SEWARD, Neb. – For the fifth year in a row and for the seventh time in the past eight years, Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball has earned the right to host a GPAC tournament quarterfinal match. After completing the regular season on Tuesday night, the third-ranked Bulldogs now shift focus to the postseason. Concordia will welcome Dakota Wesleyan to Friedrich Arena on Saturday for the conference quarterfinals. Complete GPAC tournament pairings are included at the bottom of this release. Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad ended the regular season at 23-4 overall (14-2 GPAC).
GPAC Quarterfinals
Saturday, Nov. 6 vs. Dakota Wesleyan (18-10, 7-9 GPAC), 7:30 p.m.
--104.9 Max Country | Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Friedrich Arena (Seward, Neb.)
By the numbers
• A full new set of ratings (NAIA Selection Committee Top 25, RPI and ARC) was released on Wednesday (Nov. 4) by the NAIA. Once again, the Bulldogs were placed at No. 3 nationally by the selection committee. The rest of the top five includes No. 1 Northwestern, No. 2 Eastern Oregon University, No. 4 Missouri Baptist University and No.5 College of Idaho. As a program, Concordia has appeared inside the top five in each of the past 31 official NAIA polls. So far in 2026, the Bulldogs peaked at No. 2 in the Sept. 16 poll. They have landed at No. 3 in each of the other five polls. Meanwhile, in the official NAIA RPI, Concordia sits at No. 2 while having played the NAIA’s sixth most challenging schedule. Complete ratings can be viewed HERE.
• The Bulldogs served up a satisfying conclusion to the regular season, toppling Doane, 25-22, 25-15, 25-12, while racking up a season-high 14 aces. Concordia emerged with statistical advantages of 33-22 in kills, .253 to .050 in hitting percentage, 14-3 in aces, 36-29 in digs and 5-3 in blocks. The Bulldog leaders in aces were Clara Evert (four), Shandy Fa’ali’i (four), Jenna Sladky (three) and Myla Emery (two). Other individual leaders included Fa’ali’i in kills (eight), Emery in assists (17) and digs (10) and Makenna Starkey in blocks (three). With the win, Concordia pushed its winning streak versus in-state opponents to 19.
• As documented, the Bulldogs lost 87.5 percent of their kills from the 2025 team that made history by reaching the national semifinals. In response, coaches Ben and Angie Boldt and the staff doubled down on the fundamentals and the team’s core values and have kept Concordia humming at an elite level. A key tactical decision was made to move Shandy Fa’ali’i to outside hitter (from DS). The redefining of the 2026 team appeared to happen seamlessly. At the close of the regular season, the team’s categorical leaders are Fa’ali’i in kills (338), aces (42) and digs (236), Myla Emery in assists (565) and Makenna Starkey in blocks (95). Fa’ali’i is one of six Bulldogs with at least 100 kills this season. She is joined by Starkey (192), Samantha Kimbell (182), Bella Hedke (156), Laynee Baker (124) and Maddie Paulsen (113).
• Concordia will attempt to return to the GPAC Championship Match for a sixth straight season. In previous years, the Bulldogs finished as the GPAC postseason runner up to Jamestown in 2021 and 2022 and to Northwestern in 2023, 2024 and 2025. Each of those championship matches have taken place on the road. During the tenure of the Boldts, Concordia has reached at least the GPAC semifinals in seven consecutive seasons. Prior to the arrival of the Boldts, the Bulldogs also advanced to the 2015 GPAC Championship Match, which resulted in a loss at Midland. As a program, Concordia has qualified for the conference tournament for the 22nd straight year.
--GPAC tournament championship appearances: 2015, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025.
• The Lincoln East High School product Shandy Fa’ali’i will be a candidate for First Team All-GPAC accolades. Heading into the postseason, she ranks 30th nationally (fourth among GPAC players) in kills per set at 3.56. Fa’ali’i has become a six-rotation standout, following past Concordia All-Americans who have done the same, such as Ashley Keck and Camryn Opfer. The do-it-all Fa’ali’i has tallied 338 kills, a figure that currently ranks as the 27th most in a single season in program history. Her 42 aces rank as the seventh most among GPAC players this season.
• Aggressive serving has become a hallmark of the 2026 Bulldogs. Not only does Shandy Fa’ali’i rank seventh among GPAC players in aces this season, three other Concordia players rank top 14 in the conference in that category: Clara Evert (37), Kyla Griess (37) and Myla Emery (36). Additionally, Jenna Sladky (33) and Ella Brueggemann (32) sit inside the top 22 on the conference leaderboard. Nationally, the Bulldogs rank 16th with an average of 2.35 aces per set.
The opponent
Back on Oct. 7, Dakota Wesleyan sat at 15-5 and was ranked 24th in the initial NAIA Selection Committee Top 25 Poll. The Tigers remain a potential at-large national tournament team (current RPI of 34). Their placement of tied for seventh in the final GPAC regular seasons standings is a testament to the depth of the conference. From last season’s national qualifying team, DWU returned GPAC Setter of the Year Kayleigh Hybertson and GPAC Defender of the Year Lizzie Tyler. The resume for Head Coach Lindsay Wilber’s ’26 squad includes wins over current top 25 teams in No. 14 Dordt and No. 18 Nelson University (Texas). The Tigers roll out four main attackers, each with more than 230 kills: Evy Knoblock (297), Keatyn Liebsack (245), Madisyn Grimsrud (239) and Karly VanDerWerff (237). Tyler ranks ninth nationally with an average of 5.37 digs per set. DWU and Concordia met in Mitchell, S.D., on Sept. 26 with the result being a sweep for the Bulldogs. Concordia has won each of the past seven matchups with the Tigers (including a meeting at the 2025 national tournament).
GPAC Tournament
View GPAC Release HERE.
--The conference tournament champion receives an automatic bid to the NAIA National Championship.
Quarterfinals – Saturday, Nov. 7
(8) College of Saint Mary at (1) Northwestern, 7:30 p.m.
(5) Dordt at (4) Midland, 7 p.m.
(6) Hastings at (3) Morningside, 7 p.m.
(7) Dakota Wesleyan at (2) Concordia, 7:30 p.m.
Semifinals – Wednesday, Nov. 11
1/8 winner vs. 4/5 winner, time TBA
2/7 winner vs. 3/6 winner, time TBA
Championship – Saturday, Nov. 14
Highest seed hosts, time TBA