SEWARD, Neb. – The 2025 regular season is in the books. In kicking off postseason play, Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball will welcome Morningside to Friedrich Arena for the quarterfinals of the GPAC tournament. Ranked No. 4 in the NAIA, the Bulldogs garnered the No. 2 seed in the GPAC after closing the regular season on Tuesday with a rout of Doane. Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad enters the postseason at 22-2 overall (15-1 GPAC).
GPAC Quarterfinals
Saturday, Nov. 8 vs. Morningside (14-13, 7-9 GPAC) 7:30 p.m.
--Max Country | Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Friedrich Arena (Seward, Neb.)
--Admission: $10 for adults/senior citizens, $3 for K-12; only those with NAIA passes and GPAC student ID’s are admitted free of charge.
By the numbers
· The golden age of Concordia Volleyball continues. The group of four-year seniors have contributed to the winningest four-year stretch in program history, in terms of winning percentage. Since the start of the 2022 season, the Bulldogs have put together a combined record of 99-16 with a conference regular season mark of 56-8. Concordia has earned the right to host in the GPAC tournament quarterfinals for the fourth straight year and for the sixth time in seven years. The Boldts have led the Bulldogs to top three GPAC regular season placements six times in their eight years in Seward.
· The regular season finished on Tuesday in blowout fashion as Concordia rolled Doane, 25-16, 25-15, 25-14. The Bulldogs dominated across the board as they held advantages of .407 to .122 in hitting percentage, 46-26 in kills, 8-5 in aces, 54-34 in digs and 4-3 in blocks. Concordia hitters enjoyed a field day. Five Bulldogs collected six or more kills, and all five hit above .300: Ashley Keck (13; .400), Ava Greene (seven; .545), Molli Martin (seven; .700), Kya Scott (six; .333) and Ella Waters (six; .364). In another fine outing, Keck added 12 digs, four aces and a block to her stat line. Concordia has won 15 of the past 16 series meeting with the Tigers.
· Since the Boldts arrived prior to the start of the 2018 season, the Bulldogs have won 10 GPAC tournament matches while reaching the championship match in each of the previous four years (2021 through 2024). Concordia has advanced to at least the conference semifinals in six consecutive years dating back to 2019. The Bulldogs lost GPAC tournament title matches to Jamestown in 2021 and 2022 and then to Northwestern in 2023 and 2024. The program also finished as the GPAC tournament runner up in 2015. Concordia shared GPAC regular season titles in 2000 and 2023 but has never claimed the GPAC postseason championship.
· At the close of the 2025 regular season, the Bulldogs’ statistical leaders by category are Ashley Keck in kills (334) and digs (359), Lily Psencik in assists (429), Shandy Faalii in aces (24) and Ava Greene in blocks (106). Besides Keck, four other Concordia players have notched at least 100 kills this season: Ella Waters (205), Molli Martin (150), Greene (125) and Kya Scott (113). Right behind Keck in the dig column is libero Emma Brueggemann with 351 digs (5.09 per set). Both Greene (1.26) and Martin (1.10) are averaging more than a block per set.
· Named an NAIA First Team All-American and GPAC Attacker of the Year in 2024, Keck has put together a senior season that puts her in the thick of the discussion for GPAC Player of the Year accolades. Among GPAC players, Keck ranks second in kills per set (3.98) and 10th in digs per set (4.27) while hitting a strong .228 from the outside. In 114 career matches, Keck has totaled 1,313 kills, 1,132 digs, 107 blocks and 24 aces. Additional major honors for Keck have included recognition as a 2024 NAIA National Championship All-Tournament team honoree, three GPAC All-Conference awards and the 2022 GPAC Freshman of the Year award.
· With the regular season in the books, the Bulldogs sport GPAC rankings of first in kills per set (13.39), second in hitting percentage (.216), third in digs per set (18.60), third in blocks per set (2.51) and eighth in aces per set (1.44). From a national ratings perspective, Concordia landed at No. 4 in the NAIA’s official RPI released on Nov. 4. The program has been included within the top five of 23 consecutive NAIA coaches’ polls.
The opponent
Morningside took the Bulldogs to five sets in Sioux City on Oct. 3 and has shown the ability to knock off ranked teams. The Mustangs own two wins over current top 25 teams outside of conference play: No. 11 The Master’s (Calif.) and No. 24 Grand View (Iowa). They also fell in five sets to McPherson (Kan.), currently ranked sixth in the NAIA. However, Morningside experienced an up and down run through conference play, finishing with a 7-9 league mark. The team’s top attackers are Emma Haren (323 kills) and Payten Lode (273 kills). The team’s national tournament profile is enhanced by its No. 39 RPI and No. 9 strength of schedule. Head Coach Jessica Squier led the program to national tournament appearances in 2023 and 2024. As a team, the Mustangs have averaged 12.72 kills per set while hitting .173. Their opponents are hitting .161 and averaging 12.33 kills per set. Concordia owns a seven-match series win streak versus Morningside.
2025 GPAC Tournament
Quarterfinals – Saturday, Nov. 8
(8) Mount Marty at (1) Northwestern, 7:30 p.m.
(5) Dordt at (4) Dakota Wesleyan, 7 p.m.
(6) College of Saint Mary at (3) Midland, 7 p.m.
(7) Morningside at (2) Concordia, 7:30 p.m.
Semifinals – Wednesday, Nov. 12
1/8 winner vs. 4/5 winner, time TBA
2/7 winner vs. 3/6 winner, time TBA
Championship – Saturday, Nov. 15
Highest seed hosts, time TBA