BISMARCK, N.D.  – The No. 13 Concordia-St. Paul volleyball team (9-3, 5-0 NSIC) wrapped up a perfect road trip with a sweep of UMary (4-9, 1-4 NSIC) in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play on Saturday afternoon.  

The Golden Bears edged out a tight opening set 27-25 before shifting into high gear to close out the match with convincing 25-14 and 25-12 wins. The victory marked CSP's sixth consecutive win and preserved a perfect 5-0 start to league play.

The win also improved Concordia's all-time record against the Marauders to a perfect 26-0, including a mark of 14-0 in matches held in Bismarck.

The first set featured back-and-forth play with 15 ties and seven lead changes. The Golden Bears looked to be in control with a 24-22 advantage late in the set, but a pair of kills by UMary's Dani Highum tied the score at 24. After alternating the next two points, Concordia finally managed to put the set on ice with two straight points to win 27-25.

Concordia quickly grabbed control in the second set, racing to an early 12-2 advantage and never allowing the Marauders back within eight the rest of the way. CSP's offense clicked in the set with 13 kills on .333 hitting while the defense limited UMary to just six kills on .056 efficiency.

The third set was all Golden Bears as they used a run of seven consecutive points to pull ahead at 14-5 and never looked back, cruising to the eventual 25-12 win. Concordia finished the set with 11 kills on .231 hitting while allowing the Marauders to log just five kills on a -.105 hitting percentage.

For the match, Concordia posted 43 kills with 17 errors on 88 attempts for a .295 hitting percentage. UMary finished with 25 kills and 16 errors on 71 swings for a .127 percentage. The Golden Bears also held decisive edges in aces (10-1) and assists (36-23) while the teams tied with four blocks apiece.

Junior middle blocker Mehlayna Straub powered the CSP attack with a match-high 12 kills on .500 hitting to go with two blocks. In 12 matches played this season, Straub has now reached double figures on offense six times. Sophomore Makenna Nold added 10 kills, four aces, and five digs and junior Ellie Sieling chipped in eight kills, two aces, and a block.

At the net, setters Reagan Hickey and Audrey Waterman combined to guide the offense, with Hickey distributing 21 assists and Waterman adding 13. Defensively, senior libero Cassie Sieling anchored the back row with nine digs, followed by Natalee Rolbiecki with six.

For the Marauders, sophomore Holli Klettheimer led the team with eight kills on an impressive .667 hitting percentage.

The Golden Bears return home next weekend to host a pair of NSIC contests at Gangelhoff Center, beginning Friday night at 6 p.m. against Augustana (8-4, 2-2 NSIC) before a 5 p.m. meeting with No. 14 Wayne State (10-2, 4-0 NSIC) on Homecoming Saturday.