SEWARD, Neb. – This was the most impressive display thus far for the 2023 Concordia University Volleyball team. Showcasing balanced attacking and defensive play, the fourth-ranked Bulldogs vanquished No. 11 MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.), 25-15, 25-16, 25-15, inside Friedrich Arena on Saturday (Aug. 26). Concordia outnumbered the Pioneers significantly in the categories of kills (42-24) and digs (57-38). Both Ashley Keck and Gabi Nordaker reached double figures in kills for the victors.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad has jetted out to a 3-0 record with all three victories coming at home against nonconference foes. In this weekend’s action, the Bulldogs made quick work of both MidAmerica Nazarene and Langston University (Okla.).
“We played pretty clean today,” Boldt said. “Our hitting percentage was .275, which shows that we made good decisions today on offense – when to go for it and when not to go for it. It was pretty clean. We’re always trying to coordinate what our block is doing and what our defense is doing. That’s a controllable. We always talk about our attitude, our effort and our communication. Those are things we can control.”
A Heart of America Athletic Conference member, MNU failed to gain much traction in any of the three sets as it put forth respective set-by-set hitting percentages of .158, .029 and .000. Concordia totaled a modest three blocks for the afternoon, but the likes of Becca Gebhardt (15 digs) and Camryn Opfer (16 digs) did fine work in the back row. Their passing allowed Bree Burtwistle (33 assists) to tee it up for four hitters who produced at least six kills: Keck (11), Nordaker (10), Opfer (seven) and Maddie Paulsen (six). In the middle, Nordaker hit .500 and Paulsen attacked at a .462 clip.
MNU never held a lead in either the first or second sets and its 6-4 advantage in the third was erased quickly by a 5-0 Bulldog run. Set points for Concordia came via a Keck kill in the first, a Paulsen kill in the second and a Keck kill in the third. Keck and Nordaker cleaned up on the attack with a combined 41 kills for the weekend.
On the other side of the net, the Pioneers (1-3) got a team high six kills from Olivia Perry. MNU went 1-2 at the Bulldog Bash with a win over Langston and losses endured at the hands of GPAC foes Concordia and Northwestern.
So far so good for the Bulldogs, who have a challenging and hectic week ahead. Boldt sees a squad already displaying the necessary mental toughness to handle the rigors of elite NAIA volleyball. Said Boldt, “We lose a couple points out there and there’s total trust out there on the next point. We’re going to get it. It’s good to see us go through a little bit of adversity and come through on the other end of it. The more we put ourselves in those situations, the better and the stronger we get.”
The Bulldogs will venture on the road for the first time this season when they head to No. 24 Hastings (4-0) on Tuesday for the 2023 GPAC opener. First serve of the varsity match is slated for 7:30 p.m. CT. Concordia has won each of the past six meetings with the Broncos. That stretch include the 2022 meeting at the final site of the national tournament.