The Wayne State volleyball team wasn’t in a sharing mood.
Down two sets to one in their final regular-season matchup and a Northern Sun Conference regular-season title on the line, the Wildcats rallied to beat Concordia-St. Paul for the third time this season, posting a 25-19, 16-25, 21-25, 25-18, 15-8 win Saturday at the Gangelhoff Center in St. Paul, Minn.
The win gives Wayne State its first outright NSIC regular-season title since 2008 and the No. 1 seed for the Northern Sun Conference tournament, which starts Friday at the same location.
The second-ranked Wildcats (29-1, 19-1 NSIC) used five service aces in the opening set to take the first game of the five-set match. Jessie Brandl, Brooke Peltz and Kelsie Cada also had service aces while Maggie Brahmer and Taya Beller each recorded four kills to get WSC out in front early.
Third-ranked Concordia-St. Paul responded with two solid wins, jumping out to a 7-2 lead in the second set and hitting at a .516 clip in the third to take control of the match.
Wayne State would not be denied, however, building a seven-point lead in the fourth set and using nine kills from Cada to send the match to a fifth and deciding set. Wayne State never trailed there, taking the fourth-set momentum in and recording three blocks to close out the Golden Bears for the third time this season.
Beller had a career-high 21 kills Cada added 15 kills and 12 digs and Brahmer finished with 13 kills for the Wildcats. Rachel Walker recorded 48 assists to go with 13 digs. Brandl led the defense with 14 digs and Jordan McCormick added 13. Beller had four blocks and Brahmer and Taylor Bunjer both had three.
Wayne State wrapped up a shore of the conference regular-season title on Friday with a 25-15, 25-23, 20-25, 25-20 win at Minnesota State in Mankato, Minn.
Beller had a match-high 18 kills to pace Wayne State followed by Brahmer with 17 and Cada 10 and 12 digs, along with a career-best six blocks. Walker had 46 assists and 12 digs. Brandl was credited with a career-best 31 digs while McCormick also posted a career-high 22 digs. Brooke Peltz had two of Wayne State’s five service aces.
