Concordia sweeps past College of St. Mary

Concordia University bounced back from a tough loss Wednesday night with a 3-0 volleyball win over College of St. Mary on Friday evening in Seward.  Scores of the match were 25-23, 25-23 and 25-18.  The Bulldogs improved to 6-10 with the win.  College of St. Mary dropped to 1-14 with the loss.  Before the match, Concordia coach Rachel Miller was honored for picking up her 100th career win earlier this season.  

The Bulldogs got off to a slow start and trailed by as many as four in the opening stages of the first set.  However, a 5-0 run put the Bulldogs up 14-12.  The visiting Flames rallied to reclaim a brief lead and there were multiple ties and lead changes down the stretch.  The Bulldogs led 24-20, but the Flames cut the lead to one at 24-23.  A kill by Ashlea Vaudt (Kalispell, Mont.) gave Concordia the 25-23 win. 

Concordia took the early advantage in set two, but the Flames came back to cut the Bulldog lead to two at 16-14.  Following a CSM timeout, Concordia rattled off three straight points to take a 19-14 lead.  The Flames again had an answer, however, and a 5-0 run tied the match once again at 19-19.  CSM grabbed a 23-20 lead, but Concordia came right back.  The Bulldogs tied it at 23-23, and Vaudt again closed things out.  The senior had a kill to give Concordia a 24-23 lead, and a solo block by Vaudt secured the 25-23 win and a 2-0 advantage.

College of St. Mary took an early 11-7 lead in set three.  The Bulldogs used a 7-1 run to reclaim a lead at 14-12.  Concordia pulled away from there and took set three by the score of 25-18.

Marlee Denton (Fremont, Neb.) pounded a match-high 11 kills to lead a balanced Concordia hitting attack.  The senior talked about the importance of the win.  “We’ve been playing better and with better chemistry,” remarked Denton.  “The game against Doane the other night gave us some confidence.  We need to believe and know how we are capable of playing.” 

Amanda Abbott (Temecula, Calif.) and Amanda Kisker (Lincoln, Neb.) added nine and eight kills, respectively, for the Bulldogs, while Mariah Schamp (Arvada, Colo.) and Vaudt added six kills apiece.

Following the match, Schamp discussed moving forward as a team.  “We still need to work hard and improve in several areas, and our intensity on the floor can also be better,” remarked Schamp.  “When we keep our intensity up and play with excitement, we’re much better as a unit.”        

Alexa Hopping (Sutherland, Neb.) and Kayla James (Gibbon, Neb.) combined for 36 set assists on the night, while Angela Bruhn (Creston, Neb.) led the way defensively with 12 digs. 

Ashley Iwanski had a team-high nine kills for College of St. Mary.  Kaylee Wallace added seven kills for the Flames. 

The Bulldogs return to action with a home match against Nebraska Wesleyan on September 21.