Concordia volleyball takes down the Flames

Concordia volleyball players respond to a spike from the opposing team (photo from previous match).

Photo credit: Mi-Ree Zwick

By William Swanson

The No. 4 Concordia Bulldogs defeated the College of Saint Mary’s Flames in four sets on Oct. 25.

The match started with three straight points for the Bulldogs, coming from junior Ella Waters and senior Ashley Keck. They further extended it to 7-1 Bulldogs and went on to take set one by a score of 25-15.

Waters dominated in the first set and throughout the match. She notched 18 kills on just 26 attacks with one error for a .654 kill percentage. Waters also added six block assists. Junior Ava Greene also had a big impact at the net with 10 kills on her 17 swings and four block assists. The Bulldogs hit .294 as a team.

A back-and-forth battle ensued in the second set as both sides were unwilling to give any ground. It led to a score of 14-9 in favor of the Bulldogs; however, the Flames slowly chipped away at the Dogs’ lead. Concordia head coach Ben Boldt used his first time out of the set, which helped ignite the Bulldogs, and they took set two by a score of 25-17.

Set three started hot as both teams would not give each other any room, trading points. It led to the Flames’ first lead of the match and a timeout for coach Boldt with the score at 12-16. That lead continued as Saint Mary’s won by a score of 19-25 and forced a fourth set.

The fourth set was a dominant show by the Bulldogs as they never once trailed. Concordia took the set by a score of 25-22 and took the match 3-1.

The Flames fall to 12-12 overall and 5-8 in Great Plains Athletic Conference play and will play on Oct. 29 against Doane. The Concordia Bulldogs rise to 20-2 and 13-1 in Great Plains Athletic Conference play. They will play on Nov. 1 against Midland in Fremont.