COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (9/17/11)—No.15-ranked Concordia made a big national statement at the Colorado College Invitational on Friday and Saturday. The Cobbers swept No.9-ranked Juniata and No.12-ranked Colorado College on their way to posting a 3-1 record and finishing in second place.
Concordia is now 12-2 on the year and assured of moving into the top 10 of the nation in the next AVCA DIII national poll. The Cobbers only loss of the weekend came against No.2-ranked Wash. Univ. (Mo.). The Bears are 14-0 this season and advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament last season.
Once again a pair of seniors stepped to the forefront to lead Concordia in the four matches. Jenna Green continued her outstanding season. She had a team-high 55 kills to go along with 52 digs and was named to the All-Tournament Team. It was the third straight weekend she has earned All-Tournament honors. CC setter Amy Sykora was also named to the All-Tournament Team. She came away with 128 assists in the four matches and added seven service aces, 28 digs and seven blocks. Sykora continued her success in the Mile High state. As a freshman she was named the Tournament MVP at the Colorado College Invite.
The Cobbers started the weekend by breezing past Endicott (Mass.) 25-6, 25-13, 25-21. Concordia hit .196 for the three games and held the Gulls to a final attack percentage of -.098. CC had 11 total blocks and had 11 players register a kill. Green had a team-high seven kills while Sykora had 21 assists and freshman Kelly Reed added a career-high four blocks.
The second match on Friday was probably the most memorable, and eye-opening, in the past several years for Concordia. The Cobbers swept two-time national champion Juniata 25-19, 25-23, 29-27. CC hit .237 for the three sets and did not have an attack percentage of below .150 for the entire match. Green had a monster match as she went for 22 kills and 20 digs and earned her first 20-20 of the season. She was one of four CC players to have double-digit dig totals. Sophomore Rachel Wiinanen had 15 digs and Allison Bruggeman added 13. Katie Vohnoutka came away with 17 kills, nine digs and three blocks. Sykora had her fourth 40-plus assist match of the year. She had 43 assist in the win.
On Saturday Concordia fell 25-20, 25-17, 25-19 to Wash. Univ. but then rebounded by cruising past the host Tigers 25-14, 25-17, 25-21. CC hit an unbelievable .516 in the first set and wound up with an attack percentage of .274 for the entire match. The Cobbers defense limited Colorado College offense to just a .092 attack percentage and had four players with at least three blocks. Vohnoutka was a wall in the middle of the defense as she had six blocks. She also had 11 kills. Bruggeman had four blocks and Sykora and Reed came away with three blocks each. Green led the team in kills for the fourth time in the weekend. She had 15 kills and 13 digs.
Concordia will now turn their attention to the bulk of the MIAC regular season. The Cobbers will play at Bethel on Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m. They will then return home to host St. Catherine on Saturday, Sept. 24 at 3 p.m.