Concordia opened the MIAC playoffs by sweeping Augsburg 3-0 on Tuesday in Minneapolis. The Cobbers advance to play at St. Ben's.
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
Final |
 |
25 |
25 |
25 |
3 |
|
22 |
23 |
16 |
0 |
(Recap had help from Augsburg SID)
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (11/03/09)-- Things returned to normal in the Cobber volleyball world as sophomore Jenna Green returned from her two-week appendix-driven vacation and helped Concordia sweep Augsburg 25-22, 25-23, 25-16 in the quarterfinals of the MIAC Tournament on Tuesday in Minneapolis. Green had a team-high 10 kills and CC will now advance to the semifinals to play at St. Ben's on Thursday.
The win is only the second for Concordia since Green went down with appendicitis on Oct. 21. The Cobbers are now 14-9 on the year and looking for another couple wins to secure their seventh straight trip to the NCAA Tournament.
The first game of the evening began evenly matched, as the two teams battled to a 10-10 tie. The Cobbers were able to put together a couple of small runs to take a 23-16 advantage but Augsburg rallied with serving runs to bring the score within two at 24-22. The Auggies weren't able to finish their comeback as Concordia held on for the 25-22 first set win.
The Auggies came out strong in the second game, jumping out to an early 4-0 before Concordia battled back to tie things up at 13-13. Two Concordia blocks and and a couple of Auggie hitting miscues gave the Cobbers a 22-17 advantage. The Auggies put together a late rally to bring the score within one at 24-23 but couldn't finish their second attempt at a late set comeback as the Cobbers took the second set 25-23.
In the third game, Augsburg jumped out to a 3-0 lead to begin the match but wasn't able to maintain its offensive rhythm, as Concordia claimed the deciding set 25-16.
For the match, the Cobbers hit .147 which was highlighted by a .306 attack percentage in the first game. Concordia had 38 kills as opposed to 32 for the Auggies. CC also committed eight fewer attack errors in the three games.
To go along with her 10 kills, Green also had a match-high 19 digs. Katie Vohnoutka added nine kills, while setter Amy Sykora recorded 32 assists. Greta Wood and Danelle Loomis also recorded double-digit dig totals. Wood finished with 13 digs while Loomis had a career-high 12 digs.
Augsburg was led offensively by Barbara Simmons with 12 kills and Amanda Unze with seven. Defensively, Denielle Johnson and Katie Christensen paced the Auggies with 17 digs apiece, while setter Shanna Reed posted 30 assists for the Auggies.
Concordia will look to extend its season when they play at No.1 seeded St. Ben's on Thursday at 7 p.m. The Cobbers, playing without Green, were swept by the Blazers on Saturday.
