White, Bulldogs complete undefeated weekend in South Dakota

YANKTON, S.D. – The Bulldog volleyball squad’s trip north proved fruitful as it came away with a second-consecutive straight-sets victory by defeating host Mount Marty, 25-17, 25-20, 25-22, in Yankton, S.D., on Saturday afternoon. The win comes on the heels of Friday night’s dominant win at Dakota Wesleyan. At 11-5 overall and 2-3 in league play, Concordia has already topped its 10 wins in 2012.

Concordia sophomore outside hitter Claire White sizzled again on the attack, going for a match high 11 kills on 22 swings while recording a .409 hitting percentage. She also led the team with nine digs.

A night after playing error free on serve receive, the Bulldogs shined in that department again. This time they committed three errors with White and senior Carli Smith allowing Concordia to set up offensively.

The Bulldogs were balanced once again on the attack as five Bulldogs racked up at least five kills. Freshman Paige Getz had nine, junior Mariah Schamp added eight, freshman Taylor Workman posted six and sophomore Kelsey Dinkel notched five to back White.

Freshman Alayna Kavanaugh set up most of those kills as she dished out 30 assists. The Lincoln native has collected 30 or more assists in eight of the last 11 matches.

The Bulldogs continued a trend of winning away from Walz Arena. Concordia is now 9-2 in matches played outside of Seward. That mark includes a perfect 3-0 record in true road contests.

Concordia’s win on Saturday marked the fourth-straight in the series against Mount Marty. The Lancers lasted defeated the Bulldogs on Oct. 4, 2008. Concordia head coach Scott Mattera noted via the Bulldog volleyball Facebook page that Mount Marty is much improved this season despite the straight-sets decision.

As a team, the Bulldogs outhit Mount Marty, .294 to .194. Concordia piled up seven service aces to the Lancers’ three.

The Bulldogs embark on a busy four-day stretch of conference play beginning with Hastings on the road for a 7:30 p.m. match on Wednesday, Sept. 25. Concordia will then host Northwestern on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Morningside on Saturday at 1 p.m.