Concordia falls just short of upset, Doane holds on for 3-2 win
Concordia’s upset bid fell just short, as #12 Doane College held on for a 3-2 volleyball win over Concordia on Wednesday evening in Crete. Scores of the match were 25-19, 22-25, 23-25, 25-15 and 17-15. Concordia rallied in the final set and had match point at 15-14, but the Tigers rattled off three straight points to pick up the win. Doane won its 14th straight to move to 17-1 overall (2-0 GPAC) on the year. Concordia slipped to 5-10 overall (0-2 GPAC).
The Tigers held a comfortable lead for much of the first set. The Bulldogs made a late push, but it wasn’t enough as Doane secured the 25-19 win. In set two, Concordia took advantage of some Tiger miscues to jump out to a 22-16 lead. Doane cut the lead to two at 24-22, but the Bulldogs closed out the set to tie the match at 1-1.
Set three went down to the wire. The Bulldogs used a pair of big plays from freshman Mariah Schamp (Arvada, Colo.) to close out the win. A block by Schamp gave Concordia a 24-22 lead and following a point by Doane, Schamp’s kill secured the 25-23 win for the Bulldogs. Doane jumped out to a 14-10 lead in the fourth set. Concordia rallied to tie the match at 14-14, but the Tigers closed the set on an 11-1 run to force a fifth and deciding set.
Just like the rest of the match, the fifth set was close throughout. With the score tied at 8-8, Doane used a 6-3 run to take a 14-11 lead. The Bulldogs rallied with four straight points, however, and took a 15-14 lead. Amanda Kisker (Lincoln, Neb.) had two kills, and an ace serve by Amanda Abbott (Temecula, Calif.) gave Concordia the match point at 15-14. A kill by Doane’s Susan Rollman tied the match at 15 apiece. A Concordia attack error gave Doane their fourth match point, and a block gave the Tigers the 17-15 victory.
Ashley Axmann pounded a match-high 18 kills to lead four players in double figures for the Tigers. Rollman was close behind with 17 kills, while Emily Max chipped in with 13 kills on the night. Terra Andreasen finished with a huge double-double of 12 kills and 18 digs, while Desiree Erikson and Lacey Woitaszewski handed out 35 and 28 set assists, respectively, for Doane in the win.
Abbott totaled 13 kills to lead the way for Concordia in a losing effort. Kisker added 11 kills and eight digs, while Marlee Denton (Fremont, Neb.) also reached double figures with 10 kills. Angela Bruhn (Creston, Neb.) led the way defensively with 17 digs.
Concordia returns home to host College of St. Mary on Friday evening. The match is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Walz Human Performance Complex.