AUSTIN — The No. 17-ranked Southwestern volleyball team struggled early in its match against Concordia but recovered from its slow start in time for the five-set win (24-26, 21-25, 28-26, 25-17, 15-8). 

Concordia stunned Southwestern, winning the first two sets and taking the third into extra points before a service error and attack error ended the set in the Pirates' favor. Southwestern found its footing from there, clamping down on defense to take the next two sets with little drama.

"There are matches where things have to find their vibe and their rhythm," Southwestern head volleyball coach Don Flora says. "We had a high-quality offensive showing tonight, but so did some attackers from Concordia."

Concordia's two-headed attack of Sarah Ghormley and Kylexus Block did its fair share of damage, recording 26 and 19 kills. However, Southwestern created its own set of problems with 14 service errors.

"We have been aggressive as a team from the service line, and tonight, we did not hit our seams, and that made us press a bit too much, which is evident in our ace-to-error ratio serving," Flora says. 

Southwestern made its adjustments and settled into its game over the final two sets, holding Concordia to a .094 and -.174 hitting percentage while utilizing its own balanced attack. Three Pirates finished with double-digit kills, led by Emma White's 14 on a .239 hitting percentage. White also tied Ali Grona and Katelyn Whitehead for the team lead in digs with 13. 

Andie Valenzuela contributed 12 kills on a .348 clip, and Christina Kuras had 12 kills on a .250 hitting percentage. Riley Brantley contributed nine kills and three block assists. Setters Whitehead and Claire Romo combined for 49 assists, with Whitehead's 27 leading the way. 

Southwestern improves to 16-1 with the win. The Pirates will have the weekend off and return to action the following weekend, hosting Austin College, Centenary, Dallas, and No. 3-ranked Trinity for Homecoming weekend.