Bulldogs knock off No. 18 Hastings in front of electric Walz crowd
SEWARD, Neb. – There was no downplaying it in the days leading up to Wednesday night’s GPAC battle. Third-year head coach Scott Mattera called it a “huge match.” The Concordia University volleyball team already owned one win over a ranked opponent, but this was different. On Wednesday the Bulldogs sent rival and 18th-ranked Hastings to a 25-22, 21-25, 25-20, 19-25, 15-12, defeat, marking Concordia’s first win over the Broncos since August 2007.
In front of an electric Walz Arena crowd, the Bulldogs improved to 11-4 overall and 3-1 in GPAC action while extending their home win streak to 10.
“I don’t think either of us was ready for this type of environment tonight,” head coach Scott Mattera said. “We knew about it and we knew it was coming, but we’ve never seen anything like this in Walz. It was unbelievable.”
The raucous crowd reached its peak as Hastings’ Lindy Matthews’ attack went underneath the net for match point in the fifth set. The Broncos (10-6, 1-3 GPAC) had been thrown out of system on a vicious swing from Taylor Workman on the night’s final rally. Match point saw the student section, dressed all in white, erupt and the entire Bulldog volleyball team embraced in the middle of the court, some members even dogpiling on top of each other.
“We were pumped up,” senior Mariah Schamp said. “Last night during practice we said we have to come and play harder than the other team. That is the key to this. We got a crowd that just rocked it. The electricity and the atmosphere were great the entire night.”
In the fifth set, Concordia leaned upon outside hitter Claire White, who obliged the crowd with four of her 13 kills during that set. White hammered thunderous kills for point Nos. 2, 9, 13 and 14 in the fifth game. White made Hastings pay for pinching the Bulldogs in the middle.
That super-charged fifth set was made possible by an impressive response to a dominant first set from Bronco star Katie Zoucha, who put away seven kills to lead Hastings to a 25-22 triumph in the opening game. The Bulldogs then dug in defensively and limited the Broncos to hitting percentages of .000 and .107, respectively, over the next two sets – both of which belonged to Concordia.
Not surprisingly, a Hastings squad that owns three wins this season over ranked foes, came back with a response of its own. Led by Zoucha (match-high 21 kills), Hastings hit .393 in the fourth set to force a fifth set.
But on this night, the Bulldogs would not be denied. They never believed themselves to be underdogs.
“We decided that we’re going to go in confident and feeling we’re the better team,” Schamp said. “In our mind this isn’t an upset. We just proved to Hastings and the rest of the GPAC that we’re not a team to mess with. We’re no longer an underdog. We’re here to fight.”
Concordia never trailed in the deciding set and led by a margin as large as 13-9. The Bulldogs ended up slightly out-hitting Hastings (.178 - .175) on the night, but they held a .194 - .000 advantage in the fifth set when the crowd and a determined group of Bulldogs carried the day.
And you thought this team was confident before?
“I just see this one giving us so much confidence going forward,” Mattera said. “I can’t wait to get out there (at No. 6 Northwestern) on Friday night.”
But for right now, it’s difficult not to bask in the glow of the biggest win for Bulldog volleyball in several years.
“We had so much fun,” Mattera said. “It got our brains out of the way. It’s such a key to volleyball. You need to think the game a little bit, but when you start thinking too much you hesitate and don’t play as aggressive. You just saw us go for it down the stretch.”
Schamp finished with nine kills (.364 hitting percentage) and five total blocks. GPAC setter of the week Alayna Kavanaugh dished out 45 assists. Sophomore Paige Getz topped the team with 16 kills while White’s 11 digs were a Concordia best.
The Bulldogs also piled up 15 aces, including four from Carli Smith and three from White.
For Hastings, Abigayle Preissler followed Zoucha’s 21 kills with 12 of her own.
The schedule won’t lighten up for the remainder of the week with matches at No. 6 Northwestern (17-2, 4-0 GPAC) on Friday (7:30 p.m.) and at Morningside (13-5, 1-2 GPAC) on Saturday (3 p.m.). Concordia is 6-4 in contests played outside of Walz Arena this season. The last time out on the road, the Bulldogs defeated Doane in four sets on Sept. 17.
