BOURBONNAIS, Ill.— Cumberland Volleyball continued its strong start to the season on Saturday, earning two more victories to remain unbeaten at 4–0. The Phoenix defeated Grace College 3–1 before closing the day with a five-set win over Mount Mercy.

The Phoenix dropped the first set to Grace before rallying to win the next three, taking the match by scores of 16–25, 25–17, 25–22, and 25–20. In the nightcap, Cumberland battled back-and-forth with Mount Mercy before pulling out a decisive 15–10 victory in the fifth set to finish the weekend perfect.

In the opener, Cumberland hit .178 as a team, recording 52 kills on 152 total attacks. The Phoenix added 10 aces, 63 digs, and 7.0 total blocks. Grace countered with a .211 hitting percentage and 50 kills but managed just three aces and 4.0 blocks.

Hazel Konkel led the way offensively in match one, finishing with 13 kills while hitting .435. She also added two blocks and two assists in an efficient performance at the net.
Setter Carlee Rogers turned in a well-rounded effort with 24 assists, nine kills, two aces, and a team-high 19 digs. Rogers provided both offensive balance and defensive stability in the four-set victory.

Haley Mitchell and Lila Cade chipped in nine kills each, while libero Kaleigh Glass and Morgan Snead collected 10 digs apiece. At the net, Jacey Hubbell tallied 3.0 blocks, and Paulina Dziedzic added 2.0 blocks.

After dropping the first set 25–16, Cumberland responded with a dominant 25–17 win in the second and pulled out a close 25–22 third set before finishing off Grace 25–20 in the fourth.

In the second match of the day, Cumberland found itself in a back-and-forth battle with Mount Mercy before sealing the win in five sets: 25–15, 14–25, 25–18, 23–25, and 15–10.

The Phoenix hit .222 in the match, producing 58 kills on 167 attempts while also adding 9 aces and 16.0 team blocks. Defensively, Cumberland collected 85 digs and limited the Mustangs to a .075 hitting percentage with just 45 kills.

Konkel once again delivered a strong performance, finishing with 11 kills while hitting .360. She also recorded a career-best 7.0 blocks to anchor Cumberland's front line. Rogers added 25 assists, seven kills, and eight digs, while Hubbell matched her with 25 assists along with nine kills, 10 digs, and 4.0 blocks.

Mitchell reached double figures with 12 kills, while Cade posted 11 kills and added 16 digs in a two-way effort.

Glass anchored the defense with a team-high 21 digs, while Snead contributed 15. Dziedzic was strong at the net, matching Konkel with 7.0 total blocks.

Cumberland dominated the opening set 25–15, but Mount Mercy responded with a 25–14 win in the second. The Phoenix controlled set three, 25–18, before the Mustangs edged set four, 25–23, to force the deciding fifth. Cumberland pulled away late in the final frame to close out the 15–10 victory.

With the pair of wins, Cumberland improves to 4–0 on the season, wrapping up the two-day tournament unbeaten and showcasing both resilience and depth across all rotations.