YANKTON, S.D. – Eight Bulldogs contributed multiple kills as the fourth-ranked Concordia University Volleyball team remained in the GPAC regular season title hunt. The Bulldogs got back to looking like one of the nation’s top teams on Wednesday (Oct. 25) while winning on the home floor of Mount Marty, 25-17, 25-11, 25-18. Camryn Opfer led the victors with 13 kills in an ultra-efficient outing. Concordia hit a sizzling .493 as a team.
Head Coach Ben Boldt raved about the focus of his team in practice following the home loss to ninth-ranked College of Saint Mary this past Saturday. The Bulldogs moved to 19-2 overall (12-2 GPAC) with two matches remaining in the regular season. They sit tied with Northwestern for second place with Jamestown (13-1 GPAC) in the driver’s seat.
“We played really clean,” Boldt said. “We’ve been working on a mentality of ‘what’s next’ and recovering whether you win a point or lose a point. Being fast to recover is important. There are times when you might try to slow the game down and you slow yourself down. If you can recover quickly and get back into a spot, you’re ready for the next ball. That’s what we’ve been working on.”
It’s hard to argue with a ratio of 44 kills to just seven attack errors – an eye-popping stat line produced by Concordia in Yankton. Setter Bree Burtwistle (33 assists) found success wherever she chose to distribute the ball. The Lancers managed only one block for the entire evening while six Bulldogs collected at least five kills: Opfer, Ashley Keck (seven), Sara Huss (five), Gabi Nordaker (five), Maddie Paulsen (five) and Carly Rodaway (five). The team’s .493 hitting percentage marked its second highest of the season (and best in conference play).
The night ended emphatically as Addie Kirkegaard combined with Nordaker on blocks for each of the final two points of the match. Nordaker finished with a match high five blocks. She was one of five Bulldogs to notch at least two block assists as part of the dominating performance. In the back row, Becca Gebhardt led all players with 14 digs. Gebhardt and company were perfect on serve receive as Mount Marty failed to land an ace. Meanwhile, Concordia tallied four aces, including one from Seward’s own Addie Smith.
Said Boldt, “They were mentally focused and ready to go no matter who was called on. Sara Huss did a really good job coming in there making plays and affecting the game. Addie Kirkegaard got a couple stuff blocks there. Addie Smith did a good job coming in and serving nails. A lot of good stuff there … We need to continue to work on being physical at the net and being disciplined with our hands on our block. I thought we did a better job of that tonight.”
Mount Marty (10-19, 3-11 GPAC) has dropped each of the past 21 series meetings with the Bulldogs. The latest defeat crippled the Lancers’ chances of qualifying for the GPAC tournament. On Wednesday, Mount Marty got a match high 14 kills from outside hitter Julia Weber. However, Mount Marty was limited to a .103 hitting percentage.
The Bulldogs will return to Friedrich Arena on Saturday for their final home match of the 2023 regular season. Concordia will attempt to earn a season sweep of rival Hastings (8-16, 3-12 GPAC), which dropped a five-setter at Doane on Wednesday. Prior to the 4 p.m. CT varsity first serve on Saturday, the Bulldogs will honor a large senior class including Ashtynne Frahm, Sara Huss, Lexie Kreizel, Maddy Nagel, Gabi Nordaker, Carly Rodaway, Addie Smith and Shelby Stark.