Bulldog Weekly Report (Oct. 15)

By Concordia University, Nebraska on Oct. 15, 2019 in Athletic Announcements

Bulldog Athletic Association Athletes of the Week

Male: Lane Napier, Football

A junior from David City, Neb., Lane Napier earned GPAC Defensive Player of the Week accolades after recording 12 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a half of a sack and an interception in Concordia’s 24-17 win over Dakota Wesleyan. In the process, Napier became the program’s first player during the GPAC era to surpass 300 career tackles.

Female: Marissa Hoerman, Volleyball

A junior from Evergreen, Colo., Marissa Hoerman starred in the back row while posting a combined 40 digs and five aces over last week’s victories over Doane and No. 25 Morningside. Hoerman also successfully handled 42 of 43 serve receive opportunities. Her three aces versus Doane equaled a career high.

Previous BAAM Athletes of the Week
Oct. 8 – Caleb Goldsmith (soccer) / Tara Callahan (volleyball)
BAAM September Athletes of the Month: Derek Tachovsky (football) / Emmie Noyd (volleyball)
Oct. 1 – AJ Jenkins (football) / Rebekah Hinrichs (cross country)
Sept. 24 – Derek Tachovsky (football) / Kendra Placke (golf)
Sept. 17 – Moises Jacobo (soccer) / Kara Stark (volleyball)
Sept. 10 – Carlos Orquiz (soccer) / Amie Martin (cross country)
Sept. 3 – Eduardo Alba (soccer) / Emmie Noyd (volleyball)

News and notes:

Hoops on the horizon: Head coaches Ben Limback and Drew Olson are prepping their teams for the start of the 2019-20 Concordia basketball seasons. Olson’s program is fresh off winning the NAIA Division II national title this past March while Limback’s program is looking to build off a strong finish to the 2018-19 regular season. Both teams bring back plenty of firepower and senior leadership. For season outlooks on both squads, click the links below. The men’s and women’s basketball teams are slated to officially get the 2019-20 campaigns underway on Oct. 25.
-Concordia men’s basketball preview | Concordia women’s basketball preview

Shooting sports continues 2019-20 season at Hastings Bronco Invitational: Sophomores Bryon Baca and Sarah Schwacher both rose to the top of the podium while spearheading the efforts of the Concordia University shooting sports team at last week’s Hastings Bronco Invitational (Oct. 12-13) in Grand Island, Neb. As a team, the Bulldogs set new school standards in wobble trap (479) and skeet doubles (463). Head coach Scott Moniot’s program has now competed in five events this fall and was fresh off hosting the Bulldog Sporting Classic (Oct. 5-6) the previous week. At the Bronco Invite, Concordia finished third high overall (out of 10 squads) with a team total of 2,280, putting it behind only Fort Hays State University (2,346) and Midland (2,315). The Bulldogs will not have a competition this week, but members of the team will be at Oak Creek Sporting Club in Brainard, Neb., this Friday through Sunday for the Kids & Clays Sporting Clays Tournament that will benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities. For more on Concordia shooting sports, click HERE.

Bulldog Coaches Show airs every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. CT: The Bulldog Coaches Show is underway in its fourth year of existence. The show airs live for a half hour every Thursday beginning at 5:30 p.m. CT on KTMX-FM 104.9 Max Country. The weekly feature can also be heard live via 104.9 Max Country’s website or by downloading the Max Country app. Throughout the 2018-19 season, Bulldog football, men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball contests will be aired live on Max Country. Tyler Cavalli serves as the host of the coaches’ show as well as the play-by-play voice for football and basketball. Frank Greene is in his fourth season calling Concordia volleyball.

Concordia Sports Network: Live webcasts for most home varsity contests can be accessed by visiting https://www.cune.edu/athletics/watch-bulldogs at game time. Beginning in 2019-20, Concordia Athletics is partnering with PrestoSports for live video and statistical streaming. For more details on this change, click HERE. Check team schedules/results pages for webcast dates. Scrimmages, exhibitions and junior varsity events are not broadcasted.

Volleyball

  • The Bulldogs are making believers out of themselves and outsiders. In last week’s action, Concordia held serve at home with victories over Doane on Oct. 9 and over No. 25 Morningside on Oct. 11. In both instances, the Bulldogs dropped the first set and then roared back to claim pivotal conference wins. There’s still a lot to be decided with six GPAC regular-season matches remaining, but head coach Ben Boldt’s squad is now 18-3 overall and 7-3 in the GPAC (third place), positioning itself for a potentially special season. For more on Concordia volleyball, click HERE.
  • It’s getting to the point in the season where the rankings really matter, considering the official NAIA coaches’ poll is used to determine at-large bids to the national tournament. To be fair, there hasn’t been a new poll since Oct. 2, but the Bulldogs are vastly underrated. Concordia received the 33rd most votes nationally in that early October rating. According to the current Massy Ratings, the Bulldogs are the seventh best team in the NAIA and have played the 24th most challenging schedule in the nation. They own three wins over teams in the Massey top 25 (No. 11 Corban, No. 16 Midland and No. 23 Morningside).
  • During the GPAC era (2000-present), only two Concordia volleyball teams have ever been 18-3 or better after 21 matches – the 2005 squad (coached by Rachel Miller) and the 2019 edition. The ’05 team was also 18-3 (started 18-0) at this point in the season. The most overall victories for the Bulldogs since the GPAC formed was the 26 wins put up by the 2015 team that qualified for the opening round of the NAIA National Championships. The program has claimed a GPAC title only once and it occurred in the first year of the conference when Rebecca Ernstmeyer led the 2000 squad to a 9-1 GPAC mark (tied for first with Dordt and Hastings).
  • There are so many visible signs of this team’s growth that go beyond the 18-3 overall mark. Consistent success within the GPAC is the hallmark of an excellent squad. Concordia has won three in a row and five of its last six within conference play. After last week’s win over Doane, junior setter Tara Callahan remarked that “mentally this is the strongest we’ve ever been.” Their mentality has helped the Bulldogs go 4-1 in rematches with GPAC teams it faced earlier this season and to make Walz Arena a tough place for opponents again. Concordia is 8-1 at home.
  • The Bulldogs achieved a seemingly impossible statistical feat in the third set versus Morningside. Concordia piled up 25 kills to earn a 27-25 triumph in that set, which included no Bulldog blocks or aces and two Mustang attack errors. Freshman Camryn Opfer posted six of her match high 17 kills during this stretch. Concordia ended the set with a kill from another freshman, Kalee Wiltfong. At that point, the Bulldogs had effectively recovered from dropping the first set and falling behind 21-14 in the second set.
  • Senior Emmie Noyd has been the brightest star from a statistical standpoint, but Concordia continues to get the job done with balance. Four Bulldogs now have more than 150 kills – Noyd (255), Opfer (186), Kara Stark (162) and Wiltfong (162). Arleigh Costello (129) should also soon get over that hump. The Bulldogs employ one of the nation’s most prolific attacks, currently ranking sixth in the NAIA in kills per set (13.77) and 10th nationally in hitting percentage (.238).
  • Noyd should at least garner consideration as an All-American. She continues to elevate her game and is the team’s safest bet when it really needs a point. Noyd’s role has increased each year of her college career with her attack attempt averages per set rising from 3.64 to 5.06 to 6.82 to 8.03 over the past four years. The middle blocker from Shelby, Neb., celebrated her birthday (Oct. 11) in the win over Morningside by smashing 16 kills to go along with a .351 hitting percentage.
  • Boldt referred to last week as a potential “separation week,” meaning his team had a chance to separate from the middle of the pack of it took care of business. The Bulldogs did their part, but there remains a logjam of teams with three conference losses: Concordia (7-3), Dordt (6-3) and Midland (6-3). Northwestern (8-0) and Jamestown (6-1) hold down the top two spots in the GPAC standings. The top four seeds at the end of the regular season earn the right to host in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.
  • An extended break in the schedule will end on Saturday when the Bulldogs welcome No. 22 Dordt (15-6, 6-3 GPAC) to town for a 3 p.m. CT first serve. Of the six remaining matches left in the regular season, three will be at home and three will be on the road. To this point, Concordia has left the state of Nebraska for a GPAC match only once (at Morningside on Sept. 17).

Football

  • A topsy-turvy ride through the 2019 season continues for the Bulldogs, who got back into the win column last week with a 24-17 home triumph over Dakota Wesleyan. The victory followed a frustrating 13-10 four-overtime loss at Jamestown on a mud pit of a field a week earlier. This past week’s game was one Concordia had to get. The Tigers entered it with a record of 0-4 in conference play. Head coach Patrick Daberkow’s squad is now 3-3 overall and 3-2 inside the GPAC (tied for fourth place). For more on Bulldog football, click HERE.
  • Dakota Wesleyan has ventured to Seward in each of the past three seasons – and Concordia has won in all instances. The past two matchups have not been particularly pretty, especially the 2018 meeting that resulted in a 14-9 Bulldog victory. The formula for Concordia has been to follow the lead of its rugged defense, which held Tiger running back Luke Loudenburg to eight yards on six carries. DWU netted eight rushing yards on 27 attempts last week.
  • What a difference a week makes. In the mudder at Jamestown, both teams went almost exclusively to their rushing attacks. Last week the Bulldogs came out firing the ball through the air with Jake Kemp going 5-of-7 for 71 yards and a touchdown on the game’s opening drive. With Kemp’s first completion alone (a 17-yard pass play to Cayden Beran), Concordia equaled its entire passing yardage output at Jamestown. Kemp finished his day 19-for-38 for 289 yards and three touchdowns (with one interception).
  • Kemp is providing some stability to a quarterback position that has been the exact opposite of stable in recent years. Since Von Thomas’ final season in 2014, the position has been a revolving door. Just consider the team’s leading passers since then: Garrett Folchert (1,087 yards in 2015), Riley Wiltfong (1,136 yards in 2016), Wiltfong again (1,078 yards in 2017) and Andrew Perea (1,100 in 2018). In six games, Kemp’s total of 1,175 passing yards already surpasses the aforementioned totals. Only one Bulldog quarterback has ever reached 2,000 passing yards in a season (Jarrod Pimentel).
  • With the way the defense is playing, Concordia doesn’t necessarily have to light up the scoreboard offensively. DWU did break a string of three-straight games in which Bulldog opponents were held to fewer than 200 total yards, but the Tigers still only put up 309 yards and 17 points. On the NAIA national leaderboard, Concordia ranks second in third down defense (20 percent), third in rushing defense (69.3), third in sacks (23), 11th in total defense (271.5) and 14th in scoring defense (14.7). No Bulldog foe has put up more than 27 points this season.
  • Lane Napier and the Concordia defense even threw in an impressive goal-line stand last week that saw the Bulldogs force a DWU field goal attempt after the Tigers had a first and goal inside the one-yard-line. Napier finished his day with nine tackles, two tackles for loss and his first career interception. That performance pushed the David City, Neb., native past 300 tackles for his career. Napier currently ranks fifth nationally with an average of 11.5 tackles per game.
  • Prior to this past Saturday, junior receiver Lane Castaneda didn’t have the numbers to prove it, but he is a more than capable playmaker. He burned Dakota Wesleyan by making four grabs for 85 yards and two touchdowns (fourth and fifth touchdowns of his career). It was also a nice day for sophomore receiver Cayden Beran, who hauled in nine catches for 130 yards. Out of the backfield, Ryan Durdon snagged three passes for 49 yards and a touchdown.
  • The Concordia defense is piling up sacks and generating pressure on the quarterback at a much higher rate than it has in recent years. Senior defensive end Aaron Rudloff added two sacks to his total last week and now has a team high seven on the year. The linebackers have also contributed heavily to the sack numbers. Napier has four, Riley Bilstein has 2.5, Derek Tachovsky has two and Zac Walter has one. The Bulldog defense has made 53 tackles in the backfield, including nine apiece for Bilstein, Napier and Rudloff.
  • On paper, the schedule gets tougher now with No. 7 Northwestern (5-0, 4-0 GPAC) making a visit to Seward this Saturday for a 1 p.m. CT kickoff. The Red Raiders own wins over Valley City State, Midland, Dakota Wesleyan, Jamestown and Dordt. It will be a battle of two of the NAIA’s highest rated defenses. Northwestern is limiting its foes to 10.2 points per game and 290.8 yards per game.

Women’s Soccer

  • The Bulldogs knew what challenges awaited them last week with a slate that featured two GPAC championship contenders. In a rematch of a 2018 GPAC semifinal clash, Concordia dropped a 2-0 home decision at the hands of No. 22 Midland on Oct. 9. Three days later, a rematch of the past two GPAC tournament championship games occurred in Hastings. The 14th-ranked Broncos dealt the Bulldogs a heartbreaking defeat in what amounted to a 1-0 double overtime final score. Head coach Chris Luther’s squad is now 3-8-1 overall and 3-2-1 within the conference. For more information on Concordia women’s soccer, click HERE.
  • Losses in GPAC regular-season games have been exceedingly rare in recent years for the program. It’s even rarer for the Bulldogs to experience two in one week. Prior to last Wednesday’s clash with Midland, Concordia has been 25-1-5 over its previous 31 GPAC regular-season outings. The victory for the Warriors may be a significant mental hurdle for a program that had been 1-6-1 versus the Bulldogs since the start of the 2013 season. Concordia went to Fremont last season and nipped Midland, 1-0, in the GPAC semifinals.
  • After going five-straight games without being shut out, the Bulldogs failed to find the back of the net in nearly 200 minutes of action last week. During that time, Concordia managed only a combined 10 shots (six on goal). Through 12 games, the Bulldogs are averaging 11.5 shots per game (31 of the 138 shots for the season came versus Mount Marty). That figure is down from the 2018 average of 17.3 shots per game.
  • The team’s 10 goals have been spread out among eight players. In a statistical oddity, no Bulldog has more than two goals this season. Sophomore Katie Miles has played in just one game this season, but her two goals in the win at Presentation have her tied with freshman Jaiden Beecher for the most goals on the team. Six others have exactly one goal: Tori Cera, Allee Downing, Madeline Haugen, Kaley Heinz, Grace Soenksen and Brynn Suddeth. Concordia lost a lot of firepower with the graduations of Maria Deeter (14 goals, six assists in 2018) and Lauren Martin (10 goals, 16 assists in 2018).
  • The battles between Concordia and Hastings have been classics. Since the start of the 2014 season, the nine series meetings have all come down to a one-goal margin, a tie or a penalty kick shootout. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs have been on the wrong side of some of the most recent significant matchups with the Broncos. Hastings topped Concordia in double overtime in the 2018 GPAC tournament championship game and clipped the Bulldogs in a PK shootout in the 2017 conference title tilt. Concordia’s last win over the Broncos occurred in the 2017 regular season.
  • The result at Hastings provided further evidence to back the idea that the Bulldogs are better than what the overall record would indicate. This is likely the toughest schedule a Concordia women’s soccer team has ever faced. The Bulldogs have now played four teams ranked in the current NAIA top 25: No. 9 John Brown (Ark.), No. 13 Science & Arts (Okla.), No. 14 Hastings and No. 22 Midland. Outside of conference play, Concordia also went up against other solid foes in Friends (9-2), Missouri Valley (8-4-2) and Bellevue (5-5-2).
  • Following Saturday’s defeat, Luther lauded Soenksen for efforts in containing one of the top players in the GPAC. The fifth Soenksen to play for either the men’s or women’s soccer programs at Concordia, Grace is another graduate of Lincoln Lutheran High School (just like Deeter). The latest Soenksen has forced her way into the starting lineup with stellar play at a defender position. The Bulldogs have tightened things up defensively in conference play, allowing five goals over six GPAC games.
  • Two more challenges will greet Concordia this week. It will host Morningside (4-7, 1-3 GPAC) at 5:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday before heading to Briar Cliff (8-3, 5-1 GPAC) for a 1 p.m. meeting on Saturday. The Bulldogs twice defeated the Mustangs by one-goal margins last season. Meanwhile, the Chargers handed Concordia its only GPAC regular-season loss of 2018.

Men’s Soccer

  • In perhaps the most challenging week of the season, Concordia fell off the pace in its aim for a GPAC regular-season title. The Bulldogs played to a 1-1 double overtime draw with Midland on Oct. 9 and then fell by a 3-0 score at No. 5 Hastings on Oct. 12. According to head coach Jason Weides, the performance against the Broncos was one of his side’s most underwhelming this season. Concordia is now 9-2-1 overall and 4-1-1 in league play (tied for third place). For more information on Bulldog men’s soccer, click HERE.
  • The path to a GPAC title always goes through Hastings, which has won the regular-season championship every season since the conference formed in 2000. The closest Concordia came to unseating the Broncos in the regular season occurred in 2017. In the regular-season finale that season, the Bulldogs fell to Hastings by a 2-1 score with a chance to pull even atop the league. Concordia managed to shock the Broncos, 1-0, in the 2015 GPAC tournament championship game.
  • The lone Bulldog goal last week was a doozy. Junior Garrett Perry continued a recent goal scoring surge when he drilled a laser into the top right corner of the goal from roughly 30 yards out in the matchup with Midland. At the time, Perry had scored at least one goal in three-straight games. The native of Corona, Calif., native has supplied four goals and three assists this season. Both of those numbers have either equaled or surpassed career highs. Perry trails only Moises Jacobo (six goals) for a team high in goals scored.
  • The three goals scored by Hastings were a season high for Concordia opponents. The Bulldogs had not allowed that many goals in a game since their 3-0 loss to the Broncos in last season’s GPAC semifinals. Concordia has conceded either one or no goals in nine of its first 12 games of 2019. Even with last week’s result, the Bulldogs still rank No. 2 among GPAC squads in terms of fewest goals allowed per game (0.92).
  • Concordia was unable to hold its 1-0 lead against Midland, but it was able to extend an unbeaten streak in the series with the Warriors. The Bulldogs are unbeaten in their last five games (3-0-2) against Midland. That stretch began with the 2016 GPAC semifinals when Concordia upset the then 14th-ranked Warriors, 3-2, in Fremont. The two programs also met up last season in the GPAC quarterfinals with the result being a Bulldog advancement via a penalty kick shootout. Midland (4-1-1 GPAC) is currently tied with Concordia in the GPAC standings.
  • The highest conference placement under Weides was second in 2017 when the Bulldogs shared that position with Northwestern (the Red Raiders won the tiebreaker for the No. 2 seed in the GPAC tournament). Concordia also placed third in 2016 and then fourth last season in 2018. The Bulldogs have hosted in the GPAC quarterfinals three-consecutive years. The 2015 squad did something that will be difficult for any team to ever repeat – win three GPAC tournament games, all on the road.
  • Concordia earned some respect last week by breaking into the receiving votes category of the NAIA coaches’ poll. The program is still working on cracking the top 25 for the first time ever, but last week’s results were a big hit to the chances of that happening for this year’s team. The margin of defeat at Hastings resulted in a precipitous drop to No. 37 in the latest Massey Ratings. That ranking has the Bulldogs at No. 2 in the GPAC, five spots in front of No. 42 Midland. Massey calculates Concordia’s schedule to date as the 99th toughest in the NAIA.
  • This week will go a long way towards deciding whether the Bulldogs will end up as a top four seed in the GPAC tournament for a fourth year in a row. Concordia will host Morningside (10-2, 3-1 GPAC) at 8 p.m. CT on Wednesday before journeying to Sioux City, Iowa, on Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. contest at Briar Cliff (7-4-1, 5-1 GPAC). Last season the Bulldogs dropped a 2-1 decision at Morningside and defeated Briar Cliff in double overtime, 2-1.

Cross Country

  • Meet No. 4 of the 2019 season occurred on Oct. 5 with the Concordia men’s and women’s teams pacing the trail at Adams Nature Preserve in North Sioux City, S.D., for the Briar Cliff Invite. The women’s 5k race was marred a bit by a mishap that saw a large group of runners take a wrong turn. As a result, team results were not official. On the men’s side, the Bulldogs placed sixth out of 14 teams in the 8k run. Head coach Matt Beisel’s squads have been idle from competition since then. For more on Concordia cross country, click HERE.
  • At least on the women’s side, the Bulldogs are back in territory the program got used to being in for the bulk of previous head coach Kregg Einspahr’s 22-year tenure. In other words, Concordia has returned to the NAIA top 25. The Bulldog women checked in at No. 17 in the rating released on Oct. 3. The ranking is the first for the program since 2015 and its highest since September of 2012. Concordia is also rated first in the official GPAC poll. Meanwhile, the men are ranked fifth in the conference.
  • Sticking with the theme of rankings, the Bulldog women finished in the top 20 nationally each year from the 1994 through 2009 seasons. Concordia has never won a national title in cross country, but it has come close with four runner-up claims on the women’s side and one on the men’s side. The Bulldog women have appeared at No. 1 in the NAIA national poll once – in November 2004. That impressive squad was one of the national runner-up squads.
  • The women’s team has now had three GPAC Runners of the Week this season – freshman Amie Martin (Sept. 11), senior Rebekah Hinrichs (Oct. 2) and freshman Bailie Vanarsdall (Oct. 9). Prior to this season, the women’s program had not had a GPAC Runner of the Week since GPAC Runner of the Year Sarah Kortze claimed the honor three times during the 2012 season. More recently, the men’s program earned a GPAC Runner of the Week award (Ben Sievert) in 2014.
  • Somewhere around two miles into the women’s race, some confusion took place that led to a pack of runners veering off the course at the Briar Cliff Invite. Eventually the mistake was learned by the group of runners, some of whom ran a considerably greater distance than the normal 5k. Officially, Vanarsdall turned in the top time among Bulldogs by clocking a personal best of 19:52.13 (ninth overall out of 130 runners). Erin Lindeman put together a strong race and finished in 20:13.06 (29th).
  • According to Beisel’s calculations, freshman Kylahn Heritage would have been the team’s top finisher at the Briar Cliff Invite if not for the mishap. Heritage wound up finishing in 20:16.40 (34th). She was just behind Sydney Clark (20:13.47; 31st) and Lydia Cook (20:14.10; 32nd). Eight additional Bulldogs completed the 5k in under 21 minutes. Reigning GPAC Runner of the Week Rebekah Hinrichs crossed the finish line in 20:22.36 (40th). Officially, the women’s team has had a different No. 1 runner in each of the four meets.
  • Fortunately, there were no snafus in the men’s race. By placing sixth, the Bulldogs beat out conference rivals in Hastings (ninth), Mount Marty (12th), Dakota Wesleyan (13th) and Briar Cliff (14th). Once again, junior Jordan Lorenz led the way. He placed 23rd (out of 140 runners) while clocking in at 26:44.80. The rest of the top five included Wyatt Lehr (26:47.91; 26th), Camden Sesna (27:25.67; 46th), Antonio Blaine (28:01.50; 61st) and Ethan Pankow (28:30.45; 74th). Lorenz has been the team’s top runner at each of the past three meets.
  • Beisel plans to push his team hard over the coming weeks while it goes without an official competition. Next up on the schedule is the Mount Marty Invite on Saturday, Oct. 26. The location of the meet will be Fox Run Golf Course in Yankton, S.D. It will serve as the final race prior to the GPAC Championships on Saturday, Nov. 9.