Concordia Takes Opening Set From No. 2 St. Olaf
Concordia made a statement in Friday night’s MIAC matchup, taking the opening set from No. 2 St. Olaf before the Oles rallied to win in four sets. The Cobbers jumped out early with strong serving and quick kills, stayed competitive in the second set, but St. Olaf’s offense carried them to the 3-1 victory.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
25 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 1 |
|
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16 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Team Stats
St. Olaf
| Game Statistics | St. Olaf | Concordia-M'head |
|---|---|---|
| Hitting % | 0.176 | 0.046 |
| Blocks | 7 | 6 |
| Digs | 84 | 71 |
| Aces | 4 | 5 |
MOORHEAD, Minn. (10/3/25) – Concordia stormed out of the gates with a statement win in the first set, but visiting St. Olaf regrouped to take the next three frames as the Cobbers dropped a four-set MIAC match (25-16, 18-25, 16-25, 15-25) inside Memorial Auditorium on Friday night.
The Cobbers (4-9, 0-2 MIAC) looked sharp from the first serve. Becca Woody sparked an opening 6-0 run with two service aces, while Annie Horan and Addy Klemin controlled the net with quick kills and a block that kept the Oles off balance. Concordia's early lead stretched to 9-3 before St. Olaf responded, cutting the margin to 9-8. The Cobbers answered with an 11-2 scoring run powered by strong swings from Lauren Pearson, Mallory Leitner, and Lauren Bangs. A late ace from Woody and a kill from Leitner sealed the 25-16 set and gave Concordia early momentum.
The Oles bounced back in Set 2. St. Olaf pieced together runs on the serve of Sophie Saxton and capitalized on Cobber errors to pull ahead 15-7, though a kill from Bangs sparked a mini three-point run for Concordia. The Cobbers continued to fight with a balanced offense, but St. Olaf closed out the set 25-18 to even the match.
The third set proved to be the turning point. St. Olaf's offense combined with Cobber errors to put Concordia in an early 11-5 hole, but the Cobbers responded by taking advantage of back-to-back Ole miscues to cut the deficit to five. A St. Olaf kill regained momentum for the visitors, who led by nearly five points for the remainder of the set and eventually sealed it 25-16.
The fourth set followed a similar pattern. St. Olaf jumped out to a 16-10 lead, with only two Cobber points coming from kills, one each from Leitner and Horan. Concordia earned points from Horan, Leitner, Betsy Schiltz, Woody, and Lexie Lohman, but the Oles' block and transition game proved too much down the stretch. A kill from Mehsa Krause ended the set at 25-15 and clinched the match for the visitors.
Horan finished with a team-high 11 kills and 17 digs, while Pearson and Leitner added six and seven, respectively. Schiltz directed the offense with 27 assists, and Holland Fitterer added 16 digs.
Concordia moves to 4-9 overall and 0-2 in conference play. The Cobbers return to action on Tuesday, October 7, when they travel to Saint Mary's for a 6:00 p.m. matchup.
