by Emily Buss
Issue date: 10/19/06
Section: Womens Sports
A record 797 Minnesota State volleyball fans and supporters packed Bresnan Arena Tuesday night to watch MSU take on the No. 7-ranked Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears. Having only lost two games this season, the Bears came out with a strong and swept the Mavs with scores of 30-17, 30-22, and 30-21.
Both teams' warm-ups looked consistent and well practiced. But only a slight resemblance was seen in the game against Concordia-St. Paul's highly effective defense. All three games teetered between the teams but the Bears came out on top.
"We knew we would have to play hard and consistent to beat them," said senior Cassie Wolpern. "But it just didn't happen. There is a reason why they are No. 7 in the league, they don't make mistakes."
The Mavs only had a .126 attack percentage throughout the entire game, which allowed the Golden Bears to have advantages in kills, assists, digs and blocks. MSU played strong and kept with the pace of the Bears at times, which allowed them to reach new heights in statistics. Dana Ostertag posted a season-high .571 hitting percentage on a team-high 9 kills. Mandy Reuter led the team in digs with 14. Outside hitter Cassie Wolpern played the court once again to earn 10 digs and six kills.
"The team was again a bit tentative. Everyone had their moments, good and bad," Wolpern said. "We were never all playing well. We still have a lot of work to do including balancing out the effort and just plain competing."
With only five games to go until the NCAA Division II Regional Quarterfinals, the women will be hard at work during practice perfecting their skills and getting ready for the soon approaching playoffs. They will compete at 7 p.m. Friday at Bresnan Arena against the University of South Dakota and will travel to Sioux Falls, S.D. to play Augustana College Saturday. The Mavericks have already beaten South Dakota once and hope to repeat the same outcome.
"Both games this weekend are crucial to our chances in the playoffs," Wolpern said. "There isn't a lot of time left, which makes it more important than ever to get back in the gym after Tuesday night and prepare for the next match."
The Mavericks are at a 14-10 overall record and 4-4 in the conference thus far and hope to improve this weekend.
Emily Buss is a Reporter staff writer
