GOLDEN BEARS REACH NATIONAL SEMIFINALS FOR SECOND STRAIGHT SEASON, WILL FACE GRAND VALLEY STATE

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. To read the complete match recap please click here.