OMAHA, Neb. – Tight sets were sandwiched in with dominant sets as the fourth-ranked Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball team took care of business on day one of two at the College of Saint Mary Labor Day Classic. As part of the largescale event featuring many of the NAIA’s top teams, the Bulldogs defeated Ottawa University (Kan.), 25-18, 26-24, 17-25, 25-13, before then sweeping No. 16 Viterbo University (Wis.), 29-27, 25-16, 25-23, at the Lied Fitness Center Fieldhouse in Omaha. Ella Waters paced Concordia with 18 kills while Addie Kirkegaard hit .484 on Friday (Aug. 29).
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad has won its first six matches of a season for the fifth time during his eight-year tenure. The early 2025 resume includes two victories over NAIA top 25 foes and two over opponents in the national receiving votes category.
“I’m so proud of our attention to detail, especially in the big moments,” Boldt said. “There was a three-point run in the third set (versus Viterbo) where we had a couple of miscues, but after that we cleaned it up and were really sharp. In order to be great in those moments, you have to experience them. I’m proud of how they responded and stayed tough – tough after 20. We let it rip in the big moments.”
Balance was a theme as five Bulldogs posted at least 10 kills and another five notched at least three blocks throughout the day. In the matinee with Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference foe Ottawa (0-3), Kirkegaard sizzled on the attack as she put away 12 kills on 21 swings (no errors). Concordia overwhelmed the Braves in the opening set by hitting .520. After a blip in the third set, the Bulldogs closed it out emphatically as Ottawa hit in the red (-.051) in the fourth set. The Boldts learned more about what combinations work best as they tinkered with the lineup in the early match.
Viterbo (2-4), a national tournament qualifier 11 years running, has become a familiar nonconference opponent. Concordia has defeated the V-Hawks in all four meetings that have taken place since 2021. Returning All-American Jada Mitchell and her teammates pushed the Bulldogs while jumping out to an 11-6 first-set lead before the tide turned. The best stretch of play came in the second set when Concordia hit .269 compared to -.029 for the V-Hawks. Waters and Ashley Keck equaled each other with a match-high 10 kills. In the middle, Ava Greene came through with four blocks.
The Hastings native Kirkegaard made only one error (31 attacks) on the day. Said Boldt of Kirkegaard, “She was awesome today. She had 12 kills and zero errors in that first match. She’s being really efficient. We’re talking about being aggressive and being smart and also smiling. She’s doing all those things. She’s somebody that can keep it loose out there and somebody our team can rely on. She was really good today.”
In addition to the 18 kills Waters collected on Friday, four of her teammates hit double figures: Keck (17), Kirkegaard (16), Laynee Baker (15) and Molli Martin (10). Bulldogs with at least three blocks on the day were Greene (10), Martin (six), Baker (five), Kirkegaard (three) and Waters (three). Keck and Shandy Faalii recorded 24 digs apiece, Kate Griess landed four aces and Lily Psencik amassed 44 assists. The Bulldogs outhit Ottawa/Viterbo, .272 to .139.
Added Boldt, “It’s a full team thing. We continue to ask our players no matter who’s in, that they be ready to go when their name’s called. I think our team has a lot of trust in each other that they know where each other is going to be.”
Action on the CSM campus will continue on Saturday as Concordia takes on Bethel College (Kan.) at 9 a.m. CT and No. 5 Eastern Oregon University at 1 p.m. Both matches can be heard live on 104.9 Max Country with Parker Cyza on the call. EOU carried a 5-0 record into its late Friday night showdown with No. 7 Northwestern.