ST. PAUL, Minn. – The sixth-ranked Concordia University volleyball team won its Homecoming match in straight sets Saturday afternoon against No. 18 Wayne State. The Golden Bears improve to 13-3 overall and 7-2 in the NSIC with set victories of 25-19, 25-18 and 25-23.

In her second start of the season, Ashley Murtha (Apple Valley, Minn.) led the Concordia attack with a game-high 13 kills on 37 attempts for a .243 attack percentage. She also led the match with 14 digs for a double-double. Ellie Duffy (Fridley, Minn.) was one dig shy of a double-double as she notched 11 kills and nine digs. Amanda Konetchy (Victoria, Minn.) tallied 41 assists, which led to a .254 team attack rate (50-18-126).

CU Volleyball vs. Wayne State 10.6.2012 - Images by Justin Oakman

Concordia earned the first point of the opening set and never relinquished the lead. There was one scoring tie at 1-1, but from there on out it was all CU. The Golden Bears scored six consecutive points midway through the set and led by as much as nine at 19-10, en route to a 25-19 victory.

The second set played out much like the first as Concordia led early with just one scoring tie at 1-1 and led the rest of the way. The Bears held Wayne State to a .054 attack percentage in the set.

The Wildcats put Concordia on its heels in the third with a tightly contested set. There were 10 ties and six lead changes in the final frame before CU was able to pull out the two-point win. Wayne State led 23-21 late in the set, forcing Concordia head coach Brady Starkey to take a timeout. But the Golden Bears came out of the break and captured the final four points for the win.

Concordia is now 9-0 at home and hasn't dropped a set at the Gangelhoff Center. The Golden Bears hit the road next weekend for matches at Minot State on October 12 and at U-Mary on October 13.