Martin kills it against the Lancers; volleyball team wins 3-0
Molli Martin rings the bell after Concordia’s victory against Mount Marty.
Photo credit: Kai Olbrich
By Kai Olbrich
Sports Editor
A sweep streak was extended to four on Oct. 22 as senior Molli Martin led the Concordia volleyball team to a 3-0 win against the Mount Marty Lancers.
Martin was nearly untouchable at the net as she totaled 10 kills on 12 attacks with just one error for a .750 hitting percentage.
Coach Ben Boldt has been working with Martin and the setters to get their connection better and believes that it paid off against the Lancers.
“Yeah, we were working on our setter-hitter connection a lot. And I think that we’re putting the ball in a little bit of a different location for her,” Boldt said. “And obviously, she played really well tonight. So I think we’re going to continue on with that. And we’re going to keep challenging her to put herself in good hitting positions and working to get up so the setters can find her.”
The Bulldogs were solid as a team, hitting .168. They had some close sets, winning 25-20, 25-20, and 25-23. The first set in particular started off poorly for Concordia as the Lancers went up 8-1. Concordia battled back and took the lead thanks to back-to-back blocks from sophomore Maddie Paulsen.
Boldt is proud of how Paulsen stepped in for the injured Addie Kirkegaard and had a big impact with her blocks.
“So she’s stepped in for Addie Kirkegaard, who was injured. And Maddie [Paulsen], she puts up a really good block,” Boldt said. “You know, we’re continuing to work with her on her offense, and the shots that she’s hitting and where to put the ball. But you know, she had two really big stuff blocks that really put us at an advantage. So, yeah, I was really proud of her.”
The second set was smoother sailing for Concordia, although Mount Marty was always close on their heels. The final set came down to the wire, with the score being equal late in the set at 23-23. Senior Ashley Keck put the finishing touch on the match with a kill to seal the Bulldog victory.
The Bulldogs are 19-2, 12-1 Great Plains Athletic Conference, and are on a four-game stretch in which they have not lost a set and are looking dangerous as the Great Plains Athletic Conference season heats up.
Martin sees her team as national championship contenders and wants to keep the team energy up so that they can battle through the ups and downs of the games to come.
“I think we see so much potential in this team, and we want to keep that going, and we know that we’re a national championship team,” Martin said. “So, keeping the energy, and we’re going to have ups and downs, we had ups and downs in this game. But fighting no matter what, scratching, clawing, and winning a natty.”
As Concordia heads into the final stretch of the season, they will face the College of Saint Mary on Oct. 25 in Omaha, Neb. at 5 p.m.
