SEWARD, Neb. – It’s on to the GPAC tournament semifinals for the seventh straight year. The fourth-ranked Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball team cruised through the quarterfinals with a sweep of Morningside on Nov. 8. The quarterfinals went chalk throughout the bracket, setting the stage for the second-seeded Bulldogs to host No. 3 seed Midland in the semifinals. On the other side of the bracket, top seed Northwestern will host fourth-seeded Dakota Wesleyan.
GPAC Semifinals
Wednesday, Nov. 12 vs. No. 19 Midland (18-9, 12-4 GPAC), 7 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 100-16 with a conference regular season mark of 56-8. Win No. 100 for the senior class came in the GPAC quarterfinals versus Morningside this past Saturday. The group of four-year seniors own a career winning percentage of .862.
· Concordia is 7-0 in the GPAC quarterfinals over the past seven years. The latest quarterfinal tilt was won in dominant fashion over Morningside, 25-15, 25-13, 25-17, inside Friedrich Arena. Ashley Keck starred as she put away 22 kills (.351 hitting percentage) and added nine digs. In the back row, Emma Brueggemann tallied 22 digs and a pair of aces. The setter duo of Savannah Shelburne (23 assists) and Lily Psencik (21 assists) steered an offensive attack that outhit the Mustangs, .283 to .093. Ava Greene led the defensive efforts at the net with five blocks. Keck was followed in the kill department by Greene (seven), Molli Martin (five), Kya Scott (five) and Ella Waters (five).
· Since the Boldts arrived prior to the start of the 2018 season, the Bulldogs have won 11 GPAC tournament matches (counting this year’s quarterfinal triumph) 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 seven 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.
· One match into the postseason, the Bulldogs’ statistical leaders by category are Ashley Keck in kills (356), Lily Psencik in assists (450), Shandy Faalii in aces (26), Ava Greene in blocks (111) and Emma Brueggemann in digs (373). Besides Keck, four other Concordia players have notched at least 100 kills this season: Ella Waters (210), Molli Martin (155), Greene (132) and Kya Scott (118). With her 22 digs versus Morningside, Brueggemann leapfrogged Keck (368) in the dig category. Both Greene (1.28) and Martin (1.07) are averaging more than a block per set.
· The 22 kills Keck recorded versus Morningside represented a career-high for a three-set match. The Kearney Catholic High School product has reached 20 kills four times in her career with three of those performances coming in 2025. Her overall career high for kills is 26 (in this season’s five-set win at Briar Cliff. In 115 career matches, Keck has totaled 1,335 kills, 1,141 digs, 107 blocks and 24 aces. A 2024 NAIA First Team All-American, Keck is one of five players in program history to reach both 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs for a career.
· With the regular season in the books, the Bulldogs sport GPAC rankings of first in kills per set (13.48), second in hitting percentage (.219), third in digs per set (18.77), third in blocks per set (2.49) and eighth in aces per set (1.47). 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. A new coaches’ poll will be released on Wednesday.
The opponent
Midland appears poised to qualify for the national tournament for the 12th time in 13 years. The Warriors placed third in the GPAC regular season standings while under the direction of first-year Head Coach Micah Rhodes, who took over for the accomplished Paul Giesselmann (retired). Like Concordia, Midland made quick work of its GPAC quarterfinal opponent. The Warriors defeated College of Saint Mary, 25-15, 25-19, 25-15, while hitting .337. Lauren Jones was particularly efficient in collecting eight kills on 11 swings. On the season, sophomore outside hitter Brooklynn Snyder leads the team with 401 kills (3.68 per set). As a team, Midland is hitting .206 and is averaging 13.0 kills per set. Its opponents average 11.32 kills per set to go with a .165 hitting percentage. In the most recent official NAIA RPI release, the Warriors landed at No. 17 with a strength of schedule of second best in the NAIA. Concordia and Midland played in Fremont on Nov. 1 in a match that resulted in a reverse sweep win for the Bulldogs. Concordia also defeated the Warriors in four sets in Seward on Sept. 17.
2025 GPAC Tournament
Quarterfinals – Saturday, Nov. 8
(1) Northwestern def. (8) Mount Marty, 3-0
(4) Dakota Wesleyan def. (5) Dordt, 3-1
(3) Midland def. (6) College of Saint Mary, 3-0
(2) Concordia def. (7) Morningside, 3-0
Semifinals – Wednesday, Nov. 12
(4) Dakota Wesleyan at (1) Northwestern, 7 p.m.
(3) Midland at (2) Concordia, 7 p.m.
Championship – Saturday, Nov. 15
Highest seed hosts, time TBA