Volleyball Takes Opening Set Only to Drop Match to No. 2 Concordia

CRETE, Neb. – Doane volleyball came out strong but couldn't sustain the momentum Saturday evening, falling 3–1 to second-ranked Concordia (21-25, 25-17, 25-13, 25-22) at the Haddix Center. The Tigers (9-8, 1-3 GPAC) earned the opening set behind a balanced attack but saw the Bulldogs (11-1, 4-0 GPAC) rally to take the next three frames.

Doane set the tone in the first set, using timely kills from Brooke Larsen and Natalie Wood to edge Concordia 25-21. Larsen finished the night with 11 kills and 12 digs, while Wood added a team-high 14 kills. Setter Camdyn Carpenter directed the offense with 33 assists and chipped in 11 digs, recording her eighth double-double of the season.

The Bulldogs responded in the second set, capitalizing on Tiger errors and a strong run of serves to build separation late. Concordia's defense held Doane to a .075 hitting percentage overall, while the visitors hit .182 for the match. Concordia's Ashley Keck led all players with 19 kills.

In the third set, the Bulldogs surged ahead early and never looked back, holding Doane to just 13 points. The Tigers regrouped in the fourth and battled point for point. A late rally, highlighted by a kill from Kate Roseland and a block from Wood and Hilary Hupp, cut the deficit to 24-22. However, Concordia closed out the match with a kill to seal the win.

Defensively, Doane collected 61 digs, led by Kaylee Rammell's 18 and Larsen's 12. Hupp and Roseland added three blocks apiece, while Raebel posted nine kills at a .241 clip.

With the loss, Doane falls to 1-3 in GPAC play. The Tigers will look to rebound Wednesday when they travel to face Midland in another conference matchup.

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