Volleyball wins a close battle with Mayville and sweeps Rocky Mountain in first two games of tournament play

Photo description: Volleyball team huddles around Sower archives 2022

Photo credit: Kayla Korb 

Jonas Sommerville

Sower Staff

The Concordia volleyball team kicked off a two-day tournament in North Sioux City, S.D. with two wins on Friday.

The team’s first win was a 3-0 sweep against Rocky Mountain College, and the second was another sweep against Mayville State University.

After a 5-5 start against Rocky Mountain, Concordia pulled ahead for the rest of the first set, winning 25-17. In the second set, the Bulldogs held off a mid-game comeback and won the set 25-16. The ladies then brought it home with a 25-19 win in the last set.

Sophomore Ashley Keck led the way in kills with 14. Senior Camryn Opfer had a very well-rounded game with 13 kills and digs. Senior Bree Burtwistle had 43 of the team’s 47 assists, and junior Rebecca Gebhardt led the team in digs with 16.

The first set against Mayville State University was a tight affair, with Concordia down 10-13 in the middle of the set. However, the Bulldogs bounced back after a timeout and ended up winning the set 25-20.

Concordia was also down in the middle of the second set 17-13. It was looking like a lost set as Mayville State went up 24-19 in the closing stages. However, the Bulldogs had seven straight points to win 26-24. The third set was very tight as well, as the set was tied 21-21 in the late stages, but Concordia again showed great composure and went on a four-point run to win 25-21.

Opfer led the team with 11 kills. Keck and junior Carly Rodaway were right behind her with 10 apiece. Gebhardt again led the team in digs with 12, and Burtwistle also led the team in assists with 43.

Concordia is now 6-0 overall and will play two more games tomorrow to close out the tournament. The first is against Kansas Wesleyan University at 11:00 a.m., and the second is against Park University at 5:00 p.m.