SEWARD, Neb. – Less than 24 hours after enduring its first GPAC defeat of the season, the second-ranked Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball team showed no signs of a letdown. The Bulldogs hit a blazing .359 on Saturday (Oct. 11) while vanquishing visiting Waldorf, 25-23, 25-8, 25-17, inside Friedrich Arena. The Warriors had no answer for the likes of Ashley Keck and Ella Waters on the outsides.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad has improved to 16-2 overall (9-1 GPAC) after a weekend homestand. Particularly in the final two sets on Saturday, Boldt saw what he was hoping to see.
“We wanted to be a team that earns our own points,” Boldt said. “We don’t want to rely on the other team to give us points. We wanted to focus on our controllables, calling the ball and putting the work in for it. When they get rolling, Waldorf can get hot. They’ve got a really good right side attack. Their outsides can really rip it. I was proud of our defense for staying disciplined and proud of our block for following the game plan – but our offense was great, and that’s where we need to be.”
The day’s only drama took place in the first set. A Concordia attack error pulled Waldorf within 24-23 before Kya Scott put it on ice with one of her seven kills on the day. From there, it was no contest. The Bulldogs posted sizzling hitting percentages of .500 (14 kills, one error) in the second set and .447 (19 kills, two errors) in the third set. Keck did the honors of polishing off the win with a kill for match point.
The stat sheet was dominated by the Bulldogs, who outhit Midland, .359 to .154, and held significant advantages in kills, 48-24, aces, 8-2, and digs, 55-37. A day after reaching 1,000 career digs, Keck totaled 15 kills and 11 digs. Across the board, Concordia was efficient on the attack. Waters hit .615 with 10 kills. Scott hit .353 with seven kills. Molli Martin hit .500 with six kills and Ava Greene hit .571 with five kills.
In the back row, libero Emma Brueggemann chipped in with 18 digs in addition to her pair of aces. She was equaled in the ace category by teammates Shandy Faalii, Kate Griess and Lily Psencik. At setter Psencik collected 26 assists and nine digs. Meanwhile, Maritn led the team’s blocking efforts with four denials.
This was exactly the performance Concordia aimed for after falling in four sets on Friday in a much-anticipated matchup with No. 7 Northwestern. Said Emma Bruggemann, “I think we did a really good job of going back to the basics, trusting our training and fundamentals. That really helped us to play loose and free. We moved on from yesterday and leaned into what today meant for us as a team. We just pulled together and trusted each other.”
No Waldorf play mustered more than six kills. The Warriors (9-9, 1-9 GPAC) sit at the bottom of the GPAC standings after an 0-2 weekend stay in Nebraska.
Added Boldt, “We want to continue to focus and get better. We can’t stay stagnant through the year. We made a little adjustment to our lineup today and made it a little more balanced. We’ll continue to see what those rotations look like. We’ve got to continue to get better.”
After two at home this weekend, the Bulldogs will be on the road for two matches next week. Up next, Concordia will play at Hastings (5-15, 2-8 GPAC) at 7:30 p.m. CT (varsity) on Wednesday. The Bulldogs took down the Broncos in three sets in Seward on Sept. 24.