Volleyball | 9.16.15
ST. PAUL, Minn. - The third-ranked Concordia-St. Paul volleyball team (5-2, 0-0 NSIC) kicks off NSIC play this weekend as they play host to Upper Iowa (6-3, 0-0 NSIC) on Thursday night before traveling to Winona State (6-1, 0-0 NSIC) on Saturday afternoon.
THE MATCHUPS... Thursday's match marks the 15th meeting all-time between the Golden Bears and the Peacocks. CSP has won all 14 previous matchups and have dropped just one set overall (back in 2008 in Fayette) in the series. Concordia has swept all six meetings in St. Paul.
The last meeting came nearly a year ago back on September 23rd, 2014 as the Golden Bears swept at UIU.
Anna Schlaak was the focal point of the offense for CU as she led the team with 14 kills along with six digs. No other Golden Bears finished in double figures in kills but
Mariya Sampson and
Riley Hanson each chipped in eight. Sampson was impressive with her serve for the second consecutive match as she put up four service aces for the second match in a row.
Kasey Williams had a double-double from the setter position with 37 assists and a team-best 13 digs.
On Saturday, the Golden Bears meet the Winona State for the 34th time ever with Concordia holding a record of 26-7. CSP has dominated the series in recent history as they have won 24 straight against the Warriors dating back to 2000. The Golden Bears have picked up 1 wins in 14 trips to Winona in the series history.
The two teams should be familiar with each other as they met in the Holiday Inn and Suites Lake Elmo Volleyball Clash over a week and a half ago on September 5th. The Golden Bears claimed a tough four set win to close out play in the tournament.
Anna Schlaak was the story of the match as she matched the program record for most kills in a match with 34 as she hit an impressive .518 in the match. Her mark of 34 matched Emily Palkert's record set back in 2007 and shattered the four-set record of 26 held by three different players. Her previous career high in kills was 25. Schlaak was consistently dominant as she hit .477 or better with at least six kills in each set to lead the Golden Bears to victory.
LAST TIME OUT... Concordia- St. Paul finished 3-1 in the Colorado Premier Challenge last weekend with sweeps over Angelo State, Metro State and #1 Tampa before dropping the championship in five sets to #13 Ferris State.
Anna Schlaak was a dominant force in the tournament as she earned MVP honors with a tourney-best 4.29 kills per set , including a pair of matches with 20 kills. She had a huge double-double with 20 kills and 16 digs in the championship match.
Kasey Williams and
Heather Schiller also earned Colorado Premier Challenge All-Tournament Team honors for their efforts as well. Williams led all setters in the tourney with 12.64 per set while Schiller led in blocks with 1.79 per set.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK... The Golden Bears picked up their first two selections in the NSIC Players of the Week this week as
Kasey Williams was named Setter of the Week and
Heather Schiller was named NSIC Defensive Player of the Week for their performances in the Colorado Premier Challenge. Williams was selected Setter of the Week once last season and Schiller was named the Offensive Player of the Week once back in 2013.
