Bulldogs break new ground with No. 8 final NAIA ranking

By Jacob Knabel on May. 9, 2021 in Volleyball

2020-21 NAIA Postseason Volleyball Poll

SEWARD, Neb. – In the NAIA volleyball postseason coaches’ poll released on May 6, the Concordia University Volleyball team landed at No. 8. That ranking followed the Bulldogs’ run to the NAIA national quarterfinals in late April. The No. 8 ranking marks the highest final ranking and highest overall ranking in the history of the program.

Under the direction of coaches Ben and Angie Boldt, Concordia Volleyball has quickly risen to national relevance. The Bulldogs took things a step further this spring by reaching the national quarterfinals, one season after advancing to the national round of 16. Prior to 2019, the Bulldogs had never appeared at the final site (Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa) of the national tournament. While slotting in at No. 8 in the NAIA, the 2020-21 Concordia edition leapt up six spots from its 2019 postseason ranking of 14th (which had been the program’s best ever end-of-season ranking).

Due to the unique nature of the 2020-21 season, the NAIA did not release a national poll until early February. In each of the five polls from February through the middle of April, the Bulldogs checked in at No. 10 in the NAIA. Dating back to the 2019 season, Concordia has appeared inside the top 25 of 11 national polls in a row. As a show of the strength of the GPAC, five conference teams were ranked in this season’s final NAIA top 10.

Recently, postseason awards have come in for the following Bulldogs: Tara Callahan (NAIA Honorable Mention All-American; AVCA All-Region), Gabi Nordaker (AVCA Honorable Mention All-Region) and Camryn Opfer (NAIA National Championship All-Tournament Team).

2021 NAIA National Rankings
Feb. 3 – 10th
March 10 – 10th
March 24 – 10th
April 7 – 10th
April 12 – 10th
May 6 – 8th