Box Score
TOPEKA, Kan. – After fighting off a game point that would have sent the match into a fifth and deciding game, Concordia-St. Paul’s Emily Palkert slammed down a kill from the left side to the right corner to give the second-ranked Golden Bears a 3-1 win over Western Washington and their first national title Saturday night in the final of the NCAA II Women’s Volleyball National Championship.
Palkert, the AVCA freshman of the year, ended the match with 15 kills while Maria Steinhagen led all players with 26 kills and a .500 attack percentage. Kate Bennet had 18 kills and Whitney Meierotto had 10.
“I’m just really proud of our girls,” said CU coach Brady Starkey after winning the first national championship of any kind at Concordia. “They fought and fought basically throughout the tournament.”
The Vikings, ranked 15th and playing in their first national championship match, were led by Emily Castro with 19 kills and Angie Alvord with 16 while Tiana Roma had 12 and led the team with a .379 attack.
The Golden Bears had a comfortable lead late in game one at 28-20 before giving up five straight points. A service error ended the run and then Steinhagen later clinched the opening game with a kill.
Western Washington didn’t allow CU to carry over any momentum in the second game as the Vikings opened up with a 7-2 lead. They held the lead the rest of the way and took the game with two straight CU attack errors.
“It was kind of like a war of attrition with two teams that get up and hit the ball on the court and then they play incredible defense,” said Starkey. “That’s our kind of volleyball, and it’s their kind of volleyball. The points are long, the rallies are long.”
Game three went the Golden Bears’ way as they took control after a 3-3 tie. A 6-0 run late in the game made the score 28-17 and then Steinhagen’s kill forced game point. They then took the game with a WWU attack error.
Game four featured 17 ties and eight lead changes. WWU was ahead at 20-17 before four straight points gave the Bears the lead. After seven more ties the Vikings looked like they were going to send the match into game five as they went up 29-28 on a kill from Castro. After a WWU attack error the Golden Bears took a 30-29 advantage on a kill from Meierotto to set up Palkert’s title clinching kill.
Concordia’s Maggie McNamara had 71 assists while the busy back row had 109 digs, led by Mary Slinger’s 35 and Meierotto’s 25. McNamara also led the team with six block assists.
“This means a lot to me because of these girls,” said Starkey. “This ends up being the ultimate because we get to be around each other for so long. To me, that’s the reward.”
