Box Score DENVER, Colo. – The Concordia Golden Bears volleyball team (8-1) won the Colorado Premier Challenge for the fourth time in eight trips Saturday night with a four set win over the #1 Tampa Spartans (7-1). Tampa took the first set before the Golden Bears swept the last three. Concordia is now 7-3 all-time against Tampa.
Senior All-American
Kayla Koenecke (Delano, Minn.) had arguably her best match of the year with a triple-double with 17 kills, 14 digs and 10 assists while hitting .500 on the attack. She was named the 2013 Colorado Premier Challenge Most Valuable Player for her performance.
Joining Koenecke on the All-Tournament team were senior All-American
Amanda Konetchy (Victoria, Minn.) and freshman middle
Riley Hanson (Nevis, Minn.)
The first set matched the competitiveness of the championship last year with Tampa jumping out to a 16-9 lead, but Concordia bounced back to tie the score at 24 on a kill from
Riley Hanson (Nevis, Minn.) Tampa took the next point and had a shot to close out the set but a service error tied it back up at 25. The Spartans took the next two points to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
Concordia opened play in the second by taking six of the first nine points of the set, but Tampa evened the score up at 12. CU then ran out to a four point lead by going on a 5-1 run to force a Tampa timeout. That wasn't enough to slow down the Golden Bear attack as Concordia won the set 25-16.
Concordia's offense was clicking in the third set with the Golden Bears holding a lead throughout. The Spartans scored the first point but wouldn't lead again for the rest of the set. The lead ballooned out to 11 at 23-12 en route to a 25-15 set win to take a 2-1 advantage.
The final set was another tight one with the teams going back and forth for the early stretches. After Tampa tied the score 16-16 the Golden Bears put their foot on the gas and scored nine of 11 to finish off the set 25-18 and win the match.
Concordia has several solid individual statistical performances in the match.
Kasey Williams (Cross Plains, Wis.) posted her second career double double despite not playing in the first set at all. She filled in for
Amanda Konetchy (Victoria, Minn. ) and had 34 assists and 11 digs.
Emily McDonough (Stillwater, Minn. ) was the third Golden Bear to put up a double double with 12 kills and 12 digs. Senior
Erienne Lauersdorf (Watertown, Wis. ) had a very impressive performance by shattering her career high with 21 kills. Her previous career high was 12. Concordia hit .396 as a team.
Concordia returns home to open up conference play this Thursday at Gangelhoff Center at 7:00 p.m. with a match against Upper Iowa.
2013 Colorado Premier Challenge All-Tournament Team:
MVP: Kayla Koenecke (RS/S), Concordia
Amanda Konetchy (S), Concordia
Holly Reschke (OH), Tampa
Berkley Whaley (OH), Tampa
Abbey Thissen (RS), Southwest Minnesota State
Riley Hanson (MB), Concordia
Lindsay Homme (MB), West Florida
Katie Klein (RS), Regis
Jessica Wagner (MB), Tampa
Maddie Huth (MB), Angelo State
Maggi Jo Keffury (S), Angelo State
Emilee Gutzmer (S), Southwest Minnesota State
Alysa Heath (OH/RS), Metro State
