SEWARD, Neb. – More challenges will greet the Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball team this week following its successful road trip to Marion, Ind. The Bulldogs will play a total of four matches at the College of Saint Mary Labor Day Classic in Omaha on Friday and Saturday. After toppling NAIA defending national champion and No. 1-ranked Indiana Wesleyan on the road, Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad will play two more ranked opponents this week: No. 5 Eastern Oregon University and No. 16 Viterbo University (Wis.). Concordia will put its unblemished 4-0 record on the line.
This Week – College of Saint Mary Labor Day Classic
Friday, Aug. 29 vs. Ottawa University (Kan.) (0-2), 12 p.m.
--Max Country | Live Webcast (BallerTV) | Live Stats | Location: Lied Fitness Center Fieldhouse (Omaha, Neb.)
Friday, Aug. 29 vs. No. 16 Viterbo University (Wis.) (1-3), 4 p.m.
--Max Country | Live Webcast (BallerTV) | Live Stats | Location: Lied Fitness Center Fieldhouse (Omaha, Neb.)
Saturday, Aug. 30 vs. Bethel College (Kan.) (4-3), 9 a.m.
--Max Country | Live Webcast (BallerTV) | Live Stats | Location: Lied Fitness Center Fieldhouse (Omaha, Neb.)
Saturday, Aug. 30 vs. No. 5 Eastern Oregon University (4-0), 1 p.m.
--Max Country | Live Webcast (BallerTV) | Live Stats | Location: Lied Fitness Center Fieldhouse (Omaha, Neb.)
By the numbers
· In the early going, the Bulldogs have backed up their preseason top five national ranking. Dating back to October 2022, Concordia has landed in the top five of 18 straight NAIA coaches’ polls. For the first time in program history, the Bulldogs opened a season as the favorite to win the GPAC. Through two weeks of 2025 action, Concordia is one of three GPAC teams with undefeated records. The two others are Northwestern (4-0) and Waldorf (4-0). The Red Raiders went a perfect 32-0 last season before a stunning defeat in NAIA national tournament pool play ended their run earlier than expected. The Bulldogs were defeated in the GPAC Championship Match by Northwestern in both 2023 and 2024 (both in five sets).
· For the second year in a row, Concordia went 3-0 at the event dubbed the “Power Quad.” At this year’s event hosted by Indiana Wesleyan in Marion, Ind., the Bulldogs earned wins over Columbia College (Mo.), 25-17, 23-25, 25-13, 25-18, MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.), 25-23, 25-15, 25-20, and No. 1 Indiana Wesleyan, 24-26, 25-21, 25-27, 25-17, 15-10. Both Columbia and MNU were listed as “receiving votes” in the NAIA preseason poll. Over those three matches, the Bulldogs outnumbered their opponents in kills, 155-124, aces, 16-11, digs, 225-191, and blocks, 38-19. Last week’s individual leaders by category were Ashley Keck in kills (46), Lily Psencik in assists (64), Keck and Emma Brueggemann in aces (three apiece), Keck in digs (51) and Molli Martin in blocks (19).
· Concordia has handed Indiana Wesleyan both of its two most recent defeats. The Bulldogs also edged then No. 1 IWU in five sets last season in Columbia, Mo. The 2024 Wildcats went on to win their next 34 matches on their way to claiming back-to-back NAIA national championships. By the time the Bulldogs met IWU last week, the Wildcats had pushed their program win streak to 36. IWU fought Concordia valiantly while without reigning NAIA National Player of the Year Eva Joldersma and managed to come back to win the first set (trailed 24-23) and third set (trailed 24-19). The eventful match began with the absence of officials and was halted early in the first set when Bulldog libero Emma Brueggemann took a blow to the nose and was removed from the contest. The two biggest stars for Concordia in the win were Keck (14 kills, 31 digs, five blocks and three aces) and fellow senior Molli Martin (13 kills and 10 blocks). The Bulldogs outhit IWU, .125 to .039.
· In the win over Columbia, Keck eclipsed 1,000 career kills, making her the 11th player in program history to hit that milestone. In 94 career matches with Concordia, Keck has accumulated 1,034 kills, 832 digs and 86 blocks. Keck is the third player during the Boldts’ tenure to reach 1,000 kills, as she joined Camryn Opfer (1,561) and Gabi Nordaker (1,433) in the club. Opfer is one of three players in program history to post more than 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs. So far this season, Keck is hitting an impressive .273 from the outside. Her junior season included recognition as an NAIA First Team All-American, GPAC Attacker of the Year and NAIA National Championship All-Tournament Team selection.
· The three-time NAIA All-American Nordaker left big shoes to fill in the middle blocker position, but the Bulldogs aren’t lacking options in that role. Senior Molli Martin emerged in a big way against Indiana Wesleyan as she posted career highs in both kills (13) and blocks (10). Martin teams up in the middle with the likes of freshman Laynee Baker, junior Ava Greene and sophomore Maddie Paulsen. The play of the middles has been a major factor in Concordia averaging 2.93 blocks per set as a team (third most in the NAIA). Martin (1.90) and Greene (1.15) are both averaging more than a block per set individually.
· The team’s balance is obvious when examining the statistics. Seven different players have accumulated at least 10 kills so far this season with Keck’s 55 kills leading the way. The array of attacking options has been facilitated by setters Ella Brueggemann (81) and Lily Psencik (78). Defensively, six Bulldogs have produced 25 or more digs on the campaign, topped by the 59 from Keck (Shandy Faalii is a close second with 55).
· The team hitting percentage of .200 figures to increase as the season progresses. Teams coached by the Boldts are accustomed to ranking highly on the national level in the categories of hitting percentage and kills per set. The 2024 team that reached the national quarterfinals finished with NAIA national rankings of fourth in kills per set (14.16) and 10th in hitting percentage (.240). In 2023, Concordia led the nation in kills per set (14.59) while ranking sixth in hitting percentage (.257). Entering this season, the Bulldogs have finished in the top 10 nationally of both categories in three straight years.
The opponents
Concordia will lead off its stay at the CSM Labor Day Classic by taking on Ottawa, a member of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference. The Braves went 16-12 overall in 2024 and have begun 2025 with a pair of five-set defeats coming at the hands of GPAC foes: Hastings and College of Saint Mary. As a program, Ottawa made eight straight national tournament appearances from 2015 through 2022 before missing out in 2023 and 2024. Ashan Jordan is in his first season as head coach after previously leading the school’s men’s volleyball program for two years. The Braves were picked seventh out of 14 teams in the KCAC preseason poll. Ottawa graduated 2024 NAIA Second Team All-American Radaisy Valdez.
Viterbo is a well-established NAIA powerhouse having made 11 straight trips to the final site of the national tournament. The V-Hawks compete as a member of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference, a league they dominated in 2024 (perfect 14-0 conference mark). Head Coach Ryan DeLong is in his 21st season as head coach and has won more 600 matches. As a program, Viterbo has reached the national semifinals four times while making 12 all-time national tournaments. The V-Hawks return NAIA Second Team All-American middle blocker Jada Mitchell. The Bulldogs defeated Viterbo once in each of the 2021, 2022 and 2024 seasons. The ’21 meeting came in pool play at the national tournament. The V-Hawks are 1-3 so far this season with a four-set win over No. 20 Midland. All three losses have come against ranked opponents.
Bethel is coming off a strong 2024 season that saw it finish at 23-9 overall. The run ended with a loss to Oklahoma Wesleyan University in the semifinals of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament. Fifth-year Head Coach Adriana Leake has led the program to three-straight 20-win seasons while moving the Threshers closer to a national tournament berth (a stage they last reached in 2008). Bethel returns two first team all-conference players in middle blocker Darla Crow and outside hitter Cameron Offerle. The Threshers have started this season at 4-3 with one of those wins coming over a GPAC foe (Hastings). Concordia and Bethel have not met since 2015 when the Bulldogs won in straight sets in Seward.
Like Concordia, Eastern Oregon made a run to the national quarterfinals in 2024. The Mountaineers finished at 31-5 overall. The ’24 campaign was a continuation of the success the program has experienced during the 18-year tenure of Head Coach Kaki McLean Morehead, who surpassed 400 career wins last season. She has led EOU to eight conference regular season titles while earning seven Cascade Collegiate Conference coach of the year awards. The Mountaineers advanced to the national semifinals in 2022 and 2023. The ’25 roster features returning NAIA First Team All-American middle hitter Kiauna Mack. EOU has jumped out to a 4-0 record with two wins over top 25 teams: No. 10 University of Providence (Mont.) and No. 24 William Carey University (Miss.). The most recent meeting between Concordia and Eastern Oregon occurred in 2016 when the Mountaineers won in straight sets. That match took place in Butte, Mont.
Next week
The Bulldogs will have the middle of next week off to prepare for the start of conference play on Sept. 6. On that date, Concordia will be headed to Yankton, S.D., to take on Mount Marty. The Lancers were picked ninth in the GPAC preseason coaches’ poll.