Cobbers Battle in Tight Sets Against Carleton

NORTHFIELD, Minn. (10/18/25) – Concordia-Moorhead volleyball showed flashes of dominance in each set but ultimately fell in straight sets (25–17, 25–21, 25–23) to Carleton on Saturday afternoon inside Memorial Auditorium.

The Cobbers came out strong in the opening set, jumping to a quick 2–0 lead thanks to a kill from Addy Klemin and a service ace by Lauren Pearson. The set remained tight through the midway point, with an Annie Horan kill tying it at 13-13. However, Carleton responded with a four-point run and used a late surge to pull away, taking the first set 25–17.

Concordia bounced back with energy in the second set, sparked by back-to-back kills from Horan and a balanced offensive effort from Betsy Schiltz, Lauren Bangs, and Klemin. The Cobbers built a 9–5 lead and later extended it to 16–11 after a Kaili Malvey kill ignited a 4–0 run. But Carleton clawed back with a 12–2 run of their own, flipping the score to 20–18 in their favor. Concordia briefly regained the lead at 21–20 after consecutive kills from Horan, but the Knights closed the set with five straight points to win 25–21.

The third set was a back-and-forth battle featuring 11 ties. Schiltz opened with an ace, and the Cobbers rallied from a 7–10 deficit to tie it at 10–10 behind two Malvey kills and a Carleton error. Concordia edged ahead 16–15 after a Klemin kill and later pushed the lead to 20–18 following a 4–1 run capped by another Horan kill. Carleton responded once again, taking a 23–22 lead. Pearson tied it at 23 with a clutch kill, but the Knights sealed the match by winning the final two points to take the set 25–23.

Annie Horan led the Cobbers with 11 kills and a .280 hitting percentage. Betsy Schiltz paced the offense with 21 assists, while Holland Fitterer anchored the defense with 12 digs.

The Cobbers will look to bounce back on Tuesday when they travel to Storm Lake, Iowa, to face the Buena Vista Beavers at 6:00 PM.