It took only a few words for junior captain Lauren Nevinski to sum up the 2016-17 Concordia Volleyball season. For the first time in school history the Falcons clinched an automatic bid into the NCAA National Championship Tournament.

“It’s an unreal feeling,” Nevinski said.

The Falcons finished with the best record in school history, with a record of 22 wins, 8 losses. Nevinski, a middle hitter, led the team in solo blocks with 9.

“I’d say the best part of the season for me was beating Aurora to win the conference. No other team in Concordia history has done that so it was incredibly special to be a part of,” Nevinski said.

After winning the NACC conference championship 3-1 over Aurora, the Falcons left for Saint Paul, Minn., where they would eventually lose to No. 2 ranked Cal Lutheran, the reigning national champions.

“I think being able to go and compete against one of the best teams in the country was huge for us as far as mentality goes. This season proved to everyone involved in the program that we have the potential to go further into the NCAA tournament and play at an extremely high level,” Nevinski said.

And as the spring semester ends, the volleyball program continues to take steps forward to improve for next season.

“I think winning conference was really an eye opener for a lot of us. I’ve never been on a team that has made it to a big tournament like that so I think it’s just made us raise the bar on our expectations and our preparation,” said Nevinski. “We’re trying to keep making history.”