NORTH SIOUX CITY, S.D. – Day two of the Siouxland Invite came with an early wakeup call for the third-ranked Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball team. The Bulldogs rose and then shined in the first set before being clipped by No. 5 Corban University (Ore.), 25-20, 20-25, 21-25, 26-28, in a match that got underway at 8 a.m. CT from the CNOS Fieldhouse in North Sioux City, S.D. Behind 22 kills from Shandy Fa’ali’i, Concordia bounced back in the afternoon on Saturday (Aug. 22) to defeat seventh-ranked McPherson College (Kan.), 25-23, 23-25, 25-22, 28-26.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad went 4-1 in its opening week of the 2026 season. The weekend’s Siouxland Invite also featured Bulldog wins over 2025 national qualifiers Nelson University (Texas) and Bethel College (Kan.).
“I’m proud of our resolve there,” Boldt said. “There were so many times in that (McPherson) match where I thought we could blow it open. McPherson’s a really, really tough team. They’re not going to just let you have it. They’re well-coached. It was a dogfight back and forth. There was a chess game going on there. Right at the end, (Makenna) Starkey made a play in the middle to put it away. You have to make plays like that. I’m really proud of the team.”
In the tussle between teams nicknamed the Bulldogs, each of the four sets were nailbiters. Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference foe McPherson nearly forced a fifth set after going up 26-25 on a block in the fourth. That’s when Concordia came up clutch, rattling off three-straight points thanks to a Maddie Paulsen kill, Samantha Kimbell kill and a combo block from Paulsen and Starkey. It marked block No. 11 of the match the victorious Bulldogs.
As part of the win, Concordia earned the bulk of its points, as it collected 68 kills (to McPherson’s 39), 11 blocks and five aces. The attack was especially efficient in the first (.357) and third (.324) sets). Concordia fought back from a 22-18 deficit in the first set that ended with a McPherson error. Twenty first-set CUNE points came on kills. Two sets later, the Bulldogs wearing blue took a 2-1 set advantage thanks to Bella Hedke’s kill for set point.
Fa’ali’i finished with 30 kills on the day. In the win over McPherson, Fa’ali’i was followed in the kill department by Kimbell (13), Paulsen (10), Hedke (eight) and Starkey (eight). Myla Emery and Ella Brueggemann split setter duties (27 assists) apiece. Defensively, Emma Brueggemann posted 17 digs and Hedke (eight blocks) and Laynee Baker (four blocks) led the way in the front row. Service errors (17) piled up as Concordia continued an aggressive approach.
In the morning, the Bulldogs struggled with Corban’s block on the right side. Gracee Robertson was in on 10 of the team’s 14 blocks (compared to Concordia’s seven). A national quarterfinalist last season, the Warriors managed to limit the Bulldogs to 43 kills and an .075 hitting percentage. Despite such statistics, Concordia threatened to send the match to a fifth set (led 24-23 in the fourth) before Corban responded with back-to-back kills for point Nos. 27 and 28 to put it on ice.
Six of the Bulldogs’ 11 aces occurred in the first set. Kyla Griess finished with three aces while two apiece were notched by Emery, Fa’ali’i and Clara Evert. Hot hitting Danica Martin paced the team with 11 kills versus Corban. Eight kills each were produced by Fa’ali’i, Paulsen and Starkey. Defensive leaders were Fa’ali’i in digs (15) and Starkey in blocks (four). On the other side of the net, Kendra Bittle accumulated 12 kills for a Corban team that also stands at 4-1 on the season.
Concordia came away satisfied to end the week on a positive note. The Bulldogs defeated three 2025 national qualifying teams over a weekend that allowed them to learn more about themselves. The “MR” positions are keys moving forward.
Said Boldt, “The depth and camaraderie that we have in that position (middles and right sides) is awesome. They all cheer for each other. If somebody’s not having their best game, somebody else is going to fill their bucket … It’s a process. We want to play our best volleyball at the end of the season. We’ll try to get better the next time we’re out there.”
Another high-level weekend event is coming up, this time within the friendly confines of Friedrich Arena. The Bulldogs will host Columbia College (Mo.), No. 3 Indiana Wesleyan University and MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.) for the Power Quad on Aug. 28-29. The six-match schedule for the event can be found HERE.