No. 17 Warriors Fall to No. 2 Concordia in Ranked GPAC Showdown

SEWARD, Neb. – Wednesday night featured a nationally ranked battle of Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) teams as No. 17 Midland University traveled to take on No. 2 Concordia University. In the rivalry matchup, which has been a regular fixture since the formation of the GPAC, the Bulldogs came out on top in four sets (28-30, 25-17, 25-19, 25-17) over the Warriors.

Early on, the two sides played evenly, with Midland matching the energy and effort of Concordia. The teams traded points up to 9-9 before the Warriors went on a six-point rally with Delainey Cast at the service line. Lauren Jones and Avery Couch contributed with kills and combined for a block during the run.

Concordia chipped away with a pair of small rallies, pulling within one at 18-17 and then surging ahead at 21-20. The Bulldogs held the lead and earned four set-point opportunities, but Midland responded each time. After their first chance to close it at 28-27, the Warriors sealed the opener with a kill from Abree Plueger, winning 30-28.

The Bulldogs struck back quickly in the second set with a 4-0 run that grew to a 10-5 advantage. After trading points, Concordia extended its lead with a pair of three-point rallies, doubling up Midland at 20-10.

The Warriors fought back with six straight points to cut the deficit to four, forcing a Bulldog timeout. Concordia regrouped and finished off the set, 25-17, to even the match.

In the third set, the teams went back-and-forth before Midland grabbed a 10-7 lead. Concordia responded with an 8-3 run to go in front. After the Warriors tied it at 17-17, the Bulldogs took control by winning eight of the final 10 points to secure the set, 25-19, and take a 2-1 lead.

With Midland needing the fourth set to force a deciding fifth, Concordia came out strong. An 8-1 start gave the Bulldogs the cushion they needed. The Warriors couldn't tilt the momentum their way as Concordia closed out the set and match with a 25-17 win.

"Concordia is deserving of its No. 2 ranking. They are experienced, physical, relentless, and their depth on the pins makes it difficult to expose weaknesses," said Midland head coach Micah Rhodes.

"I thought we came out fearless and loose, and we matched their intensity for almost two sets. But once they settled in and controlled the pace of the game, we found ourselves on the back foot and unable to play our game consistently or effectively.

"Passing was once again a big crutch and a glaring weakness. The poor passing across the board put a lot of pressure on our outsides to produce offensively against a big block. I was disappointed in how we didn't adjust or take risks with our attacks when we were out of system. We kept hitting straight into their block."

Concordia finished with 17 total blocks compared to 7 for Midland. The Bulldogs also hit .168 on the attack while holding the Warriors to .058, their lowest hitting percentage of the season.

"This loss doesn't hurt us, but I would have liked to walk away from tonight knowing we gave our best effort and controlled the controllables while playing clean volleyball," Rhodes added. "Those things didn't happen. We need to reset quickly and turn our focus to another opportunity to get better and grab a GPAC win against Hastings on Saturday."

Statistical Standouts

• Abree Plueger: 9 kills, 2 service aces, 2 block assists
• Brooklynn Snyder: 12 kills, 11 digs
• Brena Mackling: 19 assists, 14 digs
• Avery Couch: 8 kills, .222 hitting pct.
• Cameran Jansky: 3 kills, 5 block assists
• Lauren Jones: 8 kills, .143 hitting pct., 5 digs, 5 block assists
• Delainey Cast: 21 digs
• Claire Johnson: 10 digs

Midland (7-6, 2-1 GPAC) will be back on the road this weekend, taking on another in-state rival in Hastings (4-9, 1-2 GPAC). First serve is set for Saturday, Sept. 20, inside the Osborne Family Sports Complex in Hastings, Neb.