SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - After dropping the first set of the match, the third-ranked Concordia University volleyball team (33-2) rallied for three straight set victories to defeat second-ranked University of Tampa (33-2) in the NCAA Division II National Semifinals on Friday evening by a score of 23-25, 25-14, 25-18, and 25-13. Concordia reaches the Division II Championship match for the fifth straight year and sixth time overall and are seeking their fifth straight championship.
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“That was a hard fought and fun match tonight,” said Head Coach Brady Starkey after the match.
Kayla Koenecke (Delano, Minn.) had a career night with 15 kills, 0 errors, a .652 attack percentage and a career high 22 digs on the evening. Megan Carlson (Andover, Minn.) had a double-double with 15 kills and a team high 23 digs. Taylor Fieldsted (Lakeville, Minn.) had 13 digs as the team tallied 85 total digs on the night, the second highest in 2011.
Koenecke explained how CU was able to comeback, “we trust each other and that we would still make plays. I just got to spots where I could get hit by the ball tonight and it worked out in my favor.”
Senior Fieldsted had this to say post match, “we were outplayed in the end of the first set but we came back and rallied in the next few sets. We knew it would be a long night of volleyball and we were able to put that first set behind us.”
The Golden Bears also had double digit kills from Ashley Murtha (Apple Valley, Minn.) with 14 and Katie Habeck (Farmington, Minn.) with 11. Cassie Haag (Plymouth, Minn.) added eight. The team hit .371 on the night against the second ranked team in the nation. Amanda Konetchy (Victoria, Minn.) had 55 assists on the evening.
In set number one Concordia jumped out to a 13-7 lead as the Golden Bears seemed in control of the first set. Concordia maintained the six point lead at 18-12 before Tampa started to claw back. UT got within three at 20-17 but CU pushed the lead back to five at 22-17. The Spartans then went to work as they scored seven of the next eight points to tie the set up at 23 all. Concordia tried to slow UT down but the Spartans took the set 25-23. Carlson and Koenecke each had four kills in set one.
Concordia was able to put set one out of their mind quickly as again they jumped out early. The Golden Bears forced a Tampa timeout up 16-11. The timeout failed to slow CU down as the lead got as big as 24-13 as CU took the set 25-14. Carlson had six kills alone in set two.
The third set had a similar start as the first two with Concordia getting the early lead. Concordia had an 11-6 lead for the third set in a row. The lead got up to six before Tampa closed the gap and got within three at 13-10. The Golden Bears doubled up Tampa over the next few points extending their lead to 19-13. The lead was as big as eight at 22-14 before Tampa attempted to come back once again. UT rattled off four straight points but that was all they could do falling 25-18 in set three. Murtha and Koenecke led the way in set three with six kills apiece.
It was all Concordia in the fourth set as CU took off and grabbed a 10-4 lead early on. The Golden Bears kept pouring it on and extended their lead to 14-7 midway through the set. Tampa closed the gap to five but that was the closest the fourth set would be as Concordia poured it on and won the set 25-13 clinching their fifth straight trip to the NCAA Division II National Championship match.
In their first appearance in the National Championship in 2003, it was also in San Bernardino's Coussoulis Arena where they defeated tournament host CSU-San Bernardino in the National Semifinals before falling to North Alabama in the National Championship. That was Concordia's first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament as well.
This year, the Golden Bears will get the winner of tournament host and top-ranked CSU-San Bernardino (31-0) and eighth-ranked Hillsdale (31-2). The National Championship will be played at 9:00 p.m. central time on Saturday, December 3.
Concordia has never faced Hillsdale in the NCAA Tournament, and they have eliminated CSUSB in each of the last three years and four times overall, never losing to the Coyotes in NCAA Tournament competition. They defeated the Coyotes in the 2008 National Championship match at Gangelhoff Center in St. Paul, in the National Semifinals in the 2003 and 2009 seasons, and in the 2010 National Quarterfinals.
Concordia has now won 29 consecutive NCAA Tournament matches and has never lost in the National Semifinal round in six appearances in the "Final Four."
