MINOT, N.D. – The Concordia University volleyball team (12-2, 5-1 NSIC) collected their fourth straight sweep (25-20, 25-19, 25-16) and fifth straight NSIC win as they took down Minot State (3-11, 1-5 NSIC) on Saturday night.
 
Riley Hanson was nearly perfect on the attack as she led the Golden Bears with 14 kills on 19 attempts while not committing a single error. Her .737 attack percentage was ties for eighth best in the Division II era and best since Kayla Koenecke hit .773 in 2012.
 
Anna Schlaak wasn't quite as efficient but still put up a solid line with 13 kills and a .310 hitting percentage along with eight digs. Mariya Sampson chipped in eight kills and Heather Schiller and Emma Lange each had seven as well. Schiller had another big night at the net as she collected a match-high five blocks.
 
Taylor Dordan was rock solid from the libero position as she had a match-best 17 digs for Concordia. Lisa Atkinson was also active in the back row as she picked up 12 digs of her own.
 
Kasey Williams led the offense to another strong effort as she collected 41 assists as the team hit .374 for the match.
 
Minot State was not nearly as successful on the attack as they hit just .197 in the match. Jen Dixon was a bright spot for the Beavers as she had 14 kills and nine digs while Mallory Sall also finished in double figures with 11 kills. Emily Byrne ended the night with 35 assists while Cindy Pelo chipped in 11 digs.
 
The Beavers didn't make it easy on the Golden Bears in the first set as CU was unable to pull away. The Concordia lead hit six at 13-7 and eventually reached eight at 20-12 but saw it shrink back to four before the end of the set. MSU grabbed some momentum with a 3-0 run to cut the lead to 24-20 but CU slammed the door with a Mariya Sampson kill to close it out 25-20.
 
The second set proved to be even more hard fought as the two teams traded the lead back and forth with six ties and three lead changes. The lead still remained even at 14 before the Golden Bears took control and built the decisive advantage. The lead steadily grew the rest of the way as Concordia took a 2-0 lead in the match with a 25-19 set win.
 
The Golden Bears broke it open midway through the third set again as they ballooned the lead out nine at 19-10. MSU couldn't cut the lead below eight the rest of the set as CU finished off their fourth straight sweep with a 25-16 set win.

CU returns home next weekend as they host Bemidji State and Minnesota Crookston.