Cedarville Invitational: No. 1 Concordia-St. Paul takes win over Lady Jackets in 3 sets

By Danielle Cherry

Coming off Friday night’s five-set loss to No. 23 Gannon, Cedarville hoped for the big upset Saturday afternoon.

But preseason No. 1 team in the nation Concordia-St. Paul came out swinging and kept the Jackets on their toes, ultimately taking a 25-22, 25-13, 25-21 victory in the finale of the Cedarville Invitational.

The Lady Jackets knew they had a challenge ahead of them, but they showed no fear when they stepped onto the court. Actually there was a resilience that followed them the whole game. 

With every hit that the Golden Bears smacked, Cedarville was ready to block. With Kate Fourman and Carley Craighead putting up a big wall on the outside, the Lady Jackets earned 14 points out of blocks alone, a testament to the Lady Jackets timing on the jump. 

Serves were hard and fast coming at the Jackets back row, breaking through their defensive line. With platforms that were a little flat, the Golden Bears took a quick lead, leaving Cedarville to play catch up the whole time. 

“I think we let the name of the opponent dictate how we played, versus just playing the game,” said head coach Greg Smith. 

As the back-row defense began to break down, the front row scrambled to keep balls in system, with libero, Alivia Rutt, stepping in to take the set. Rutt is an all-around player, owning the backrow and supporting the front with her precise passes. 

While not far behind Concordia-St. Paul in the first set, the Jackets let that loss cloud their judgment, giving the Golden Bears a 10-point lead at the beginning of the second set. At the end of the second the Jackets hit .00 and the Golden Bears .310 — a difference that was all too seen on the 25-13 score. 

“They could have played better, with a lot more energy and a lot more fight,” Smith said. 

And two new players brought that energy Smith was looking for. Swapping out the front row, Kaylnn Stoner and Sienna Hanson stepped up to change the game’s pace. Stoner swung cross court from the outside and Hanson drove a line right down the middle. 

“They just started playing freely and not thinking about it and trusted what they could do,” Smith said. 

With the energy lifting, the Jackets shifted their play. Rather than being focused on their individual performances, Cedarville started moving as a unit. Passers brought the ball up front for Sidney Shepherd to line it up for an attack. 

Attacking has got to be Madlynn Hensley’s middle name because she relentlessly pounded the ball at Concordia, not hesitating even when the set was wonky. Hensley made 12 kills and many assists as she collapsed to her knees to keep the ball from touching the ground. 

The one-point difference the whole third set was a stark contrast to the 10-point lead of the Golden Bears in the second. There was less concern about what was happening across the net — the focus was dialed in on Cedarville’s own ability. 

“When you play three top 25 teams and the top team in the country you’re going to be pushed. So I was glad we competed the way we did,” Smith said. 

A season start against the No. 1 team is understandably threatening, yet the Lady Jackets showed their ability to keep up in the third. Competing against hard teams at the top of the season give the Lady Jackets plenty of room to grow moving forward. They open play Friday with a five-set victory over No. 24 Missouri-St. Louis.

With Cedarville going to Michigan this coming week, it seeks to settle its off-balance win-loss streak of 1-2. The skill is there, it’s just a matter of trusting they can execute the job.  

Danielle Cherry is a junior communication major and writer for Cedars Sports and Assistant Editor and writer for A&E. She is a Missionary Kid from Germany and is excited to see trees turning color again.