The University of Minnesota Duluth has been no stranger to defeating tough competition this season, but Friday night proved to be too tough of a challenge for the second-ranked Bulldogs. No. 1 Concordia University-St. Paul knocked off UMD in a decisive fifth set at Romano Gymnasium.
Friday night marked the third time of the season that the Bulldogs have battled in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup, but was the first time UMD was not victorious. With the loss, the Bulldogs move to 6-2 when facing ranked teams, and 22-3 (14-3 NSIC) overall. Over 1,600 fans poured into Romano Gym to cheer on UMD, the largest crowd since a Nov. 16, 2013 match against Concordia-St. Paul.
In both meetings this season, the Bulldogs had a tough time figuring out a stifling Golden Bear defense. CU has held UMD to its two worst hitting percentages of the season, including a .152 mark on Friday. Concordia hit a respectable .246 while committing just 20 errors. The key difference in the game may have been the Golden Bears' play at the net, as they racked up 18 blocks and forced 36 Bulldog errors - their most since the opening match of the 2012 season. Senior outside hitter
Taylor Wissbroecker led UMD in kills with 17 on 55 attempts (the most by any Bulldog this season), trailed by sophomore right side hitter
Sarah Kelly (15) and junior middle blocker
Allison Olley (13). Freshman setter
Emily Torve tallied 55 assists, four kills, and six digs over the five sets. Four Bulldogs racked up double digit digs, with sophomore libero
Erin Schindler recording 17.
UMD kicked off the match on the right note, quickly gaining a 4-1 lead. The Golden Bears fought back to tie it up shortly after and a Mariya Sampson kill eventually tied the set at 11. The teams remained close for the remainder of the set, capped off by a kill from senior middle blocker
Sydnie Mauch and an attack error by Concordia. Wissbroecker put together an impressive first set - knocking down five kills while leading the Bulldogs to a .314 hitting percentage.
Facing a 1-0 deficit, Concordia-St. Paul would fight back in dominating fashion to take the next two sets and grab a 2-1 lead. UMD was unable to put anything together offensively, hitting just -.064 and .087 in the middle two frames. The Bulldogs uncharacteristically hit a combined 22 errors in the second and third set compared to CU's eight. The Golden Bears held a lead for almost the entirety of the second set, but were forced to play from behind much of the third. With UMD holding a slim 20-18 lead, Concordia ran off the next seven points to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
The Bulldogs responded by showing the true potential of the second-ranked team in the country, knocking down a dominant .517 hit percentage in the fourth frame. UMD committed just two attack errors while racking up 17 kills - including six from Wissbroecker. After grabbing an early 4-3 lead, the Bulldogs would not let CU back on top, ending with a 25-19 victory.
It has seemed like every match in this historic rivalry has gone to a decisive fifth set, and Friday night was no different. UMD was able to steal the fifth set from Concordia earlier this season, but was unable to come out on top this time around. The Bulldogs once again recorded a negative hitting percentage (-.080) while the Golden Bears hit .227. UMD was unable to hold a lead at any point in the fifth set, eventually falling 15-8.
The second-ranked Bulldogs will take the court Saturday evening for a matchup against Minnesota State University, Mankato on senior night. Opening serve is schedule for 4 p.m. at Romano Gymnasium.
