WATCH: Kalee Wiltfong rings the bell!
SEWARD, Neb. – Chalk up another win over a nationally ranked opponent for the Concordia University Volleyball team. Though a national tournament bid is all but sewed up for the fifth-ranked Bulldogs, they were a motivated bunch on Saturday (Nov. 5) as they took care of No. 12 College of Saint Mary, 25-18, 25-16, 25-18, in the GPAC tournament quarterfinals. Seeded third in the league bracket, Concordia is chasing that carrot of potentially winning a conference postseason championship.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad moved to 22-4 overall while moving on to at least the semifinal round for the fourth year in a row.
“We made big plays when we needed to,” Boldt said. “You just have to trust it. I think they put themselves in good positions. I’m really proud of how they battled. We out-dug them – that was something we wanted to do and have that effort on defense. That was a focus for us.”
The Bulldogs have had the Flames’ number this season. Concordia won both regular season meetings in straight sets, but those results meant nothing on Saturday. There may have even been a little bit of edginess to the Bulldogs after they dropped their regular season finale to No. 4 Midland in three. Up against a rock-solid defensive team in the quarters, Concordia hit .279 for the evening and far exceeded the hitting percentages of CSM in each set, .114 to .000, .500 to .194, and .256 to .026, in another dominant home performance.
The Flames made an adjustment in their system, but the Bulldogs were clearly prepared for it. The Bulldogs out-dug CSM, 52-44, and owned the advantage in kills, 42-33. In rising to the occasion, freshman Ashley Keck emerged with a team high 12 kills on a .346 hitting percentage from the outside.
“From the last time we played them, they switched from a 6-1 to a 6-2,” Keck explained. “We had a little bit of a different situation there, but it was just about attacking the ball and playing our game and staying together … It’s really exciting. This is my first experience doing all this. All the girls have my back and are there in those moments of struggle – it’s all new to me.”
None of the sets came with any late drama – just the way the Boldts would have preferred. In the middle, Gabi Nordaker collected nine kills and three blocks while outside Camryn Opfer posted six kills and 17 digs. The work of Opfer and Rebecca Gebhardt (14 digs) made life difficult on CSM. So too did Concordia’s 10 blocks, including four from Morgan Nibbe (who also notched eight kills and hit .700). The offensive maestro Bree Burtwistle piled up 36 assists and dropped in two aces.
Said Boldt, “Great teams put back-to-back performances together. It was about staying steady and doing what we do, keep working hard and core value type stuff. They work hard and they’ve earned what they’ve got.”
The most effective attacker for the Flames (19-8) was Kamryn Williams, who totaled 13 kills from the middle. Lauren Anderson and Miranda Ring split setter duties on this evening. Star libero Rachel Cushing accumulated 16 digs. CSM will now wait on an at-large national tournament bid. The Flames are a virtual lock to be included in the field for a third time in four seasons.
After falling twice to Midland (once in five sets) during the regular season, the Bulldogs will get another shot at the second-seeded Warriors (25-3). The two sides will square off at 7 p.m. CT on Wednesday in the GPAC semifinals. The winner will meet either top-seeded Jamestown or No. 5 seed Dakota Wesleyan in the conference final.