HASTINGS, Neb. – Vying for the program’s first victory over a ranked opponent since 2007, the Concordia University volleyball team upset No. 14 Oklahoma Baptist University, 25-22, 26-28, 25-19, 25-17 in its second match of the Hastings College Classic on Friday. A few hours earlier, the Bulldogs knocked off Benedictine College (Kan.), 25-16, 22-25, 25-20, 25-18.
Friday’s sweep gives third-year head coach Scott Mattera’s Bulldogs a three-match win streak and an overall record of 5-2.
“We’ve really been trying to get over the hump and hang that national win on the board,” Mattera said. “I think the most gratifying part about it was the girls kind of acted like it was no big deal, like this is what we should be doing. That’s a cool place to be. I think it’s starting to set in that we can be a really good team.”
Despite feeling a little under the weather, junior Claire White produced in a big way with 39 kills on the day, including a match-high 20 in the win over Oklahoma Baptist. She also put up 11 and 12 digs, respectively.
It was an impressive effort for someone who Mattera wasn’t certain would be able to play entering the day.
“She’s a tough kid. She’s probably the sickest girl on the team right now,” Mattera said. “We weren’t sure if she was going to play. We were looking at different options to try to get her some rest. She came through with probably her best day as a Bulldog. I don’t know if the sickness helped her focus in or what. She just battled through it.”
With White hitting a cool .350 from the outside, Concordia dispatched of Oklahoma Baptist in surprisingly swift fashion. Senior Mariah Schamp pounded down 11 kills on 18 swings from the middle and sophomore outside hitter Paige Getz added 10 of her own.
After dropping a tight second set, Concordia won the final two by margins of six and eight points to put away the Bison (5-4) and secure the program’s first win over a top 25 team since beating then No. 9 Hastings in four sets on Aug. 29, 2007.
“OBU is a national power. They have been for years,” Mattera said. “We took it to them pretty good. We really turned it up in the third and fourth sets. I’m really, really happy with so many individual efforts today.”
In a match that got started at 1 p.m., the Bulldogs used a .327 hitting percentage to topple Benedictine, a member of the Heart of America Athletic Conference. Sophomore setter Alayna Kavanaugh dished out 30 of her 69 assists on the day in leading the attack versus the Ravens. Sophomore Tiegen Skains floored seven kills on 15 attacks. Schamp chipped in three blocks.
Mattera also commended senior Jami Nekoliczak for her work in the back row while also complimenting the play of freshman defensive specialist Jocelyn Garcia and sophomore middle Taylor Workman. Senior Carli Smith combined for 26 digs while playing left back as opposed to her typical spot in the middle of the back row.
The perennially powerful Bison are coming off a 33-7 season in 2013, during which they did not lose a single Sooner Athletic Conference match. They were led by the 15 kills of Priscila Mendes on Friday.
The Hastings College Classic continues on Saturday as the Bulldogs play again at 1 and 5 p.m. Up first is a tussle with Friends University (Kan.) (26-13 in 2013) followed by a matchup with the University of Montana Western (10-24 in 2013). These matches can be seen live on the web HERE.
“We’ve got two tough matches on Saturday,” Mattera said. “Friends is a really underrated team, really strong in the middle and a very offensive setter. Montana Western is very legit. They took Wayland Baptist to five today. We’re going to learn a lot about who we are with how we come back from success.”
Junior Claire White