SEWARD, Neb. – In an anticipated matchup of instate rivals, blistering hot Midland emerged from Friedrich Arena still undefeated on the 2021 season. The third-ranked Warriors hit .324 on Wednesday (Sept. 8), held off a third-set push from the sixth-ranked Concordia University Volleyball team and triumphed, 25-17, 25-18, 25-23. The Bulldogs had won the three most recent matchups with Midland, the 2020 NAIA national runner up.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad has waded through a stretch of six-straight matches against ranked opponents. Even at 4-4 overall (1-2 GPAC), Concordia remains confident it is a high-level team. This stretch may prove beneficial as the GPAC season moves along.
“The margin for error is very small. We were actually having some good attacks,” Boldt said. “But they play really, really good defense. A lot of those attacks that had gone down for us in the previous couple of games didn’t go down for us this time. That’s frustrating so you have to continue to play your game. That showed us where we need to grow as a team right now.”
Ever since the spring of last season, the Warriors have elevated their play to completely new heights. The Bulldogs swept the two 2020 regular season matches from Midland, but the visitors got some measure of revenge on Wednesday. They had to earn it in a third set that hung in the balance when Erica Heinzerling and Kalee Wiltfong combined on a block to get Concordia within, 21-20. A Heinzerling kill later cut Midland’s lead back to one, 24-23. Brooke Fredrickson followed with a kill for match point.
The battle in the third set was encouraging for the Bulldogs, who struggled to contain the likes of Taliyah Flores (13 kills, .355) and Abbey Ringler (13 kills, .500, five blocks). The Warrior attack is spurred by star setter Hope Leimbach, who racked up 38 assists. A formidable Midland back row also had a hand in limiting Concordia to a .162 hitting percentage for the evening.
The Bulldogs had their best success in the third set when they hit .216 and put away 14 kills. Outside hitter Camryn Opfer led Concordia with nine kills while three of her teammates posted six or more: Kalee Wiltfong (seven), Arleigh Costello (six) and Gabi Nordaker (six). Setter Tara Callahan notched 26 assists and was responsible for the team’s two aces. Meanwhile, Rebecca Gebhardt (13) and Cassidy Knust (11) paced the Bulldogs in digs. Nordaker and Wiltfong contributed to three blocks apiece.
Said Boldt, “We need to be able to play at a high level for long stretches of time. I see really good play out of our team at smaller points. Our serving I didn’t think was very good tonight. That’s something we need to revisit. That’s controllable our side of the net. It’s another point in our season that we need to grow from. Our team doesn’t believe that this was their best. They want to get back out there. I think this is going to be a good motivator for us.”
Had there been a new NAIA poll this week, Midland (14-0, 3-0 GPAC) likely would have been ranked No. 1 considering its resume includes wins over No. 1 Missouri Baptist University, No. 4 Park University (Mo.) and No. 9 Viterbo University (Wis.), in addition to Concordia. The Bulldogs are 2-4 during their string of matches against ranked foes.
Boldt will take his crew to Baldwin City, Kan., for this weekend’s Baker Invitational (Sept. 10-11). On the first day of the event, Concordia will take on Columbia College (Mo.) with first serve at 7 p.m. CT.