Box Score The two top-rated teams in the NCAA II Central Region collided for the fourth time in 2013 in Saturday night's Regional Final and nothing was settled. Concordia University, St. Paul knocked off the University of Minnesota Duluth in four sets to crown the Golden Bears the champions and knot the season series at two apiece.

CU senior right-side hitter Kayla Koenecke had nine kills in the first set alone as she lifted the Bears (32-3) to a 25-17 first set victory. The Bulldogs (33-3) fed the ball to their gun in the second game as senior outside hitter Kate Lange collected six kills to knot the match at one with a 25-20 win in the second.

Concordia's senior setter Amanda Konetchy spread the ball around while the Bears hit .483 in the third set to down UMD by another close 25-21 margin. Falling behind 10-5 early, the Bulldogs dug themselves out of a hole in the fourth set but Concordia held on and won their seventh-straight NCAA II Central Region crown dating back to 2007. Coach Brady Starkey, Konetchy, and Koenecke spoke with the media after the match.

Lange led all players with 24 kills and closed her Bulldog career with 2,078. On the other side, senior defensive specialist Elizabeth Benusa earned her first career kill on the night when an errant dig happened to land past the reach of a diving CU defender.

"She said she wanted to get her first kill tonight," Lange said in her team's postgame press conference. The Bulldogs got strong nights offensively from freshman middle blocker Sydnie Mauch (nine kills, three blocks), jsophomore outside hitter Mariah Scharf (10 kills), and junior right-side hitter Maddy Siroin (nine kills, two blocks). Sophomore setter Ashley Hinsch had 53 assists while junior libero Julie Rainey hauled in a game-high 20 digs. Lange, Mauch, Hinsch, and Rainey each received All-Tournament honors for their efforts on the weekend.

On the other side of the net, Concordia hit .348 while holding UMD to a .242 attack percentage, collecting 12 blocks on the night. Koenecke, Konetchy, sophomore middle blocker Heather Schiller, senior outside hitter Erienne Lauersdorf, and sophomore outside hitter Emily McDonough represented the champions on the All-Tournament squad. Central Missouri setter Julia Bates and outside hitter Carly Sojka, as well as Southwest Minnesota State libero Rachel Westby round out the twelve selections.

The 33 wins on the season are a career-high for head coach Jim Boos' Bulldogs who return a strong core in 2014 but will lose UMD's all-time career attacker in Lange.

"Kate's one of the best Division II volleyball players that's been around in a long time. It would have been great for her to have that experience at that next level. It wasn't to be, but that doesn't diminish what she's been able to accomplish ... I couldn't be more proud of the four years she's provided, and it's really sad to know that from here on out, we'll have to do it without her," said Coach Boos after the game.

"It's one of the things I talked to the returners about [after the match], from here on out, we all have to pick up a little piece of the slack with the two we're losing. It will be a challenge. Certainly, [Lange] has carried us on her shoulders."

NCAA II Central Region All-Tournament Team
Rachel Westby (Lib.)	Southwest Minnesota State
Julia Bates (S)	Central Missouri
Carly Sojka (OH)	Central Missouri
Sydnie Mauch (MB)	Minnesota Duluth
Julie Rainey (Lib.)	Minnesota Duluth
Ashley Hinsch (S)	Minnesota Duluth
Kate Lange (OH)	Minnesota Duluth
Heather Schiller (MB)	Concordia-St. Paul
Emily McDonough (OH)	Concordia-St. Paul
Erienne Lauersdorf (OH)	Concordia-St. Paul
Kayla Koenecke (RS)	Concordia-St. Paul
Amanda Konetchy (S)	Concordia-St. Paul