BALDWIN CITY, Kan. – Standout Camryn Opfer abused the floorboards as part of a career night, but it wasn’t quite enough for the sixth-ranked Concordia University Volleyball team to get over the hump on Friday (Sept. 10). The Bulldogs dropped their first match of the weekend at the Baker Invitational, 22-25, 25-17, 25-20, 18-25, 15-8, at the hands of Columbia College (Mo.). Concordia played its seventh match in a row against opponents that are either ranked or receiving votes nationally.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad also fell in straight sets on Wednesday while up against third-ranked Midland. The Bulldogs have slipped to 4-5 overall. Boldt believes that keeping committed to the program’s core values will help flip these types of matches going forward.
“It’s not necessarily showing up in the win-loss column right now, but we are seeing growth,” Boldt said. “There are one or two points that are going the other way. It’s the little things like handling the ball better on that first contact. We’re going to stay true to our process. That’s what we’re built on. You can see it in their eyes. We know what we need to do and we’re going to continue to put ourselves in good positions.”
Opfer bombed away for eight of her 23 kills during a must-win fourth set for Concordia. She embraced the program’s mantra of ‘Be the Woman’ by putting away point Nos. 22, 23 and 24 in that fourth set. Shelby Stark then finished it off with a kill of her own. After hitting .314 in the fourth, the Bulldogs had put themselves in position for a potential momentum-building victory.
The fifth set proved to be a different story. A close 8-7 battle midway through the set unraveled into a runaway for the Cougars (10-4), who got 17 kills from Sidney Branson, 15 from Beyza Bektasoglu and 10 from Ellie Crede. Columbia outhit Concordia on the night, .210 to .185. For the victors, Danielle Prior was a wall. She was credited with three block solos and six block assists.
Opfer and Gabi Nordaker (17 kills on 38 swings) were counted upon for the bulk of the Bulldog attacks. Tara Callahan piled up 46 assists and 11 digs while libero Cassidy Knust paced the squad with 20 digs and two aces. Opfer added to her big night with 17 digs. Rebecca Gebhardt (12) and Tatum Kuti (10) also reached double figures in digs. In her first action in the navy jersey, Lincoln Pius X alum Carly Rodaway contributed three kills and three blocks.
Said Boldt of Opfer’s performance, “Cam’s going to have great touches on the ball in whatever she does, whether she’s passing or attacking. She’s a great presence and example for everybody.”
Columbia competes as a member of the American Midwest Conference. The Cougars were situated two spots out of the top 25 in the most recent NAIA poll. They now own two wins over top 25 foes having also defeated No. 18 Ottawa University (Kan.) in five sets. Columbia burned Concordia on Friday with nine aces (to only four service errors).
The weekend in Baldwin City will continue on Saturday with a pair of matches. The Bulldogs will play No. 18 Ottawa at 1 p.m. CT before wrapping up the Baker Invite with a 7 p.m. contest versus Missouri Valley College. Following the weekend, it will be GPAC play the remainder of the regular season for Concordia.