Getz and company cut down despite strong road performance

LINCOLN, Neb. – Despite several strong individual efforts and a clean overall performance, Concordia volleyball went down in straight sets at Nebraska Wesleyan on Wednesday night. The host Prairie Wolves (18-6, 8-4 GPAC) got standout matches from Malory Dahl and Alyssa Stanek on the way to a 26-24, 25-23, 25-20 victory. The Bulldogs’ records moved to 15-10 overall and 4-8 in GPAC competition.

“It was an amazing match to watch,” Concordia head coach Scott Mattera said. “I wish I could have just been a fan tonight because the level of play was fantastic on both sides. They just made a few more plays than we did and we couldn't get a stop when we needed one.”

Freshman outside hitter Paige Getz continued her remarkable run with 15 more kills on 43 swings. The Bulldog Booster Club Athlete of the Week, a Paola, Kan., native, has come into her own in the stretch run of her rookie season.

“Getz was incredible tonight, not only getting kills but hitting harder than she ever has before,” Mattera said.

Getz used her powerful right arm to swat a kill in the first set that tied it at 24 apiece. However, Nebraska Wesleyan thrived in clutch situations on this night and responded by powering a pair of kills for a 1-0 lead in the match. Concordia had built a lead as large as 13-9 in the set.

The Bulldogs found themselves right there in the second set as well when kills by freshman Alayna Kavanaugh and junior Mariah Schamp staked them to a 17-16 advantage. Eventually Wesleyan would again put away the final two points to secure another nailbiting set point.

The third and final set proved to be the outlier as the Prairie Wolves built a 15-5 advantage before the Bulldogs fought back to within 21-17. The rough patch at the beginning of the third set was the only disappointing aspect of a solid effort on the road.

“We had so many good performances tonight,” Mattera said, while also lauding Schamp and Taylor Workman for their play in the middle. “We just had one 10 minute lapse in game three and were unable to stop their offense on big points.”

Schamp finished with 11 kills (20 attempts) and one block. Workman added seven kills on 11 swings to go with a block assist.

Mattera commended the trio of Carli Smith, Claire White and Jami Nekoliczak for their combined passing and serve receive work. Smith led the team with 16 digs while White chipped in nine kills and 11 digs. In addition, Kavanaugh piled up 38 assists.

The Prairie Wolves outhit Concordia .248 to .220. The Bulldogs had entered play with a record of 12-1 when hitting above .200.

Wesleyan got a match high 12 kills from Katelyn Walsh and efficient attacking outputs from Dahl and Stanek, who notched 10 kills apiece.

The Bulldogs stay on the road for matches in western Iowa on Friday and Saturday. The Bulldogs draw Briar Cliff in Sioux City (16-11, 5-7 GPAC) at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams last met on Oct. 5, 2012, when Concordia won in five sets in Seward.