St. Paul, Minn. – Concordia-St. Paul showed why they are the number four team in the nation on Saturday night, sweeping Minnesota Crookston (13-25, 15-25, 15-25) to wrap-up homecoming on campus for the Golden Bears.
 
With the loss, the Golden Eagles fall to 1-13 (0-9 NSIC), while CSP improves to 15-3 (9-0 NSIC).
 
Set One
The Golden Eagles got off to a great start, scoring the first point of the match on a Bailey Mulcahy (R-Sr., DS, Fertile, Minn.) service ace.
 
The Golden Bears would score three straight points, but Mara Weisensel (So., OH, New Ulm, Minn.) would collect one of her team-high eight kills to stop the brief run.
 
CSP would stretch their lead to 11-5, but a Maria Jose Bustos Garcia (Sr., MH, Cartagena, Columbia) kill halted the run.
 
Minnesota Crookston would trail 16-10, but CSP would score three in a row to make it 19-10.
 
That would be enough for the nationally-ranked Golden Bears to win the first set, 25-13.
 
Set Two
Once again, the Golden Eagles would score the first point of the set, this time on a Lauren Wallace (R-Sr., OH, Bloomington, Minn.) kill. It was somewhat of a homecoming for Wallace this evening.
 
CSP would answer with six-straight of their own, but it would be halted with back-to-back kills from Weisensel to cut the lead in half to make it 6-3.
 
CSP would eventually extend their lead to 13-6, but Natalie Koke (R-Jr., S, Caledonia, Wis.) would collect her only kill of the night to make it 13-7.
 
The Golden Bears would extend their lead to 20-11, but the maroon and gold would score two straight points to make it 20-13.
 
That seven point deficit was as close as the Golden Eagles would get, as the Golden Bears would win the second set, 25-15.
 
Set Three
CSP would score the first two points of the third set, but the Golden Eagles would get on the board using a Jasmine Mulvihill error.
 
A Wallace kill would make it 3-2, but the Golden Bears would make it 6-2 in a hurry.
 
The Golden Eagles would fight back and make it 7-6, highlighted by a Koke service ace.
 
Trailing 19-12, the Golden Eagles would use back-to-back-to-back attacking errors to make it 19-15, but that only seemed to wake up the Golden Bears, who would score six straight points to finish off the set and the match.
 
Individual Stats
Weisensel and Bailey Schaefer (Fr., OH, Brandon, Minn.) came to play against the No. 4 Golden Bears, collecting eight kills a piece on the night. Schaefer hit a career-high .375 in the match.
 
Koke collected 23 assists, which was her highest total since her 25 assists in a sweep over Minot State. The Golden Eagles hit .146 as a team in the match.
 
What's Next
It is Cancer Awareness weekend for the Golden Eagles next weekend, as they host Minnesota State University, Moorhead and Northern State. First serve with the Dragons is set for 6 P.M. from Crookston.
 
Cancer Awareness Weekend
The Minnesota Crookston Student Advisory Committee will be having a free-will donation for Alex Gullingsrud, a young boy who was recently diagnosed with cancer.