CHICAGO – The No. 9 University of Chicago volleyball team finished the first day of its opening Gargoyle Classic with a split Friday, defeating Concordia-Wisconsin 3-1 in the Maroons' opener before falling to (RV) Wisconsin-Stevens point, 3-0.

The Maroons continue play in the home tournament at the Ratner Athletics Center Saturday with two more matches, taking on (RV) DePauw (11 a.m. CT) and (RV) Texas-Dallas (2 p.m. CT).

#9 UCHICAGO 3, CONCORDIA-WISCONSIN 1
In the Maroons' first match of the year, UChicago came out tough in Set 1 to set the tone before finishing off the Falcons (0-1) in four, 25-15, 25-27, 25-17, and 25-21.

UChicago hit a blistering .387 in the first set, connecting for 14 kills and just two errors. After faltering in a highly competitive Set 2, the Maroons benefited from a flurry of serving points mid-set from junior Katherine Wilson in the third set. Down 10-11, Wilson rattled off seven points – including two aces – to swing the momentum to UChicago and give the Maroons a 19-11 lead.

Frederick Paulson (12 digs, two block assists), Mikayla Hardy (17 digs) and Anne Marie Stifter (14 digs, three block assists) led the offensive attack with 11 kills each in the match. Junior setter Emma Griffith dished out a match-high 41 assists and added 20 digs and three block assists and rookie Ellie Alden had a solid offensive effort, recording nine kills on 19 attacks (.319).

The Maroons hit .194 for the match while holding the Falcons to .090 – a match-high 16 blocks aided in the defensive effort. Senior Madison Pearson (six kills, three service aces) was a stalwart at the net, leading the way with seven block assists.

(RV) UW-STEVENS POINT 3, #9 UCHICAGO 0
The Pointers (2-0) continued their hot start with a three-set sweep over the Maroons in Friday's nightcap, winning by scores of 25-21, 25-21, and 25-20.

UChicago (1-1) was unable to get into an offensive groove against UWSP, hitting .103 for the match compared to .235 for the Pointers, who hit a blistering .378 in the final set (19 kills, two errors).

Mikayla Hardy was the lone Maroon with double-digit kills with 13 (.174), Emma Griffith delivered 26 assists and Katherine Wilson (17 digs) and Fredricka Paulson (10 digs) led the defensive effort. Madison Pearson and Paulson added six kills apiece to round out the Maroons' leaders.

NEXT MATCH:

• Saturday, August 31: #9 UChicago vs. (RV) DePauw, 11 A.M. CT