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In a week of very important sports events, we watched the Twins battle right until the final two games, then fade away when their bullpen couldn’t avoid hitting the Kansas City Royals bats. We watched the Vikings play poorly until Denver seemed as far off as the Rockies, then make a spirited run at the Broncos, only to fall short. We watched the Gopher football team go to Northwestern and learn that the Wildcats may have the best scholastic standards in the Big Ten, but they also can play a little defense on a football field in a 27-0 thumping absorbed by the punchless rodents.

Farther north, UMD’s football team was on the road, routing Minnesota State-Moorhead 47-14, and now prepare for homecoming Saturday against St. Cloud State, which hammered Minnesota-Crookston 62-14. St. Scholastica took over Malosky Stadium for homecoming, and hammered Martin Luther 53-13 Saturday afternoon. Then the UMD men hit AMSOIL Arena and blitzed Lakehead University 6-1 while the women were on the road, getting swept at Boston College.

But the biggest sports event of the whole weekend, in fact maybe the entire autumn in Duluth came at Romano Gym on Tuesday night when the No. 1 ranked UMD volleyball team took on the challenge of traditional Northern Sun rival Concordia of St. Paul, the No. 3 team in NCAA Division II ratings.

The Bulldogs were primed and ready, but Concordia showed its usual consistency and skill level and captured the match, 3-1.

UMD put on an impressive show in Game 1, rallying from ties of 21-all, 23-all, 24-all and 25-all, gaining the upper hand when Sydnie Mauch hammered a powerful kill from the right side for a 26-25 edge. Then Mariah Scharf won it 27-25 with a kill from the left side.

But the 27-25 triumph served to arouse Concordia for Game 2, and the Golden Bears dominated the game, seeming to block every good chance UMD could arrange, for a 25-14 victory.

Game 3 was much tighter, but again UMD had to battle from behind against the confident and polished Golden Bears. Concordia jumped ahead 9-3, and it took a huge effort by UMD to catch up at 12-12. Sarah Kelly’s kill lifted UMD into a 17-17 tie, and the game also was tied at 18 and 19. But Concordia scored four consecutive points to take command 23-19, and the Golden Bears claimed a 25-20 verdict.

The most competitive game of the match was Game 4, when the two teams swapped leads and played through numerous deadlocks. It looked like the Bulldogs would force a deciding fifth game when Maria Scharf recorded her match-high 17th kill with a gem from the back row for a 23-22 UMD lead. But that proved to be the last point the Bulldogs could muster, and Concordia rattled off three straight points to claim a 25-23 victory.

Scharf had 17 kills, while Taylor Wissbroecker added 12, Sarah Kelly 11 and Mauch 10, while Concordia was paced by Anna Schlaak’s 16, and Emma Lange added 11 and Mariya Sampson 10. It was a tough night to be No. 1 in the country, but the Bulldogs learned a few places they need to tighten up as the long season moves forward.

There is no way to be sure of a football game’s outcome before it starts, but with St. Scholastica you might have a pretty good idea by halftime.
The Saints got a chance to move a few blocks east and take over Malosky Stadium for their homecoming game last Saturday afternoon, and Martin Luther was the unfortunate foe that gamely lined up on the other side of the ball for their UMAC battle.
True, St. Scholastica won the game 53-13, rising to 4-0 atop the UMAC and 4-1 overall. But it was 47-0 at the half. Hunter Thompson had three touchdowns by then, and Preston Robinson added two.

Coach Kurt Ramler’s offense was too swift, too deep, and too clever for the Knights. The Saints worked for their first touchdown, a 2-yard run by Robinson. But when the Saints defense prodded a couple of quick turnovers, backup quarterback Kyle Stepka went to work, hitting Thompson for a 35-yard touchdown pass.
Next time the Saints got the ball, Thompson bolted around end for 32 yards and it was 20-0 after one quarter.
Still, there was a long way to go on that wind-swept field. In the second quarter, Martin Luther punted, Kenneth Jinkins got the ball, and suddenly he emerged on the far side of the pile, sprinting 80 yards for another touchdown.
Robinson came right back for a 59-yard run from scrimmage, and after Mike Mensing scored on a 10-yard run, Stepka connected with Thompson for a 53-yard touchdown, climaxing a 27-point second quarter and a 47-0 halftime bulge.
Ramler substituted freely in the second half, and Martin Luther got a couple of touchdowns, with Matt Olson throwing a touchdown pass and running for another, while Earl Butler threw a short pass to Taj Winston for the final Saints touchdown.

UMD Starts at No. 2

UMD’s hockey team cleared a few cobwebs after only two days of official practice, celebrating its status as the No. 2 ranked team in the country by whipping Lakehead University of Thunder Bay 6-1 last Sunday night at AMSOIL Arena.

Not that it was all that easy. After one period, UMD trailed 1-0 as Larson Dubchak scored on a power-play blast from the slot against Kasimir Kaskisuo, who played the first period in goal for the Bulldogs. Matt McNeely played the second period, and benefitted by UMD’s power-play practice.
A major penalty for checking from behind arranged two goals early in the second period for the Bulldogs, as Tony Cameranesi and Nick McCormack scored 45 seconds apart to put UMD on top 2-1.
That broke a strong start in goal for Lakehead’s Jeff Bosch, who faced 26 shots. Justin McDonald came in, and immediately was dented when Austyn Young converted Kyle Osterberg’s set-up at 11:22 of the middle period, and 30 seconds later, freshman Bill Exell made it 4-1. Thirty-four seconds after that, Alex Iafallo scored, and it was 5-1 with UMD cruising on a 30-6 advantage in shots.
Blake Young scored before the second period ended, and UMD had its final score. Nick Deery played goal in the third period, stopping all four shots he saw, as UMD outshot Lakehead 50-11 for the game.
Things will get a little stickier this weekend, when UMD faces Bemidji State from the WCHA. The teams meet Friday night at AMSOIL, then head to Bemidi for the second game of the nonconference series.
At Bemidji, the Bulldogs will find UMD’s women’s team, which is opening its WCHA slate by facing Bemidji Friday and Saturday.