ST. PAUL, Minn. – MSU Moorhead would come close to stealing a pivotal third set, but fourth-ranked Concordia, St. Paul proved too potent for the Dragons on Saturday afternoon. The Golden Bears defeated MSUM in straight sets in the final road contest of 2023 for the Dragons.
The two teams would remain gridlocked in the early portions of the first set as the Dragons would only trail 12-11.
Bridget Witzmann would tally three kills in the first 11 points for MSUM. From there, Concordia, St. Paul would go on a 6-0 burst to build an 18-11 lead. The Golden Bears would utilize that run and outscore MSUM 7-4 down the stretch to earn a 25-15 set one win.
The Golden Bears would race out to a 12-5 second set lead thanks to four services aces in the stretch. MSUM would bring the tally to within five points, but Concordia, St. Paul would continue to assert their dominance by earning back-to-back kills to bring the count to 22-14. Ultimately, the Golden Bears would win the set 25-15 behind a staggering .615 hitting percentage in the frame. Through two sets, Concordia, St. Paul was connecting on .508 percent of their attacks to MSUM's .283 clip.
While Concordia, St. Paul would gain a 12-5 lead early in the third set, MSUM would rally as the Golden Bear offensive effort cooled off slightly. MSUM would bring the score to 17-15 thanks to three CSP errors. The Dragons would keep the set within a pair of points throughout before MSUM made one final push. Witzmann would slam down a kill, along with an
Emily Skalicky service ace, to pull the Dragons even with the Golden Bears, 23-23. In the end, Concordia, St. Paul would notch a 27-25 set win on back-to-back kills.
Top Dragons
Up Next
MSUM (7-18, 3-13 NSIC) concludes the 2023 regular season with a pair of home matches next Friday and Saturday. That stretch begins with Minnesota Duluth at 6 p.m. on November 10.
