, the Wildcats rattled off four in a row to take the lead 17-15. The Cobbers responded with a 6-2 run to take a 21-19 lead. The Wildcats tied it up again and the two exchanged points until the Cobbers held a 25-24 lead for the match. The Wildcats then strung together enough effort to capture the final three points to force a fifth-and-final set. The Cobbers took control early with a 5-2 lead and never looked back en route to a 15-8 decision to take the match. 

Megan Lindenfelser (Nowthen, Minn./Anoka) was solid for the Wildcats on all fronts with a match- and career-high 37 digs to keep the Wildcats' defense alive while also adding nine kills and hitting a team best .241. She also contributed with a block assist and an assist to complete her stat line for the evening. 

Alyssa Besch (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) led the Wildcats offensively with 12 kills. She also had the team's lone service aces and assisted on two blocks. Amber Zeiher (Le Sueur, Minn./Le Sueur-Henderson) led the Wildcats' blocking with four assists, while Mackenzie Peper (Osceola, Wis./Osceola) had three block assists and eight kills. 

Shanee Herd (Alexandria, Minn./Jefferson) had 23 digs for the Wildcats which helped her set a personal career-best for digs in a season with 447. Abby Palmer (Pequot Lakes, Minn./Pequot Lakes) also added 15 digs and six kills. 

Maris Davis (West St. Paul, Minn./St. Agnes) led the Wildcats' three-player setting contributions on the night with 15, while Radke had 14 and Hayley Levenhagen (Pewaukee, Wis./Catholic Memorial) had 12. 

Olivia Wangensteen led the Cobbers offensive effort with a 19-kill, 25-dig double-double performance, while Anna Skow-Anderson had 12 kills and Kathleen Lippert had 11 kills and contributed to four of the Cobbers' eight blocks. Korbyn Ross led the Cobbers defensively with 32 digs. 

With the loss, the Wildcats fall to 11-9 on the season and 2-6 in the MIAC. They host the St. Kate's Invite Friday and Saturday at the Butler Center. The Wildcats are scheduled to face Crown College at 3 p.m. before taking on Luther College at 7 p.m. All tournament information can be found on the tournament site. 

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