ST. PAUL, Minn.- The University of Minnesota Crookston volleyball team fell 3-1 (25-16, 25-12, 22-25, 25-10) to No. 4 Concordia University-St. Paul Saturday, October 28 at the Gangelhoff Center in St. Paul, Minn. The Golden Eagles picked up their first set victory over the Golden Bears since Oct. 13, 2018. Minnesota Crookston has gotten two sets off ranked opponents. This is the highest ranked opponent they have picked up a set off of. Concordia-St. Paul is a perennial power in NCAA Division II volleyball, winning nine National Championships from 2007-17.
Minnesota Crookston dropped to 3-19 (1-13 NSIC) with the loss. Concordia-St. Paul improved to 21-2 (12-2 NSIC) with Saturday's win.
The Golden Eagles hit .131 for the match, with 31 kills and 14 errors. The Golden Bears finished the match with 69 kills and 10 errors, hitting .465.
Minnesota Crookston was paced by seven kills apiece from Madison Carsten (Fr., OH, Wadena, Minn.), and Maya Jones (Fr., RS, New Braunfels, Texas). Jones hit .231. Mara Weisensel (Sr., MH, New Ulm, Minn.), and Bailey Schaefer (Jr., OH, Brandon, Minn.) each added nine kills. Emma Malek (Fr., S, Plainfield, Ill.) finished with 22 assists.
Defensively, Schaefer and Jones paced the team with nine digs. Carsten added eight, while Malek chipped in seven. Weisensel led the team with two block assists.
Makenna Berger led the Golden Bears with 15 kills, hitting .591. Emma Schmidt added 13 kills, while Jasmine Mulvihill notched 10 kills. Teagan Starkey had 29 assists, while Halle Bemmels had 28.
Defensively, Ellie Sieling paced Concordia-St. Paul with 17 digs. Jamie Guptill led the block with one solo block and three block assists.
Game One
Minnesota Crookston started the game on a 2-0 run after a Malek service ace. The Golden Bears responded with a 5-0 run to take a 5-2 lead on a Katie Mattson kill. The Golden Eagles pulled within 5-4 after a Carsten kill. Concordia-St. Paul fought back with a 7-1 run to lead 12-5 after a Schmidt kill. Minnesota Crookston tried to piece away at the lead, but the Golden Bears took the first set 25-16.
Game Two
The Golden Bears took the early 2-0 advantage after a Berger service ace. Minnesota Crookston came within 4-3 following a Jones kill, but Concordia-St. Paul rattled off three-straight points to lead 7-3 on a Berger kill. The Golden Bears held a 16-7 advantage after a Jones attack error, and Concordia-St. Paul held on for the 25-12 set victory.
Game Three
Minnesota Crookston held the early 4-2 lead after an Ella Christ service error. The Golden Bears tied the set 4-4 with a Mehlayna Straub kill. The Golden Eagles took three of the next four points to lead 7-5 after a Sieling attack error. Concordia-St. Paul went on a 7-2 run to take the lead 12-9 following a Megan Schoenfelder (Fr., MH, Zumbrota, Minn.) attack error. The Golden Eagles countered and knotted the set 14-14 following a Straub attack error. Concordia-St. Paul took the lead back 17-15 with a Sieling kill. However, Minnesota Crookston rattled off 10 of the last 15 points to win the set 25-22 after a bad set from Sieling.
Game Four
Concordia-St. Paul won the first three points out of the gate to lead 3-0. They led 13-6 following a Starkey service ace. Minnesota Crookston could not close the gap as they won the set 25-10.
Minnesota Crookston returns home Friday, November 3 to face Wayne State College at Lysaker Gymnasium.
