Volleyball Drops Two at Concordia

DETROIT, MI–The Mustangs returned to the court for day two of the Cardinal Kick-Off Classic on Saturday. After an 0-2 start to the weekend, the Mustangs faced an uphill battle as the two top teams stood in their way on Saturday.

Ursuline College (OH) would be the first of two opponents on Saturday. The Mustangs came out strong and went toe-to-toe with the heavily-favored Arrows from Ursuline. After dropping the first game (25-17), the Mustangs set-up for a thrilling second game that went down to the wire. A late rally brought the Mustangs within one (23-22) and control of the ball. After a service error, the veteran Arrows put away the Mustangs on the next play to take a 2-0 edge before winning the match (3-0).

The season-opening tournament would come to a close with a meeting against host Concordia University. The Wolverine Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) power was put to the test by the young, upstart Mustangs. Coach Graves’ crew stuffed the Cardinal attack and held a slight lead to start the match before allowing a late run to lose the first set. The veteran Cardinal team rallied behind their experience, and home-court advantage, to put away the Mustangs in straight sets (3-0).

Freshman Libero Shannon Pietruszka (Garden City) took home All-Tournament Team honors in her first weekend of college volleyball. The honor puts Pietruszka in a class of her own as the first All-Tournament Team honoree in Mustang history.

Although the Mustangs went 0-4, the weekend was filled with excitement as Marygrove College ushered in volleyball for the first time in school history. The Mustangs look to notch the all-important first win of the season when they travel to Indiana Wesleyan University on Tuesday. Game time is set for 7 PM.