YANKTON, S.D. – Tagged with the NAIA’s No. 2 national ranking earlier in the day, Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball showed its mettle down the stretch of the second and third sets in Yankton, S.D., on Wednesday (Sept. 16). The Bulldogs followed the lead of junior Shandy Fa’ali’i while defeating Mount Marty, 25-19, 26-24, 25-21, in their first GPAC road match of 2026. Fa’ali’i stuffed the stat sheet with 16 kills, seven digs and four aces (all team highs).
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s program continued its mastery of the Lancers (26 straight series wins). Concordia used an efficient offensive attack to move to 12-2 overall (3-0 GPAC).
“We had a big focus this week on controlling our approach to the game in terms of how we deal with errors,” Boldt said. “Do we stay composed and do we breathe? I thought our approach yesterday at practice and today was really good. We got a little unfocused in that third set, but I thought we finished really focused. We got there after a little bit of a lull.”
Stellar defensive play allowed the Bulldogs to stymie No. 16 Midland and College of Saint Mary during the opening week of conference action. Circumstances on Wednesday emphasized attackers like Fa’ali’i, who struck for six kills in the opening set in Yankton. Concordia put away 42 kills on the night and outhit Mount Marty, .299 to .208. Setters Myla Emery and Ella Brueggemann quarterbacked the offense with 18 and 16 assists, respectively.
Following the win, Boldt pointed out the differing attacking patterns Mount Marty showcased, making blocking a challenge. There were only three combined blocks on the night. For the Bulldogs, one of their best defensive assets is their serving. Concordia pelted the Cimpl Arena floorboards with 13 aces, including two or more from Fa’ali’i, Kyla Griess (three), Lanie Brott (two) and Emery (two). Each of Griess’ aces came in succession during the third set.
Aggressive serving lessened the opportunities for Mount Marty star middle hitter Caitlin Guenther, the team leader in both kills and blocks. Guenther took her chances well on Wednesday, striking for nine kills on 15 swings. The Lancers (8-10, 0-4 GPAC) managed to drop in seven aces, and nearly won the second set (24-23 lead). However, their 27 kills were not enough to keep up. In surrendering the lead late in the second frame, Mount Marty committed three errors in a row.
Fa’ali’i was backed in the kill department by teammates Bella Hedke (seven), Makenna Starkey (six) and Laynee Baker (five). Four different Bulldogs collected exactly four digs on another balanced outing for Boldt’s crew. Starkey ended the night with a kill for match point.
The Lincoln East product Fa’ali’i continues to get more comfortable in her role on the outside. Said Boldt of Fa’ali’i, “She had 16 kills and hit .379, so she was moving it around pretty well. She filled it out (the bingo card).”
The Bulldogs will be back inside Friedrich Arena on Saturday to host Hastings (10-2, 2-1 GPAC) for homecoming. First serve of the varsity match is set for 4 p.m. CT. Concordia will attempt to extend a 12-match series win streak over the rival Broncos, who were winners over Doane on Wednesday.