SEWARD, Neb. – Ah, that’s more like it. The 20th-ranked Concordia University volleyball team completed a perfect weekend at its own Bulldog Bash on Saturday by rifling through Lindenwood University-Belleville (Ill.), 25-11, 25-22, 21-25, 25-11, and York College, 25-14, 25-9, 25-19. The latter match culminated in less than 60 minutes with the Bulldogs fashioning a ruthless attack.
The four-match win streak has pushed head coach Scott Mattera’s squad to an overall record of 5-6 on the campaign.
This was what Concordia volleyball was supposed to look like. On Saturday Paige Getz dazzled with 27 kills on only 56 swings from the outside and the Bulldogs demoralized York by hitting an other worldly .438.
“I thought the mix was really good, not only with the selections that Alayna (Kavanaugh) made, but with the shot selection of our individual hitters,” Mattera said. “And our serve receive was fantastic.
“There were a lot of good hitting percentages there. That comes with ball control. When our passers are doing that and our setter’s putting the ball where it needs to be, that’s who we can be.”
Kavanaugh dished out 80 assists on a day when Concordia hitters abused the floor boards. In the morning victory over the Lynx, Emmie Noyd hit .529 (11 kills), Taylor Workman .476 (12 kills) and Getz .343 (14 kills). Then in the night cap, Getz remained ablaze while hitting .524 (13 kills). Also on the outside, freshman Alex La Plant attacked at a .381 clip (11 kills).
Some of those kills were made possible by serving extraordinaire Jenna Eller. She pummeled nine more aces on Saturday, giving her 19 for the weekend. But it wasn’t just about the aces. Her darting, sinking serves softened up the opposition for Getz and company on the attack.
“I like having that opportunity to go back every time and make a difference for our team,” Eller said. “A lot of the hitters appreciate the free ball coming over.”
Junior Jocelyn Garcia is a big part of the aforementioned serve receive game. She continues to collect digs at an impressive rate. She climbed over 900 for her career with 33 digs on Saturday. Up front, Noyd piled up eight blocks.
Concordia is now 4-1 at home this season. The victory over Lindenwood-Belleville marked the first time this season that the Bulldogs have played a match that went more than three sets. Mattera’s squad effectively came back Saturday morning after playing a late match on Friday. The turnaround didn’t seem to bother a lively Concordia bunch that got the confidence boost it needed this weekend.
The Bulldogs will hit the road on Wednesday for a trip to Atchison, Kan., and a date with Benedictine College. First serve is set for 7:30 p.m. Concordia will attempt to avenge a 2015 home loss to the Ravens, a member of the Heart of America Athletic Conference.