Bulldog volleyball team continues winning streak with 3-1 win against Masters Mustangs
The Bulldogs line up to take a serve from the opposing team (photo from previous match).
Photo credit: Maddy Peters
By Kai Olbrich
The No. 2 Concordia Bulldogs lived up to their ranking in their 3-1 win over No. 21 The Masters University Mustangs in the first game of National Pool Play in Sioux City, Iowa.
The game showcased the well-roundedness of the Bulldogs and the dominance they are able to show at the net at the team’s first showing at the final site for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Volleyball National Tournament.
The Bulldogs won the first set 25-19 through good fundamentals and defense. The set included many long points, going back and forth before a point was scored. Both teams were able to string together sequences of points, with Concordia taking a lead of 16-6 at one point, largely due to the blocking of junior Addie Kirkegaard and sophomore Ava Greene who had five blocks in the span of eight points. The Masters were able to get within striking distance, but Concordia did enough to hold off the comeback attempt.
The Bulldogs were dominant at the net in set two, totaling four blocks and a monstrous kill percentage of .684. Concordia had some excellent serving and was aided by some errors from the Mustangs which contributed to the result. The Bulldogs won the blowout 25-11.
The third set started off very even with neither team able to pull away. The Masters had a 15-12 lead at one point, but the Bulldogs went on a 4-0 run to put the score back in their favor. The Bulldogs had match-point when up 24-23, but the Mustangs scored three unanswered to get the set three win. The Bulldogs hit well with .412, but the Mustangs exceeded it with half of their attempts ending in kills.
The Mustangs had the momentum going into set four, keeping it quite even with the Bulldogs through the first half of the set. The Bulldogs had good net play once again and held the Mustangs to a mere .044 hitting percentage. This was in large part due to the presence and blocking of Kirkegaard who had two blocks and three kills in later stages of the game. The Bulldogs were able to pull away towards the end taking the fourth and final set 25-20.
The Bulldogs, over the course of the match, had a .281 hitting percentage compared to .137 from the Mustangs. Senior Gabi Nordaker led in hitting percentage for the Bulldogs with .538, eight kills, and only one error on 13 attempts. Junior Ashley Keck led in total kills with 11 on 37 attempts.
Junior Savannah Shelburne and junior Lily Psencik led in assists with 23 and 20 respectively. Greene and Kirkegaard led the team in blocks with eight each. Senior Rebecca Gebhardt led the Bulldogs with 20 digs throughout the match.
The Bulldogs are back in action on Dec. 6 as they match up against No. 13 Mount Vernon Nazarene University for the final Pool Play game. The game is slated to start at 1 p.m. at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City Iowa.
