SEWARD, Neb. – In year three of the Power Quad, Concordia University, Nebraska will serve as the event’s host. The Bulldogs enter the second week of the 2026 regular season after winning four of five matches last week. Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad earned a home win over York University before triumphing at the Siouxland Invite over 2025 national qualifiers in Nelson University (Texas), Bethel College (Kan.) and No. 7 McPherson College (Kan.). The one defeat came at the hands of Corban University (Ore.).
Another showdown awaits as No. 3 Indiana Wesleyan is headed to Seward for the Power Quad. The other competitors in the field will be Columbia College (Mo.) and MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.). A total of six matches will play out inside Friedrich Arena between Friday and Saturday.
Power Quad (Aug. 28-29)
Location: Friedrich Arena (Seward, Neb.)
Live Coverage: Webcasts | Stats | 104.9 Max Country
--Note: Aug. 29 Concordia matches will be covered by Max Country; all matches will be streamed live via the Concordia Sports Network.
Friday, Aug. 28
• 4:00 p.m. – Columbia College (Mo.) vs. Indiana Wesleyan University
• 6:30 p.m. – Concordia University vs. MidAmerica Nazarene University
Saturday, Aug. 29
• 9:00 a.m. – Indiana Wesleyan University vs. MidAmerica Nazarene University
• 11:30 a.m. – Concordia University vs. Columbia College
• 2:00 p.m. – Columbia College vs. MidAmerica Nazarene University
• 4:30 p.m. – Concordia University vs. Indiana Wesleyan University
By the numbers
• The Bulldogs began this season with their highest ever preseason national ranking, landing at No. 3 in the NAIA coaches’ poll released on Aug. 12. Concordia also checked in at No. 2 in the GPAC preseason poll behind defending GPAC champion Northwestern, the NAIA’s current top-ranked team. The NAIA top five also features No. 2 Eastern Oregon University, No. 3 Indiana Wesleyan University (tied with Concordia) and No. 5 Corban University (Ore.). The Bulldogs have already played two top 10 teams – No. 5 Corban (four-set loss) and No. 7 McPherson College (Kan.) (four-set win). This past weekend’s Siouxland Invite also put Concordia up against additional 2025 national qualifiers in Nelson University (Texas) and Bethel College (Kan.). Three more ’25 national qualifying opponents are coming up on this week’s slate.
• First serve of the 2026 season occurred on Aug. 18 when the Bulldogs welcomed York University to Friedrich Arena. Concordia overcame 18 service errors to win in three, 25-21, 25-12, 25-20. Three days later, the Bulldogs made the trek to North Sioux City, S.D., and went 3-1 at the Siouxland Invite. Day one included wins over Nelson in Bethel in straight sets. Early in the morning on day two, Concordia endured its first defeat, falling in four sets to No. 5 Corban, a 2025 national quarterfinalist. The Bulldogs bounced back behind a career-high 22 kills from Shandy Fa’ali’i and toppled No. 7 McPherson in four sets. At the Siouxland Invite, Concordia’s statistical leaders were Fa’ali’i in kills (55), aces (nine) and digs (37), Myla Emery in assists (96), Bella Hedke in blocks (16) and Danica Martin in hitting percentage (.387). The Bulldogs made a return to the Siouxland Invite for the first time since 2022.
• The early season play of junior Danica Martin has been a major storyline for Concordia. A native of Mayer, Minn., Martin spent the previous two seasons on the junior varsity roster before earning a varsity role this season. The 5-foot-11 product of Mayer Lutheran High School has the versatility to play in the middle or on the right side. She’s been ultra efficient on the attack, hammering 41 kills on 75 swings for a .387 hitting percentage through the first five matches. Martin enjoyed an especially impressive first day at the Siouxland Invite when she posted a combined 22 kills on 30 attacks. She’s also contributed seven blocks on the year.
• Concordia aspires to play fast and showcase the athleticism of standouts such as Shandy Fa’ali’i, a Lincoln East High School alum. Fa’ali’i earned 2025 Honorable Mention All-GPAC accolades as a defensive specialist. With Concordia having graduated 87.5 percent of its kills from last season (with a big chunk coming from All-Americans Ashley Keck and Ella Waters), Fa’ali’i made the switch to outside hitter and is now a six-rotation player. Through five matches, she paces the team with 69 kills on a 173 attempts. Six of her teammates have also collected at least 19 kills: Martin (41), Makenna Starkey (35), Maddie Paulsen (31), Samantha Kimbell (22), Hedke (20) and Lanie Brott (19). The attackers have been facilitated by setters in freshman Myla Emery (124 assists) and sophomore Ella Brueggemann (78 assists).
• The serve numbers jump off the page through five matches. Entering the week, the Bulldogs rank 17th nationally with an average of 2.76 aces per set. Already this season, six Concordia players have notched at least six aces: Shandy Fa’ali’i (11), Ella Brueggemann (eight), Myla Emery (seven), Jenna Sladky (seven), Clara Evert (six) and Kyla Griess (six). On the flip side, the Bulldogs have piled up 69 service errors. Ben Boldt consistently mentions serve and pass as keys to success. In other statistical categories, Concordia sports NAIA national rankings of first in kills per set (14.65), 27th in blocks per set (2.12), 29th in hitting percentage (.227) and 107th in digs per set (14.00).
• The Power Quad is in its third year. The event lands in Seward this season after previously taking place in Columbia, Mo., in 2024 and Marion, Ind., in 2025. The Bulldogs went 3-0 at the Power Quad in both ’24 and ’25, twice earning signature wins over top-ranked Indiana Wesleyan squads that went on to win national championships. At the 2025 Power Quad, Concordia ripped through Columbia in four sets, MidAmerica Nazarene in three and Indiana Wesleyan in five. MidAmerica Nazarene made its way to Friedrich Arena as recently as 2023 (for the Bulldog Bash).
The opponents
Columbia boasts one of the most accomplished volleyball programs in the NAIA. Only once since 1994 have the Cougars missed out on the national tournament. They also are a four-time national champion and six-time national runner up. Eighth-year Head Coach Allison Jones-Olson led the 2025 team to a 23-15 overall record and an appearance in the NAIA Opening Round. Entering this week, Columbia sits at 4-0 with wins over Tabor College (Kan.), Saint Ambrose University (Iowa), Cumberland University (Tenn.) and Central Methodist University (Mo.). The Cougars will host William Woods University (Mo.) on Tuesday before making the journey to Seward. Junior outside hitter Isabella Kincaid is off to a strong start with 41 kills and a .279 hitting percentage in 13 sets. Freshman middle Alayna Backes is averaging 1.38 blocks per set defensively. As a team, Columbia owns national rankings of 14th in hitting percentage (.254), 19th in kills per set (12.92), 19th in digs per set (17.31), 31st in blocks per set (2.08) and 65th in aces per set (2.00). The Cougars are an America Midwest Conference member.
Indiana Wesleyan has won each of the past three NAIA national championships under the direction of Candace Moats, now in her 25th season as the Wildcats’ head coach. Notably, both Moats and Ben Boldt are graduates of Norris High School. IWU has something in common with Concordia in that it has revamped its roster. The Wildcats graduated seven seniors, including NAIA Player of the Year Eva Joldersma (outside hitter) and NAIA First Team All-American setter Abbigail Porter. Both Joldersma and Porter were influential in the national championship three-peat. IWU carries a 5-2 record into this week. Its two losses both came in five sets – to Southeastern University (Fla.) and No. 14 St. Thomas University (Fla.). The Wildcats picked up a win this past weekend over 20th-ranked Midland (four sets). IWU has a high-impact freshman in outside hitter Aubree Deshetsky, who is averaging 4.0 kills per set while hitting .298. On the national leaderboards, the Wildcats sit 32nd in hitting percentage (.216), 36th in kills per set (12.50), 58th in blocks per set (1.71), 72nd in aces per set (1.96) and 107th in digs per set (14.00). IWU competes in the Crossroads League.
MidAmerica Nazarene returned to the national tournament last season. A loss in the NAIA Opening Round left the Pioneers at 21-9 overall. Molly Karagyaurov is in her eighth season as head coach at MNU, where she starred as an All-American player during her collegiate career. The Pioneers will bring a 3-0 record into this weekend’s action. They have defeated Tabor College (Kan.), The Evergreen State College (Wash.) and Friends University (Kan.). MNU has displayed a balanced attack with five players having produced at least 18 kills, led by 29 from graduate student middle blocker Mia Olson, who also paces the team with 10 blocks. A strong program in the Heart of America Athletic Conference, the Pioneers’ eight national tournament appearances have each come since 2011. Nationally, MNU ranks third in kills per set (14.00), seventh in digs per set (19.10), 39th in aces per set (2.30), 52nd in hitting percentage (.194) and 104th in blocks per set (1.30).
Next week
One final weekend of nonconference play will lead the Bulldogs into the GPAC slate. As part of the College of Saint Mary Labor Day Classic (Sept. 4-5) in Omaha, Concordia will take on Lindsey Wilson University (Ky.), Ottawa University (Kan.) and University of Saint Francis (Ind.).