No. 17 Concordia set to travel to No. 8 Midland for GPAC Championship
SEWARD, Neb. – The No. 17 Concordia volleyball team is set to compete in the GPAC Championship match for the first time in program history. The final GPAC foe will be No. 8 Midland University and the match will take place Saturday, Nov. 14 in Fremont, Neb. at 3 p.m.
MATCH INFO
No. 17 Concordia University (26-7, 12-4 GPAC) at No. 8 Midland University (28-3, 13-3 GPAC)
Saturday, Nov. 14 | 3 p.m.
Site: Fremont, Neb.
Venue: Event Center
Radio:104.9 Max Country (KTMS-FM) (Full coverage after football concludes)
Webcast:Live Stream
The Bulldogs welcomed the College of Saint Mary Flames to Walz Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 11. After a first set struggle, CUNE took sets two, three and four to claim the victory (21-25, 25-16, 25-16, 28-26). The ‘Dogs owned a .230 hitting percentage in the match while holding the Flames to a .075 percentage.
Senior Claire White said, “I’m just playing hard. It’s post season, if you lose you’re done. I’m a senior and I definitely want to go out with no regrets. I’ve been playing every game like it’s my last and I want to keep doing that consistently.”
Head coach Scott Mattera said, “That wasn’t pretty, again we just came out tight. We talked about it and we identified it but it was still just tight. We knew Saint Mary was going to do that, that’s how they beat Dordt. Their coach is doing an incredible job and those girls played their hearts out.”
The No. 8 Midland Warriors have a 28-3, 13-3 GPAC record this season. The Warriors advanced to the GPAC Championship round after defeating No. 10 Hastings College on Wednesday evening on their home court. Similar to Concordia, Midland took its semifinal match in four sets after dropping the first. The three losses suffered by the Warriors came in a three game streak starting with the Bulldogs. Head coach Paul Giesselmann, who is in his sixth season at Midland, is leading his team to its third straight GPAC Championship appearance.
The Bulldogs and Warriors have met up twice this season and have each won on the road. When Midland visited Walz Arena, Concordia was defeated in straight sets. The Warriors were the fourth-ranked team in the country on the Sept. 23 match. Then on Oct. 14, the No. 17 Bulldogs traveled to the No. 2 team’s court. Midland was defeated by CUNE in five sets.
The Bulldogs hold the number six spot for the winningest season in program history. The 26 wins are the most since 2005 (24). Concordia’s winningest season was in 1995 when the team went 40-10 on the year. A win on Saturday would not only secure the GPAC title but also tie the 2015 team with the fifth ranked 1993 team’s number of wins.
Should the Bulldogs win the GPAC Championship, they will have an automatic berth into the NAIA Tournament. The official selections will be announced Sunday, Nov. 15 and Monday, Nov. 16. The selection announcement will also include first round locations and opponents.
Winningest seasons in program history
1. 40-10 (1995)
2. 35-8 (1981)
3. 32-6 (1982)
4. 28-12 (1996)
5. 27-21 (1993)
6. 26-7 (2015)
T7. 24-11 (2005)
T7. 24-11 (1999)
Individual milestones reached in 2015
Claire White – 1,000 career kills
Alayna Kavanaugh – 3,000 career assists
Paige Getz – three-straight seasons with 300+ kills
2015 GPAC Tournament Schedule
Saturday, Nov. 7 – Quarterfinals
(8) College of Saint Mary 3 at (1) Dordt 0
(5) Northwestern 1 at (4) Concordia 3
(6) Briar Cliff 0 at (3) Hastings 3
(7) Doane 0 at (2) Midland 3
Wednesday, Nov. 11 – Semifinals
(8) College of Saint Mary 1 at (4) Concordia 3
(3) Hastings 1 at (2) Midland 3
Saturday, Nov. 14 – Championship
(4) Concordia at (2) Midland, 3 p.m.
