Volleyball Top Stories

 

Wolves Play Well, Give CSP A Fight

November 3, 2006	1	2	3
Northern State	28	29	28
#4 Concordia-St. Paul	30	31	30

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Unranked Northern State, seeded fifth in the NSIC, gave fourth-ranked Concordia-St. Paul a run for their money in the semifinal round of the conference tournament Friday night. Although CSP took the win in three games, the match was closer than the line score might dictate. The Wolves played a much more consistent game than in the past, while the Bears played uncharacteristically low. The Wolves fell by the minimum number of required points, scoring just six less points than the Bears. Game scores were 30-28, 31-29, and 30-28.

The Wolves started the match on a slow note, falling behind 2-6 early on before going on their own 6-2 run to tie the game at 8-8. The teams were knotted up throughout the remainder of the game, with CSP maintaining at least a one point lead the entire way. NSU’s Odemaris Diaz pounded out six kills in the game while CSP’s Jessica Lucia came up with eight. Each team came up with 23 kills and Concordia took a slight edge in the hitting average column.

Northern State dominated much of the second game, going up 5-0 from the start and led late into the game. Diaz put down back-to-back kills to put NSU up 20-17, with NSU’s largest lead of the game coming after a Knaeble kill set the score at 26-22. It was there that the game took a tragic turn for the worst, with the Wolves’ serve receive failing at the most crucial part of the game. The Bears would ace the Wolves five times in the waning points of the game, including the final point that gave CSP a 2-0 advantage in the match.

NSU, whose consistency put the momentum on their side throughout most of the match, played a less intense third game, as did the Bears. There were a combined 14 hitting and blocking errors and six serving errors in the final game alone. The teams struggled to string points together for runs, with the longest streak going to CSP with four straight points. Northern’s biggest detriment was the experienced mindset of the hitters across the net. Although they could not put the ball away with clean, forceful kills, the Bears stuck it to the Wolves in a place where they normally excel, the block. The majority of Concordia’s kills came from deflections off Northern’s block. The Wolves fell by the minimum amount of required points for the third straight game, going down 30-28.

Knaeble was the leading NSU hitter, gaining 16 kills while hitting .350 on the match. Diaz came up with 15 kills and also tallied four block assists. Aden also came up with four assists, marking the fourth straight match that the middle hitter has posted four or more blocks. Kellie Heier had 40 assists, while Melanie Perez had 23 digs.

It comes as no surprise that rightside hitter Jessica Lucia pounded out more kills than any other player, totaling 23 on the night. Lucia gained her kills while also hitting at a clip of .354. Megan Graham was the leading defender with 18 digs, followed by Lucia with 14. Three CSP players had two ace serves.

The Wolves hit .228 on the night, compared to CSP’s .201. The Bears led in the kill column, however knocking down 59 kills to NSU’s 47. Northern gained the edge in blocking with seven roofs, but it was the team’s lowest blocking figure in 12 matches. The Wolves had seven receiving errors on the night.

Northern State (17-13) now awaits the final North Central Region poll to see if their season will continue with an NCAA Tournament berth. The Wolves were ranked 8 th in last week’s poll and will need to receive an 8 th place ranking or higher to continue their campaign. The win advances #4 Concordia- St. Paul (33-2) to the championship round of the NSIC Tournament. The Golden Bears will face the 21 st-ranked Wayne State Wildcats tomorrow night at 7:00 pm.