No. 20 Warriors Drop Semifinal Match to Second-Ranked Concordia

SEWARD, Neb. – Meeting for the third time this season, No. 20 Midland University faced off against No. 2 Concordia University on Wednesday night in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Semifinals. The Warriors, who had lost their previous two meetings this season, could not overcome the Bulldogs on their home floor, falling in straight sets (25-17, 25-20, 25-14).

A quick 7-2 run by Concordia to start the opening set, set the tone for the night. Midland traded short rallies and narrowed the deficit to three points on two occasions, with the second coming after a four-point run capped off by an ace serve. However, the Bulldogs steadily pulled ahead, securing a 25-17 win in the first set.

The Warriors hit .091 in the first set with nine kills and six errors, while the Bulldogs hit .229 with 13 kills and only five miscues.

The second set began evenly, with the teams splitting the first dozen points, 6-6. After that, the Bulldogs went on a seven-point run to seize control. They held a commanding lead up to set point, 24-15, but the Warriors fought back with five straight points, prompting a Concordia timeout. The break interrupted Midland's rally, and Concordia clinched the set, 25-20.

Midland tallied 13 kills with six errors to hit .132 in the second set, while Concordia posted a .233 hitting percentage with 16 kills and six errors, taking a two-set lead.

Seeking a sweep, the Bulldogs came out focused in the third set, scoring four straight points and forcing an early Midland timeout. Concordia extended their lead to 13-3 with a 9-1 run, leading to a second timeout by the Warriors. Midland managed short rallies but couldn't sustain a run, with Concordia closing out the match 25-14.

"Very disappointed in our team's effort tonight. I thought we were ready to play after some very good practices," commented head coach Paul Giesselmann. "Our last couple of matches, I thought we were playing at a really high level. We didn't execute the little things. When you're playing a great team like Concordia, you can't take plays off mentally or physically. Tonight, we weren't locked in, and at the end of the day, that's on me as a coach."

For the match, the Warriors hit .085 with 27 kills and 17 errors on the attack. They also struggled with eight service errors. The Bulldogs had six service errors but excelled on the attack, hitting .232 with 43 kills and 17 errors.

Brooklynn Snyder, Jacki Apel, and Lauren Williams led Midland with six kills each. Stella Kuehl led in assists with 12, followed closely by Brena Mackling with 10 in Midland's 6-2 system.

Defensively, Williams tallied a team-high five blocks. Abbey Ringler, playing her final match in her hometown of Seward, contributed four blocks as Midland recorded nine total. In the back row, Delanie Vallinch led with 11 digs, while Kuehl added nine.

"We'll go back and look at the film," added Giesselmann. "The nice thing is, we've got some days off before we have to start preparing for the opening round of the national tournament. We'll fix this. I have a lot of confidence in our players that we'll put a great team on the court one week from Saturday."

Midland (17-10) now awaits an at-large bid to the NAIA Postseason Tournament. The Warriors, who moved up two spots in the final rankings, are strong candidates to host an Opening Round match for the fifth straight season. The tournament field will be announced by the national office on Monday, November 18, at noon.