ST. PAUL, Minn. - The #1 Concordia volleyball team completes a road trip with matches in the Dakotas this weekend. They are at Northern State (8-12, 3-9 NSIC) on Friday and the University of Mary (6-17, 0-12 NSIC) on Saturday. Having recently faced three consecutive top-25 ranked opponents, the Golden Bears now take on two of the lower teams in the NSIC standings. Concordia is 23-0 on the year and 12-0 in the NSIC. Both matches can be viewed LIVE and FREE OF CHARGE at www.northernsun.tv. VIEW COMPLETE RELEASE
60 STRAIGHT WINS... AND COUNTING!... The Golden Bears overcame a 25-year old record for consecutive matches won (NCAA DII) earlier in the 2009 season and now are the sole titleholders in the category. Concordia has put together 60 consecutive wins from Aug. 29, 2008 through last weekend’s matches. The only record longer than this in the NCAA record book (all divisions) belongs to Penn State, who has a current 80-match streak on the line and, like the Golden Bears, is also ranked #1 in the nation.
McNAMARA BECOMES NEW ASSISTS LEADER... Concordia University senior Maggie McNamara is now the all-time Concordia assists leader, overcoming Cailin Terhaar’s record this past weekend. The senior cleared the former record of 6,724 in Friday’s match against #10 Minnesota State. McNamara surpassed the mark midway through the second set of the win, setting up senior teammate Sadie Kessler for a kill.
In guiding her team to two additional victories over ranked opponents this weekend, McNamara added 72 assists to her career total, which now stands at 6,778. This slides her into 5th place on the NCAA DII all-time assists list.
McNamara is currently averaging an NCAA high 13.58 assists per set. She has been the NCAA leader for assists every year of her collegiate career.
THE GOLDEN BEARS: A SNEAK PEEK... The Golden Bears are the only remaining undefeated team left in the nation, having compiled an overall 23-0 record. They have been ranked #1 in the nation all season after winning the past two national titles. The team winning streak has reached 60 matches, while their streak of NSIC wins has been bumped up to 44 with their 12-0 league record this year.
Concordia has the threatening mix of both an unflinching offense and a willful defense. They lead the nation in kills per set with 15.68, hitting average with a mark of .326 and assists per set with 14.89. The team’s defense plays at the highest level seen in Division II, keeping opponents from terminating the ball and passing and digging up balls that go perfectly to target nearly every time.
The Golden Bears have a plethora of weapons at their disposal, including players in every position on the court. Middle hitter Emily Palkert currently leads the team with 268 kills (3.72/s) and has a .339 hitting average. She is two kills ahead of the team’s next hottest hitter, sophomore Megan Carlson, who swings from the leftside. Carlson has 266 kills (3.69/s) and a .314 average. She is also a leading defender, collecting the most digs from a position player with 241 (3.35). Carlson has 12 double-double matches on the season. Next up for the CU offense is rightside hitter Sadie Kessler. Kessler has powered her way to 229 kills (3.18) and has an outstanding .371 hitting average. Kessler also leads the team with 27 ace serves. Rookie middle Cassie Haag has the best hitting average on the squad with a mark of .396, which is second best in the NSIC. She is averaging 2.88 kills per set.
Maggie McNamara leads her team and all of the nation’s setters with 13.58 assists per set. She is the new CU all-time assists leader with 6,778 in her illustrious career and is on her way toward becoming the new NCAA all-time assists leader.
Mary Slinger is the top defender for the Golden Bear squad, making miraculous saves on a regular basis. She is second in the NSIC with 5.04 digs per set and has added 363 on the year. She is less than 100 digs away from becoming the all-time leader in school history.
