ST. PAUL, Minn. - The second-seeded #3 Concordia University volleyball team (26-4) will look to claim their fourth NSIC / US Bank Tournament title this weekend as they travel north to the campus of Minnesota Duluth. The Golden Bears take on third-seeded #7 Wayne State (25-5) on Friday at 5 p.m. in a semifinal match.

THE MATCHUP... The Golden Bears meet the Wildcats for the 37th time in the all-time series.  Concordia is 27-10 all-time against WSC including a sweep of Wayne State back on October 18th. Concordia had another efficient night offensively as they hit .373 as a team. The Wildcats were not able to match that efficiency as they hit .231. The Golden Bears also collected 8.0 total blocks compared to 3.0 for the Wildcats.

Emma Lange was a big part of both as she hit .571 with 13 kills, four blocks and three digs in the win. Riley Hanson also added 13 kills with a .550 hitting percentage  and Anna Schlaak chipped in another double-double with 12 kills and 13 digs while hitting .375.
 
Alyssa Frauendorfer was impressive for the Wildcats with a .393 hitting percentage as she matched teammate Katie Hughes with a team-high 13 kills. Leisa McClintock guided the offense for WSC with 36 assists.

The winner will advance to take on the winner of top-seeded #2 Minnesota Duluth and fourth-seeded #5 Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday at 4 p.m. in the NSIC / US Bank Tournament Championship.

LAST TIME OUT... Concordia advanced to the semifinals of the NSIC Tournament with a four-set win over seventh-seeded Minnesota State on Tuesday night.

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.

TOURNAMENT HISTORY... Concordia has gone 15-3 overall in the tournament as they have won three titles (2004, 2005 and 2006). Last season, the Golden Bears fell short of a fourth tournament championship as they dropped a five-set thriller to Minnesota Duluth. CU is 5-1 in NSIC Tournament semifinals and 3-0 against Wayne State in tournament play.