DULUTH, Minn. – The sixth-ranked Concordia-St. Paul volleyball team (20-5, 14-3 NSIC) saw their seven-match winning streak snapped by fifth-ranked Minnesota Duluth (22-3, 15-2 NSIC) as they fell in four sets (22-25, 25-17, 16-25, 23-25) on Friday night.
 
In a battle between two of the three teams tied for first in the NSIC standings, it was the Bulldogs that came out on top as they took a one-game lead over the Golden Bears with three matches to play. The loss also dropped CSP to 26-30 in the all-time series and 10-15 in Duluth.
 
Both defenses proved to play a big role in the match as CSP tallied 11.0 blocks and UMD finished with 10.0. The two teams were also nearly equal in the dig column as the Bulldogs put up 71 digs and Concordia had 70. Efficiency proved to be slightly in Minnesota Duluth's favor as well as they hit .204 for the match while CSP collected a mark of .175.
 
Jasmine Mulvihill put together another stat-stuffing performance with a match-best 18 kills to go along with 11 digs, two blocks and two assists on the night. Kennedy Brady joined her in double figures with 11 kills while also contributing six blocks in the loss.
 
Payton Nutter added a double-double of her own with 46 assists and 10 digs while setting a career high with five blocks while Tori Hanson also chipped in 19 digs. Erin Fallert added 13 digs, eight kills and three aces on the night.
 
Kate Berg flirted with a triple-double for the Bulldogs as she led the team with 17 kills, 16 digs, seven blocks and a pair of assists in the win. Keena Seiffert and Madison Gordon each matched her total with 16 digs in the win as well.
 
An early 3-0 run gave CSP a quick lead in the opening set, but a six point run in favor of the Bulldogs just a few points later put them in front 10-6 and gave them the lead for good. The Golden Bears remained within striking distance for much of the set, keeping it within two at 19-17, before another UMD 4-0 push extended the lead to 23-17. Concordia grabbed five of the next six, but were unable to complete the comeback as Minnesota Duluth came out on top 25-22.
 
It was a much more even start in the second set as there were six ties over the first 18 points, but the Golden Bears pulled away from there. CSP rattled off six of seven to make it 15-10 before continuing to add to their lead. The advantage grew to eight at 21-13 as Concordia went on to win by the same margin at 25-17.
 
The Bulldogs built a quick lead in the third as they jumped out to a 7-1 lead before cruising to victory in the set. Concordia did manage to shrink the gap to two at 8-6 and again at 10-8, but an 8-2 run put it out of reach as the UMD lead reached eight at 18-10. The Minnesota Duluth sat at seven or more the rest of the set as they went on to win it 25-16.
 
The fourth set proved to be the most back and forth of the match with a staggering 14 ties and six lead changes throughout. UMD grabbed the first lead of three for either team at 11-8, but that proved to be short-lived as Concordia grabbed the next four to take a lead of their own. The Golden Bears pushed their lead to two at 15-13 before a 4-1 run the other way put the Bulldogs in front. CSP would not lead again as a late 3-0 run turned a 20-20 tie into a 23-20 Minnesota Duluth lead. CSP was back within one at 23-22 and 24-23, but the Bulldogs held them off to win the set 25-23 and the match 3-1.
 
Concordia faces another top-10 opponent tomorrow afternoon as they take on #8 St. Cloud State at 2 p.m.