Schamp’s ‘crazy good’ performance drives win over York

SEWARD, Neb. – Concordia volleyball dipped outside of conference play for the final time during the 2013 regular season and dominated most of the way in earning a 25-14, 26-24, 25-10 win over visiting York College. The Bulldogs’ athleticism was too much for a Lady Panther squad that dropped to 0-5 this season against GPAC opponents. Host Concordia improved to 13-8 overall and 4-5 in home matches.

While the Bulldogs ran away with sets one and three, things got interesting during a tightly-contested second set.

“We hit over .333 in that second game but we allowed them to hit over .300, too,” Concordia head coach Scott Mattera said. “We were so intent on our transition that we forgot to play defense first.

“I was proud of them – down 24-22 in the (second set) and we ran off four-straight to win it. We needed that (scare), but it’s really frustrating to go through.”

Up against a smaller front row than the Bulldogs typically see in conference play, 5-foot-11 freshman outside hitter Paige Getz and 5-foot-10 junior middle Mariah Schamp combined for 25 kills on 46 attack attempts. Getz had a huge first game with six kills and then another five in the second to put Concordia on the verge of the straight-sets win.

For the fifth time this season, Schamp, who hails from Arvada, Colo., hit over .500 in a match. She posted an impressive .706 clip (12 kills on 17 attempts) without an error in Tuesday’s win.

“Schamp was a beast in the middle,” Mattera said. “She started out not getting up on time and we had a talk with her after the first timeout. After that she was absolutely unstoppable. A .706 hitting percentage – that’s crazy good.”

With freshman Alayna Kavanaugh (35 assists) setting her up, Schamp had little trouble getting the ball to land on the hardwood.

“We’ve been really working on our connections,” Schamp said. “And Coach (Rachel) Miller really talked to me about getting in quicker. She said, ‘you’re there but if you get in even sooner, you’re going to be able to beat the block.’ When I finally remembered that and caught on to that, they just couldn’t get up to stop me.”

The Panthers put up a fight in the second set thanks to a .313 attack percentage spurred by just four errors. After trailing 7-2, York came back to grab a lead as large as three, 16-13, with freshman Alyssa Didier leading the way on the attack. The Panthers even served for set point, up 24-22.

Sophomore outside hitter Claire White came through with thunderous kills to notch two of the next three points. Freshman Taylor Workman then finished the run of four-straight points by dropping in a kill that put the Bulldogs up 2-0 in the match.

“I think we just realized this is not how we play – this is not our game,” Schamp said of the team’s response to getting down late in the second game.

Getz, a Paola, Kan., native, tallied a career-high tying 14 kills for the third-straight match. In addition, White posted 10 kills, nine digs and three aces while freshman Taylor Workman had six kills on 11 attempts.

Senior defensive specialist Carli Smith returned after missing last week’s match with an injury. She totaled a match high 15 digs. Her improved play in set No. 3 was a big reason for the lopsided score. Says Mattera: “Our whole team starts with Carli.”

The Bulldogs have another break in the schedule as they wait more than a week before playing at Doane (9-10, 3-4 GPAC) on Wednesday, Oct. 16 at 7:30 p.m. The Tigers defeated Concordia in straight sets inside Walz Arena on Sept. 17.

Said Schamp after Tuesday’s match, “We’re all ready to beat Doane.”