MATCH RECAP:

NORTHFIELD, Minn. (9/29/07)--The road is no longer a scary place for the Cobber volleyball. After struggling for years with the annual back-to-back match conference road trip, Concordia has now gone two straight seasons without posting a loss on the two-match road trip.

The recent success story had its final chapter written in Winona on Saturday where the Cobbers came storming back after dropping the opening game to St. Mary's to post a 3-1 win. The victory comes on the heels of the 3-0 win over St. Olaf in Northfield on Friday. The two wins keep Concordia's win streak alive. They have now won three straight matches and are 9-4 overall. They are currently 4-1 in the MIAC and slowly climbing the ladder to get back into the race for another title.

St. Mary's saw their chance for an upset go by the wayside in the third game. After holding a 17-16 lead with the match tied at 1-1, the Cardinals fell prey to a patented Cobber mid-game run - a run that would put Concordia up 28-23 following a 12-6 edge in points. CC would close out game 3 and then duplicate the feat in game 4, turning a close match at the midpoint into a one-sided victory. The loss for SMU is their third straight and second in consecutive days. The lost 3-0 to St. Ben's on Friday. They are now 11-8 overall and 1-4 in conference play.

Michelle Honek continues her outstanding senior season. The right-side hitter finished with a match-high 20 kills and routinely came up with the big point when the Cobbers needed one. She also collected 11 digs and now needs only 18 more to break the school record for digs in a career. That mark is held by Angie Carlin who had 1,067 digs from 1994-96. Honek currently has 1,050 career digs and moved past Rhiannon Grimm (1,047) for second place on the all-time list.

Following the trend throughout the season, Concordia was able to find offensive success from the outside. Sophomore Angie Bonde was the only other Cobber player with double-digit kill totals. She had 10 kills to go along with 16 digs.

While the outside hitters were supplying the offense, the middle blockers were offering up a huge slice of stifling defense. Junior Abby Scheel and freshman Valerie Glynn continue to improve with each match and continue to present an obstacle that is slowly turning into a Great Wall. Both players finished the match with nine blocks each and the "Great Wall" tandem helped CC post 18.0 team blocks in the match. The 18 team blocks is the fifth most in program history. Freshman Mattea Elhard, who is slowly becoming another defensive force for the Cobbers, recorded a career-high four blocks. Seven different CC players had at least one block in the match.

The trio of juniors that hang around in the shadows of the big hitters once again used their role to push Concordia to the win. Defensive Specialist Anna Tinkham and setters Jill Hance and Alyssa Dahl have all been a huge part of the team's success in 2007. Tinkham had a team-high 28 digs and now leads the team with 281 on the season. She ranks second in the conference and in the top 25 of the nation in the category. Hance had 26 assists and Dahl had another 16.

As a team, Concordia hit .229 for the match and were led by Glynn who had a match-high .400 attack percentage. She also had eight kills - the second-highest total of her career.

St. Mary's had a 62-60 edge in kills but committed 34 attack errors. They were led by Pam Stanton who had 17 kills. Rachel Monterastelli had 53 assists and Theresa Perrini added 38 digs.

The Cobbers will put their three-match winning streak on the line when they host Augsburg on Wednesday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. in Memorial Auditorium. The match will be a part of the week-long Homecoming celebration. The match will have live video and feature live statistics. Both mediums can be accessed through the Cobber athletics website.