SIOUX CITY, Iowa – This one will sting for a while. A Concordia University Volleyball team ranked No. 1 for multiple weeks this season saw its 2023 season end in pool play at the NAIA National Championship tournament. The Bulldogs twice defeated Midland during the regular season, but endured agony at the hands of their rival on Friday (Dec. 1) with a spot in the national quarterfinals on the line. The 13th-ranked Warriors amassed 12 blocks and held the vaunted Concordia attack to an .087 hitting percentage in what resulted in a 25-23, 25-16, 25-21, decision in Sioux City, Iowa.
For the second year in a row, Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad slipped up on the final day of pool play at the final site. The Bulldogs have concluded their season at 25-4 overall.
“They won the serve and pass game,” Boldt said. “Our passes weren’t keeping us in system, so we didn’t have a great flow. It’s tough to find that offensive rhythm when that’s the case. I think that was a big part of today. They also have a really big block – when we’re out of system, it’s tough to get it around that. That was really the theme of the match. I think our team stuck together through it. We just didn’t have our best day today.”
Concordia never found the type of traction one might expect from the team that led the NAIA in kills per set all year long. The Midland trio of Abbey Ringler (six blocks), Jacki Apel (five blocks) and Lauryn Samuelson (five blocks) had a lot to do with that. From the Bulldogs’ perspective, their serve and pass game failed them at an inopportune time. It seemed fitting that a tight opening set finished with a Warrior block.
A national tournament regular, Midland (18-11) is back in the national quarterfinals after graduating two of the program’s all-time greats from its 2022 national semifinalist squad. As a credit to Head Coach Paul Giesselmann’s squad, the Warriors improved tremendously throughout this fall and although they endured a loss to Concordia in the regular season finale, the margins were razor thin. In the latest matchup, Midland simply performed the fundamentals at a higher level. A 4-0 run in the second set made it 18-13 and led to the Warriors taking command of the match. In the third set, Midland went on a 3-0 spurt, breaking a 16-16 stalemate while never looking back. A kill by Samuelson put the finishing touches on the Warrior win.
In the final match of her impeccable collegiate career, Seward’s own Camryn Opfer paced the Bulldogs with 10 kills and 14 digs, pushing her final career totals to 1,561 and 1,671, respectively. Four of her teammates notched at least five kills on Friday: Ashley Keck (eight), Gabi Nordaker (seven) and Sara Huss (five). Defensively, Nordaker added four blocks and Huss chipped in with three. Becca Gebhardt (13) and Cassidy Knust (10) reached double figures in digs. Another high-impact Bulldog, Bree Burtwistle (GPAC Setter of the Year), also wrapped up her collegiate career, totaling 28 assists.
From a team statistical standpoint, Midland owned advantages in kills, 40-34, hitting percentage, .224 to .087, aces, 5-3, blocks, 12-7, and digs, 59-48. The Warriors were led by the 10 kills from Apel. In the back row, Delanie Vallinch posted 19 digs.
Nordaker will be back in 2024 for her ‘COVID year’ of eligibility. However, this was the end of the line for not only Burtwistle and Opfer, but also active senior players in Huss, Lexie Kreizel, Maddy Nagel, Carly Rodaway and Addison Smith, in addition to Ashtynne Frahm and Shelby Stark. Boldt is satisfied knowing they are each equipped to be successful in the next chapter of their lives.
Said Boldt, “I’ve seen the evolution ever since they’ve been here. They took hold of the core values that we hold true in our program. These seniors that have been here are ready to move on to the next step in their lives. They’re prepared for it. They’re great people and they’ve set an awesome foundation. I feel sorry that they couldn’t experience a championship on the national stage. We hit one of our goals in terms of a GPAC championship, and I’m really proud of that, but it stinks right now. You don’t always win in life. How you react to that is important. This is a great group.”
The 2024 squad will lean upon Nordaker as a foundational piece, to go along with additional All-GPAC performers in Gebhardt, Keck and Knust. Transfer Ella Waters (who redshirted in 2023) will also make a return to the court. Returners will get a well-deserved break before workouts begin in earnest again in January.
The 2023 nationals journey marked the sixth appearance all-time for Concordia on the national stage. The upperclassmen were part of Bulldog squads that reached the national quarterfinals in 2020 and 2021 and made trips to the NAIA final site in Sioux City each year from 2019 through 2023.