No. 17 Concordia Volleyball Loses Championship to No. 8 Midland
by Garrett Suchanek
The No. 17 Concordia volleyball team entered its first GPAC championship game with high hopes of winning, but No. 8 Midland had a different idea.
Midland took care of Concordia in straight sets 25-20, 25-17 and 25-16 to collect the GPAC’s automatic bid for the national tournament.
In the opening set, the Bulldogs went toe to toe with the Warriors and held a 14-12 advantage at one point. However, the Warriors went on a 7-2 run to give Midland breathing room.
Midland rallied off six of the next nine points to take the first set.
The Warriors continued to play well offensively and jumped out to an 11-4 lead in the second set.
Concordia didn’t lay down; they fought back. The Bulldogs were able to tie the set up at 15 apiece.
Despite a furious comeback, Midland stepped up and responded with a 10-2 run to close out the second set and give the Warriors a 2-0 lead.
The third set started out similar to the second set for Midland as they scored the first four points.
Concordia tried to get back into the set and match, but could not get any closer than a 14-10 deficit.
After the Bulldogs got within four, the Warriors went on a 5-1 run to open the set back up.
Midland then cruised to a nine-point third set win for the match.
The Concordia volleyball team finished the year with a 26-8 record and will await to see if it will receive an at-large bid for the national tournament. The tournament pairings will be announced on Monday, Nov. 16.
