Jimmies push No. 10 Golden Bears to the limit in quarterfinals

John M. Steiner / The Jamestown Sun By Paul Garcia II Today at 9:38 PM Listen Comments Share Share this article News Reporting News Reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? ST. PAUL, Minn. — Down two sets and facing elimination, the University of Jamestown women's volleyball team refused to let its season end quietly on Tuesday, Nov. 10. The Jimmies fought off three match points in a thrilling third set before dominating the fourth, but No. 10 Concordia-St. Paul recovered to claim a 3-2 victory in the NSIC tournament quarterfinals. ADVERTISEMENT UJ fell 25-17 and 25-19 in the opening two sets before rallying for a 32-30 third-set victory and overwhelming the Golden Bears 25-11 in the fourth. Concordia-St. Paul ultimately secured the win with a 15-8 fifth set. Facing a two-set deficit, the Jimmies found themselves in a back-and-forth third set in which neither team led by more than two points. After the teams were tied at 21, UJ received consecutive kills from Addison Ertz to take a 23-21 advantage, forcing a Concordia-St. Paul timeout. The Golden Bears responded, tying the set at 23 before Charlotte Lempka delivered a kill to give UJ its first set point. Concordia-St. Paul answered, and the teams continued exchanging points until Julia Gordon delivered a kill to give the Golden Bears a 28-27 lead and their first match point. Kyleigh Schopp kept the Jimmies alive with a kill to tie the score at 28. Gordon answered with another kill, but Ertz responded to tie the set at 29. Gordon delivered again to put Concordia-St. Paul ahead 30-29, bringing the Golden Bears within one point of advancing to the semifinals for the third time. ADVERTISEMENT Ertz answered with another kill to tie the score at 30 before a Makenna Nold attack error gave UJ a 31-30 advantage. Ertz then completed the comeback with a service ace to secure the 32-30 victory. The momentum carried into the fourth set. UJ came out to a 9-4 advantage that forced Concordia-St. Paul to call a timeout. The Jimmies continued their surge, extending the lead to 12-5 before pushing it to 16-6 behind a balanced offensive attack and improved blocking. Concordia-St. Paul briefly responded with five of the next six points, cutting the deficit to 17-11, but UJ answered with eight consecutive points to close the set. Lempka delivered three kills during the closing run, including the set-winning point that secured a commanding 25-11 victory and forced a deciding fifth set. The Golden Bears opened with a 5-2 lead and stretched it to 9-4, forcing a UJ timeout. The Jimmies responded with two consecutive points, including an Ertz kill, to cut the deficit to 9-6. ADVERTISEMENT Concordia-St. Paul answered with consecutive points to extend its lead to 11-6. UJ managed two more kills, but the Golden Bears scored the final three points to secure the 15-8 victory. UJ and Concordia-St. Paul went blow for blow in the stat sheet, with the Jimmies earning 60 kills to the Golden Bears' 61. The Jimmies also held advantages in digs (76-75) and assists (58-57), while both teams recorded nine service aces. Where Concordia-St. Paul held the edge was in hitting percentage, .253 to .195, and committed seven fewer attack errors. Gracie Adamson led UJ with 18 kills and 11 digs, while Ertz finished with 17 kills and Lempka added 15 on a .407 hitting percentage. Sophie Ketterling anchored the defense with 28 digs. Jamestown High School graduate Nold led Concordia-St. Paul with a match-high 22 kills and 15 digs, while Gordon added 12 kills without an attack error. The Jimmies finished the conference tournament with a 19-10 overall record after going 12-8 in NSIC play. Their NCAA tournament fate remains uncertain until the field is announced, although an at-large bid appears unlikely. No. 10 Concordia-St. Paul 3, University of Jamestown 2 ADVERTISEMENT UJ: 17 19 32 25 8 — 2 CSP: 25 25 30 11 15 — 3 Highlights: UJ — Gracie Adamson 18 kills, 11 digs, 2 aces; Addison Ertz 17 kills, .267 hitting percentage; Charlotte Lempka 15 kills, .407 hitting percentage, 3 block assists; Kyleigh Schopp 4 kills, 3 block assists; Sophie Ketterling 28 digs, 2 aces; Ava Bertsch 31 assists, 12 digs; Kate Wiebesiek 14 assists, 7 digs. CSP — Makenna Nold 22 kills, 15 digs, 2 aces; Julia Gordon 12 kills, .400 hitting percentage; Mehlayna Straub 9 kills, 1 solo block, 3 block assists; Kaydence White 8 kills, .412 hitting percentage; Kelsey Cooper 6 kills; Audrey Waterman 49 assists, 11 digs; Marta Leeland 3 aces. Comments Share Share this article News Reporting News Reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? Tags Tags UNIVERSITY OF JAMESTOWN JAMESTOWN JIMMIES JAMESTOWN STUTSMAN COUNTY By Paul Garcia II Paul Garcia II is a sports reporter for The Jamestown Sun. Paul is an Air Force veteran where he was stationed at Minot Air Force Base. After finishing his contract with the Air Force, Paul obtained a bachelor's degree in Communication and Media Studies at University California of San Diego, and a Master's in Sports Journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Arizona State University. Twitter Listen to this article Conversation ADVERTISEMENT What To Read Next Subscribers Only UND Hockey NCHC suspends Western Michigan forward Adam Benák 13h ago · By Brad Elliott Schlossman College Tom Dosch Tuesday: Jimmies aim to send seniors out strong 13h ago · By Paul Garcia II College Durkin’s clutch shot leads Gophers to win in Cincinnati 1d ago · By Andy Greder / St. Paul Pioneer Press ADVERTISEMENT Get Local Must Reads North Dakota Voters in 2 North Dakota counties reject property tax increases 2d ago · By Jack Dura / North Dakota Monitor North Dakota North Dakota's Pembina Gorge State Park completes first season 3d ago · By Maxwell Marko Local The Jamestown Sun's Wednesday print edition expected to be delivered Thursday 6h ago Lifestyle What if this winter’s forecast holds true? 3d ago · By Don Kinzler