GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Golden Eagles fought a tough battle with rival Aquinas on Wednesday night in the WHAC Tournament Quarterfinal but would fall in four sets, ending their season. After getting off to a great start Cornerstone struggled in the final two sets with a 24-26, 25-21, 11-25, 18-25 loss. CU ends the 2023 season 14-17 overall and will now hit the offseason. 

Game Recap: Cornerstone – 1 Aquinas – 3 (24-26, 25-21, 11-25, 18-25)
Set One:

• Cornerstone came to play in their 2023 playoff debut, taking an early 11-4 edge. Aubrey Lenz recorded a service ace, while Hannah Giere, Emmalee Murphy, and Eliza Thelen all tallied kills in a 6-0 run. 
• Another big kill from Emmalee Murphy gave Cornerstone a 14-6 advantage. 
• Back-to-back kills from the Saints Abbi Perkins helped them cut their deficit to four, 14-10. 
• An ace would alow AQ to get one point closer and force a Cornerstone timeout. 
• After the timeout, Aquinas continued their momentum. They used back-to-back blocks to tie the set at 16. 
• Cornerstone regained a four-point advantage with a block of their own from Gabby VerBerkmoes and Hannah Giere. CU looked to have control, leading 21-17. 
• With Cornerstone 23-19, Aquinas refused to quit, scoring four in a row to tie the set back up at 23. 
• An Emmalee Murphy kill would give Cornerstone a set point, but Aquinas scored three in a row to take set one 26-24. 

Set Two:

• CU scored the first three points of the set, capped off by a kill from Hannah Giere. 
• After AQ cut the Golden Eagle lead to one, Cornerstone responded right away again with a block from Kylie Barron and Aubrey Lenz to lead 7-4. 
• Aquinas again would counter with a run of their own. The Saints went on a 10-4 run to take a three-point lead of their own behind more great play from Abbi Perkins. 
• Kylie Barron would find herself involved in a block and a kill that helped spark a 5-0 Golden Eagle run that gave them the lead back, 17-16. 
• CU would again find a multiple point margin late in the set after a kill from Gabby VerBerkmoes and an AQ attack error. The set sat at 20-18 in favor of Cornerstone when Aquinas used their first timeout. 
• Substitute Jada Thomas would help Cornerstone turn their fortune and hold the lead down the stretch with a crucial kill as CU won set two 25-21. 

Set Three:

• Aquinas would get off to the good start in set three. Abbi Perkins recorded two kills and Jennifer Johnson tallied a service ace to go up 6-1. Cornerstone would use their first timeout. 
• After the timeout Aquinas scored two more to lead 8-1. 
• Eliza Thelen recorded a kill to end the run, but CU could not find any answer as Aquinas continued to advance their lead. 
• CU would use their second timeout trailing 18-8. 
• Jenna Lee recorded the final kill for Aquinas to take set three 25-11. 

Set Four:

• Aquinas carried their momentum into set four again taking a big lead early. Julie Schwelhofer recorded back-to-back service aces to go on top 6-1. 
• Jada Thomas and Gabby VerBerkmoes combined for a big block that cut the deficit to 6-3. 
• The aggressive Aquinas serve continued to cause the Golden Eagles problems. Chloe Hogarth added an ace as the Saints went on top 9-3. 
• AQ errors helped Cornerstone chip back into the set and find some momentum as they were able to cut the deficit to three, 13-10. 
• The Saints scored three straight to increase their lead back to six, 16-10. 
• Cornerstone would use a timeout trailing 17-11. 
• Eliza Thelen and Emmalee Murphy combined for three kills to give Cornerstone a 3-0 run and force an Aquinas timeout. CU then got it within two at 17-15 after an AQ attack error. 
• The Saints responded with a pair of points to bring their lead to 19-15 and force the second Golden Eagle timeout. 
• Aquinas would maintain the lead the rest of the way and win set four and the match 25-18 on a Lydia Harper service ace, ending Cornerstone's season. 

 
By the Numbers:
14-4 – Aquinas would win the battle at the service line 14-4 in service aces. 14 service aces tie a season high allowed by the Golden Eagles. 
13 – Emmalee Murphy led the Golden Eagles with 13 kills on the day. 
33/10 – Aubrey Lenz recorded a double-double with 33 assists and 10 digs. 
 
What's Next?
Cornerstone's season has come to an end as they finish the year 14-17 overall. 
 
Volleyball Contact: Jesse Campbell 
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