ST. PAUL, Minn. – The second-seeded #3 Concordia University volleyball team (26-4) advanced to the semifinals of the NSIC / US Bank Tournament with a four-set win over seventh-seeded Minnesota State on Tuesday night. The Golden Bears advance to the semifinals to take on second-seeded Wayne State on Friday night at 5 p.m. on the campus of Minnesota Duluth.
The Golden Bears used an efficient attack to their advantage as they hit .343 as a team. The Mavericks were unable to find the same success as they were held to .228 hitting. The advantage at the net was once again a factor as the team collected 11.0 blocks compared to 7.0 for MSU.
Riley Hanson delivered a diverse performance as she contributed 17 kills on 32 attempts (.438 hitting percentage) to go along with seven blocks (two solo and five assists) and four digs.
Mariya Sampson and
Anna Schlaak were also active as each hit over .315 en route to 16 kills. Schlaak added 13 digs to give her another double-double.
Kasey Williams had a big night as well as she finished with 57 assists and four digs while
Taylor Dordan delivered a huge effort with 22 digs.
Chandra Honebrink continued her solid play against the Golden Bears as she led the Mavericks with 16 kills and a .302 hitting percentage. Ellie Van De Steeg also stepped up with 49 assists for MSU.
The match began with a back-and-forth first set in which the lead changed hands five times and there were 13 ties. After an early 4-2 MSU lead, neither team led by more than a point until late in the set. CU gained the first real momentum in favor of either team with a 4-0 run to get some breathing room with a 20-17 lead. The Mavericks fought back to cut it to one at 21-20 but a 4-1 run gave Concordia 25-21 set win in the first.
The Mavericks took control early in the second set with the first four points and six of the first seven to build a comfortable lead. The Golden Bears struggled to get back in it as they were unable to shrink the lead below two the rest of the way. MSU used a 4-0 run to take a 16-9 lead and appeared to be headed towards running away with it but the Golden Bears battled back to close the gap to one at 21-20. The Mavericks held on to win the set by matching the first set final 25-21.
The third set appeared to be headed in the same direction as Minnesota State jumped out to a 7-1 lead. The gap was quickly shrunk to two as CU scored six of the next eight to make it 9-7. MSU still held a comfortable lead at 17-14 but Concordia exploded for nine straight points to take a 23-17 lead. After Minnesota State grabbed one more point, Concordia closed it out 25-18 to take a 2-1 lead heading into the fourth set.
Minnesota State got off to a fast start again in the fourth as they jumped out to a 7-2 lead. That lead was gone just a few points later as the Golden Bears evened it up at 8-8. Concordia took their first lead of the set at 11-10 but MSU took the lead back at 21-20. CU gained the decisive advantage with a 4-0 run as they closed out the match 25-22 to advance in the NSIC / US Bank Tournament.
