UMD Slips Past Central Missouri And On To Regional Semifinal

Nov 29, 2012

Northland Sports Online

A NCAA Division II Central Region quarterfinal matchup featuring a pair of perennial national contenders in the University of Minnesota Duluth and the University of Central Missouri more than lived up to the hype Thursday evening in St. Paul, Minn. The Bulldogs refused to go home empty handed, completing a 3-2 (25-18, 24-26, 21-25, 25-18, 15-6) come-from-behind win over the Jennies on a signature Kate Lange kill in the fifth set to advance to Friday’s semifinal round at the Gangelhoff Center.

A relatively inexperienced UMD club sputtered out of the gates, allowing Central Missouri to leap out to a 5-0 lead in the opening frame. Following a timeout by head coach Jim Boos, the Bulldogs climbed back into the game and ultimately pulled ahead for the first time when a kill by Mariah Scharf created a 13-12 UMD lead. The two teams traded punches until the Bulldogs broke a 20-18 score and ran away with the set on a 5-0 run. The second took a complete turn, and UMD let the game slip after holding an edge on the scoreboard for the majority of the set.

Letting that second game slip away sent the Bulldogs into a bit of a funk offensively. UMD attacked at a sub .200 clip in both the third and fourth sets (.133 and .156, respectively), but forced Central Missouri struggled even more on the attack in the fourth game, creating a winner-take-all fifth set. The Bulldogs, who had trailed 2-1 on just one other occasion this fall (a 3-2 win over McKendree University in the Aug. 31 opener), responded with their backs against the wall. UMD built a huge lead in the fourth set, ultimately leaning on a rattled Jennie squad to force the fifth game.

The Bulldogs flexed their offensive muscles in the final frame. After jumping out to a 3-0 lead, Central Missouri called a timeout to talk things over and tried to prevent UMD from getting on a roll. The chalk talk did little to thwart UMD, who took six of the next eight points to take a 9-2 advantage and force another Jennie timeout. Central Missouri was able to garner a bit of momentum, but the lead proved to be insurmountable. Lange sealed the deal with a powerful shot from the left side — her third successive swing during the same flurry, sending the Jennies home with an overall record of 26-7.

Lange, who has now reached double figures in kills in 66 consecutive matches, scooped 14 digs for her 12th double-double of the season. The 2012 NSIC Player of the Year, added a pair of service aces and two total blocks to her credit in helping UMD improve to 29-4. Senior middle blocker Kalli Lochner posted 12 kills and four total blocks, while sophomore right side hitter Maddie Siroin clubbed 10 kills as the only other Bulldog to end up in double figures. Rookie setter Ashley Hinsch dished out 59 assists in guiding UMD to a collective .255 attack percentage.

The Bulldogs will now await the result of Thursday’s nightcap between Concordia University-St. Paul and Wayne State College. UMD, which matched its highest win total since 2007 with the victory, will take on the winner at 7:30 p.m.

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