Career Nights Highlight Cobbers’ Battle with St. Scholastica
Despite dropping the match 3–1 (18–25, 25–11, 22–25, 15–25), the Cobbers saw standout performances from several players. Annie Horan recorded a career-high 18 kills and 21 digs, while Kelsi Martini and Holland Fitterer each tallied career-best 19 digs in a strong all-around effort from the maroon and gold.
MOORHEAD (10/24/25) – The Cobbers started slow, with St. Scholastica claiming the first three points before Betsy Schiltz ended the early run with a kill. Concordia responded with a 5-0 run to take a 10-9 lead behind kills from Mallory Leitner and Annie Horan. Addison Pearson added a solo block during the stretch to fuel the Cobber scoring. The Saints answered with a 6-2 run of their own to reclaim a three-point advantage. A late kill from Addy Klemin brought the Cobbers within striking distance at 17-15, but St. Scholastica closed strong with a 5-0 run to take the opening set 25-18.
Concordia bounced back in dominant fashion, taking set two 25-11. Early kills from Schiltz, Horan, and Pearson, along with an ace from Horan, put the Cobbers up 9-3. A kill from Horan then sparked an 8-0 run, during which she tallied four kills and Holland Fitterer added an ace to make it 22-10. Pearson's kill and a few timely Saints errors sealed the set for the Cobbers. Horan was unstoppable in the frame, finishing with seven kills on just nine swings, while the team as a whole hit an impressive .531.
The Cobbers carried their momentum into the third set, jumping to a 5-3 lead behind Horan and Pearson. However, a few untimely errors allowed St. Scholastica to shift the momentum and take a 7-5 advantage. The teams traded points for much of the set, with a Schiltz kill giving the Cobbers a slim 13-12 lead. The score was tied six different times, the last at 18-18 following a Leitner kill. The Saints responded with a short 3-0 run to pull ahead 21-18. Concordia fought back within two on multiple occasions, but late errors and timely Saint kills helped St. Scholastica close out the set 25-22.
Set four mirrored the start of set two, as the Cobbers built an early 8-3 lead behind Horan and Pearson. The Saints rallied to tie it at 9-9 before a St. Scholastica error and a Horan kill gave Concordia a brief two-point cushion. The Saints then surged ahead with a 6-0 run to make it 15-11 and never looked back. A Saint error momentarily halted their momentum, but they answered with three straight points to extend the lead to 18-12 and went on to close out the set 25-15 and the match.
Horan led the Cobber offense with a career-high 18 kills and anchored the defense with a career-best 21 digs. Kelsi Martini and Fitterer each added 19 digs, tying a career high for Martini and setting a new one for Fitterer. Schiltz directed the offense with 37 assists.
The Cobbers will look to bounce back tomorrow when they host Gustavus at home for a 3:00 p.m. matchup.
