MATCH RECAP:

MOORHEAD, Minn. (9/12/07)--Funny thing about confidence; one match you are just trying to figure out your teammate's names and worrying about not making a game-changing mistake and two weeks later you are making every play, hammering down kills with pace and dispatching conference opponents in 70 minutes.

That's the turn the Concordia volleyball team has taken in 2007. The Cobbers started the season in search of an identity and wondering if they could be successful after graduating two All-Americans. Nine matches later, the team is looking every bit like a championship squad that will make a run at a fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance.

On Wednesday they successfully opened the MIAC season by dispatching upstart St. Kate's in three straight games (30-15, 30-26, 30-17). The match lasted only 70 minutes and featured a 23-6 run by the Cobbers to close out the first game that seized control of the match and reestablished CC as a force in conference play.

Trailing 9-7 in the first game, the Cobbers went to their emerging star Michelle Honek to put down winners from the right side. The Wildcats would have no answer for the senior who was named to the All-Tournament Team at the recently completed Washington Univ. Invite.

Claiming the opening game 30-15, St. Kate's rallied in the second game and held the lead for most of the contest. Like a cagy runner that allows a younger sprinter to go out of the gate fast and then tire towards the finish line, Concordia caught the Wildcats at 21-21 and then breezed past CSC in the final stages. The Cobbers' 9-5 run in the home stretch signaled the end for St. Kate's as they were never able to recover in the third game.

In the final frame, CC went out to an 11-3 lead and cruised to the 30-17 win. For the match, Concordia's defense held the Wildcats to an attack percentage of -.025 in the first game and -.083 in the final game. On the other side of the net, CC hit .389 for the entire match and had a high-water mark of .424 in the first game.

Individually Concordia had three players step up at different times to take control of the front line. Sophomores Angie Bonde and Maggie Olson combined for 20 kills and Honek finished with 10. Bonde quietly put up a match-high 11 kills and Olson had several thundering hits on her way to nine kills. Juniors Alyssa Dahl and Jill Hance split time as the team's offensive playmaker. Dahl had a match-high 27 assists and Hance recorded 21 helpers. Anna Tinkham, one of the top defensive specialists in the MIAC, finished with a match-high 15 digs.

For St. Kate's, sophomore Maria Hoffman had a team-high 10 kills to go along with the team's only solo block on the night. Whitney Sparby collected 16 assists and Erika Kriechbaum tied Tinkham's mark with 15 digs.

The Cobbers will have a much-needed week break before returning to action against ninth-ranked St. Thomas on Wednesday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. in St. Paul.