WINONA, Minn. – The #11 Concordia-St. Paul volleyball team (16-4, 11-1 NSIC) faced off with Winona State (14-9, 7-5 NSIC) in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action on the road on Saturday afternoon, beating the Warriors in five sets to extend Concordia's winning streak to 10 matches.
The Warriors came out hot with a 26-24 win in the opening set, but the Golden Bears responded with a 25-21 win in set two, and a 25-16 win in the third frame to take a 2-1 lead in the match. Winona escaped with a 25-23 win in the fourth to send the match to a decisive fifth set, but the Bears finished strong with a 15-8 win to seal the match. With the win, the Golden Bears now lead the all-time series against the Warriors 38-7, including a 14-4 mark on the road in Winona.
The Golden Bears hit .214 with 59 kills as a team while Winona State hit just .167 with 51 kills in the match. CSP held an 11-7 edge in aces and a 54-45 advantage in assists.
Sophia Andersen led the offensive effort for the Bears, tallying 16 kills on .205 hitting. The senior also added five kills and two total blocks.
Makenna Nold was second on the team with 13 kills on .310 hitting, also contributing five digs, two service aces, and a pair of blocks.
Mehlayna Straub and
Claudia Stahlke finished with 11 and 10 kills, respectively, with Stahlke leading the team with three total blocks and Straub adding two.
Emma Schmidt anchored the defense with 14 digs, also logging seven kills and a service ace. Libero
Cassie Sieling was just behind her with 13 digs.
Setter
Teagan Starkey had another strong outing, pacing the offense with 53 set assists and adding 11 digs for the double-double.
Ellie Sieling also finished in double figures, tallying 10 digs.
Concordia led 22-21 late in the first set, but Winona State claimed five of the final seven points to take the set 26-24.
The Golden Bears found themselves trailing 18-17 late in set two, but a run of six straight points gave them a comfortable lead on the way to a 25-21 win to even the match.
Concordia held the lead for most of the third set, working out to a 15-8 lead and never looking back en route to a 25-16 win to give the Bears a 2-1 lead in the match.
The Golden Bears led 22-20 late in set four, but the Warriors won five of the next six points to take the set 25-23 and send the match to a final fifth frame. CSP dominated the fifth, outhitting the Warriors .286 to .000 in a 15-8 win.
Concordia will return home to host Augustana in a conference battle at the Gangelhoff Center on Thursday at 6 p.m.
