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MATCH 4 - Thursday, December 4 - 7:30 p.m. - Gangelhoff Center | ||
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University of New Haven |
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#1 Concordia University, St. Paul |
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Concordia University, 3-0; BOX SCORE
RECAP:
ST. PAUL, Minn. - Concordia University ripped out a .425 hitting average with 42 kills and only eight errors as they downed the University of New Haven (31-4) 3-0 at the NCAA Division II Volleyball National Championships (25-13, 25-13, 25-15). The win extends a win streak to 35 matches and sets the team record at 35-1. They face Grand Valley State in the championship semifinals.
The hitting performance for the Golden Bears (.425) was their third best single match average of the season. Although they started out a bit slow, the team quickly heated up and began peppering kills through the Chargers defense. New Haven found holes in the Concordia defense, as well, and marked 25 kills on the night.
Leading the way for Concordia was junior rightside hitter Sadie Kessler with ten kills and a .769 hitting average. Kessler did not commit an error on the evening. Senior Whitney Meierotto also picked up ten kills, making it a double-double with 11 digs. Mary Slinger topped the defense with 14 of the team's 43 digs. Maggie McNamara assisted on 38 of CU's 42 kills. Of note, with seven kills on the night, sophomore Emily Palkert became the fastest Concordia player to 1,000 kills. She now has 1,004 in her short career. Furthermore, senior Maria Steinhagen moved up to a tie for second place on the CU all-time block list and now has 428 career blocks.
The University of New Haven was led by Charisse Cotton with seven kills on the night. Brittani Cotton added six kills. The defense was led by Katrina Ali with nine digs, moving her in as the all-time dig leader at New Haven.
Match Notes:
Concordia: This is Concordia's sixth consecutive NCAA Championship appearance ... The Golden Bears have reached the regional championship match all six times ... This is their fourth trip to the Elite Eight and third time in the semifinals ... Concordia finished second in 2003 and lost in the quarterfinals in 2005 before winning the NCAA title in 2007 ... The Golden Bears are 20-4 in NCAA Championship play and 6-2 in the Elite Eight ... They are 13-1 versus ranked opponents this season ... Concordia has won 35 consecutive matches after losing in the season opener at CSU-San Bernardino ... The Golden Bears are 2-1 this season versus teams in the Elite Eight and 19-1 versus teams in the NCAA Championship field ... Concordia has played more matches against NCAA Championship qualifiers (20) than any team in the Championship field ... The Golden Bears are 19-1 in those matches ... Twenty-five of Concordia's 35 wins this season have been in three sets ... The Golden Bears have won all 18 of their matches at home this season ... Senior middle hitter Maria Steinhagen extended her streak of consecutive matches with a block to 24 ... She's recorded at least one block in 34 of 36 matches this season and is now in second in school history for career blocks... Emily Palkert became the fastest player in school history to reach 1,000 kills (sophomore, 75 career matches).
New Haven: 11th appearance in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight in program history ... New Haven's 27-match win streak was snapped tonight by Concordia ... Libero Katrina Ali sets program record for career digs with 1,561 ... school's 23rd NCAA Tournament appearance ... school has all-time NCAA mark of 17-24 after tonight's match loss to CU ... New Haven completed 2008 season with a 31-4 overall record.
Press Conference Video (posted approx 1 hour after conclusion of match):
Concordia Match Quotes:
Concordia head coach Brady Starkey comments:
His first thoughts after tonight's match: "We're super fired up to be in the next round. It's tough to think about the next match right now, we're just excited to be moving on."
On both teams' struggles early in the match -- "Both teams seemed jittery. We smoothed out a little and we served tough and we kept them out of system. They've got some girls that can terminate balls that you just can't do anything about. When they did that, I told our players that there's nothing you can do but say nice play and move on to the next point."
On his team's defense -- "I think, for us, that's our staple. We're not an outstanding blocking team but we're solid and we've got people who can get the ball up."
On what his team needs to do to win -- "At this point, it's the team that can stay in system that's going to win. They've got five really good hitters and a great setter. The biggest thing for us is that, just because they get one-on-one against our block, we don't expect to lose the point. You have to get in there and get the ball up and give the team a chance."
More on the same subject -- "When teams get to this level, every team does what they do. You don't really dwell on what other teams are doing. You do what you have to do and you can't get down when they make plays. We have to stick with our game plan. If we don't make plays, it's probably going to be one of those nights where you get beat, but you have to play your game and make plays."
Concordia junior setter Maggie McNamara comments:
On the depth of her team's hitters and who gets the ball -- "They can all terminate the ball. It depends on the play. I don't have to figure out who's the better hitter at the time. I can just read the defense and know that they can all terminate the ball wherever they are."
On the start to the match -- "In the first game we started off slow, but then we started to get comfortable. No matter how many times you've been in this situation, it takes a while to get comfortable."
On winning the AVCA National Player of the Year award -- "It was emotional. A lot of work has gone into that with my team and it meant a lot."
Concordia junior rightside hitter Sadie Kessler comments:
On the match ups she faced when hitting -- "I really don't think about whose blocking me. I just try to go into it, go with no fear and make sure I get a good swing at it."
On playing in front of a large, home crowd -- "We really enjoy it. Our team is emotional and I love to cheer for my team. Playing in front of a big crowd makes it that much more fun."
New Haven Match Quotes
Head Coach Robin Salters -
Opening Comment: "First, thank you to Concordia for hosting this event. They have been very hospitable and it's been an excellent event for our student-athletes. The match was competivie early on and CU was able to get in a groove. We have a history of starting slow, but in the past have been able to work out of that rut. Tonight we just came out on the short end of the stick."
How did you prepare for CU's offensive attack? "We knew they'd be tough offensively. Four or five of their players are hitting .250 or better. Their setter distributes the ball well, obviously as the NCAA Player of the Year. We tried to prepare the best that we could and simulate CU's attack as best we could during practice.
On paper matched up well, what was the difference? - "One difference is the fact that CU plays in a tough conference/region, and we play at that level only sporadically. It's hard to compare stats on a day to day basis if we do not play at this top level every day. Statistically we matched up with CU, but when get down to this point in the season, it's 0-0, and they played the best tonight."
About CU's Blocking - "We knew CU would go two up against Rhe-Ann (Niles). They kept going two up on her which allowed us to open up more on the outside, and Charisse and her teammates were able to find some gaps."
Senior libero Katrina Ali:
Your team has played well defensively this year, is this (Concordia) the top offensive team you've played? "Yes and No. We played Merrimack in the North East finals and they were tough offensively. Concordia brought their game tonight. Concordia buckled down and good luck to them."
You leave New Haven as the school's all-time digs leader, are you happy your career ended at the NCAA Elite Eight? - "I'm glad that I left a mark at New Haven, especially at the Elite Eight...it's nice going out with a bang."
Talk about the highlights of your career or this season - "In four years, we have had good and bad times. This season has proven that hard works pays off. I'm sad about losing, but we came here, fought hard, and the best team did what they had to do tonight."
Senior middle/outside hitter Charisse Cotton:
Offensive success tonight against CU - "Offensively, we tried to find the holes. It's tough right now. Offensively, we tried to play smart, that was the game plan for the front row and I think we tried our best."
Talk about the highlights of your career or this season - "I feel like the last four years that I've been at UNH and this entire season has been memorable. We made this last year great..we fought every game that we played. Everything was sweet...the conference championship, regional championship, and the plane ride to Minnesota was sweet. Everything was a great experience...it's a bitter sweet feeling. Overall, the whole season was a great experience."
