SEWARD, Neb. – With the 12-match winning streak snapped this past weekend, Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball will attempt to start a new streak. In a pair of rematches, the third-ranked Bulldogs will host Mount Marty on Wednesday before traveling to nearby College of Saint Mary on Saturday. Last week, Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad went on an extended road trip and earned a straight sets win over Waldorf before falling to arch nemesis and second-ranked Northwestern in three. Boldt picked up his 200th career victory. Concordia enters this week at 18-3 overall (9-1 GPAC).
This Week
Pink Out – Wednesday, Oct. 14 vs. Mount Marty (11-15, 1-9 GPAC), 7:30 p.m.
--Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Friedrich Arena (Seward, Neb.)
--Fans are encouraged to wear pink in support of breast cancer awareness.
Saturday, Oct. 17 at College of Saint Mary (14-10, 4-6 GPAC), 3 p.m.
--Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Lied Fitness Center (Omaha, Neb.)
By the numbers
• A series of significant rankings were released last week by the NAIA National Office. On Oct. 7, the NAIA Selection Committee revealed its first top 25 poll of the 2026 season. The Bulldogs landed at No. 3 behind No. 1 Eastern Oregon University and No. 2 Northwestern. The top five also included No. 4 Morningside and No. 5 Corban University (Ore.). In the season’s first RPI, Concordia checked in at No. 3 with the help of a schedule ranked as the 10th toughest in the nation to this point. Additionally, the Bulldogs were placed at No. 2 in the Midwest Region ARC Ratings announced last week. All of those ratings can be found HERE. Based on the selection committee’s top 25, Concordia owns ranked wins over No. 4 Morningside, No. 11 Midland, No. 14 McPherson College (Kan.), No. 17 Nelson University (Texas) and No. 24 Dakota Wesleyan.
• The Bulldogs were well aware that the showdown with Northwestern loomed last weekend. However, they first had to take care of business in Forest City, Iowa, where they won, 26-24, 25-21, 25-18. Concordia fell behind by a count of 14-5 in the first set before settling into the match. The Bulldogs managed to limit the Warriors to a -.035 hitting percentage with the help of 11 blocks. Sophomore middle blocker Makenna Starkey contributed to seven of those denials. The very next day, Concordia was defeated by the second-ranked Red Raiders, 25-23, 25-15, 25-22. The Bulldogs missed opportunities in tight first and third sets. Reigning GPAC Player of the Year Stella Winterfeld notched 15 kills and three aces for Northwestern, which has won 51 consecutive GPAC regular season matches. Maddie Paulsen led Concordia with four blocks.
• The victory at Waldorf marked the 200th in Ben Boldt’s nine-year tenure leading the Bulldogs (2018-present). Boldt is the program’s all-time winningest coach in terms of both overall wins and winning percentage (.775). Under the guidance of Ben Boldt and Associate Head Coach Angie Boldt, Concordia has reached seven straight national tournaments with quarterfinal appearances in four of those trips. The 2025 team broke new ground for the program by reaching the national semifinals. Each of the past five Bulldog teams have advanced to the GPAC Championship Match, including the 2023 squad that shared the conference regular season title.
• In the middle, Makenna Starkey continues to raise the level of her game. Starkey totaled 10 blocks last week and edged in front of Bella Hedke for the team lead in blocks this season (68-66). The Minden, Neb., native Starkey has posted at least three blocks in seven straight matches. Other Concordia statistical leaders last week were Shandy Fa’ali’i in kills (17) and digs (20), Myla Emery in assists (36) and Jenna Sladky in aces (five). Fa’ali’i is averaging 3.63 kills per set (265 overall kills) as the team’s go-to attacker.
• On the NAIA national leaderboards, the Bulldogs rank seventh in blocks per set (2.40), 10th in kills per set (13.14), 19th in aces per set (2.34), 50th in hitting percentage (.203) and 93rd in digs per set (15.60). Individually, Fa’ali’i ranks 25th nationally in kills per set (3.63) and 78th among NAIA players in aces per set (0.47). Six different Concordia players have tallied more than 85 kills this season: Fa’ali’i (265), Makenna Starkey (151), Samantha Kimbell (136), Bella Hedke (118), Laynee Baker (89) and Maddie Paulsen (87).
• The GPAC earned plenty of respect in the first NAIA Selection Committee top 25 poll. The ranked GPAC teams were No. 2 Northwestern, No. 3 Concordia, No. 4 Morningside, No. 11 Midland, No. 21 Dordt and No. 24 Dakota Wesleyan. The GPAC leads all NAIA conferences with six top 25 teams. Northwestern was the NAIA national runner up in both 2023 and 2025. The conference will seek its first national championship since former GPAC member Jamestown raised the red banner in 2022.
The opponents
Mount Marty finished the 2025 season at 12-16 overall (5-11 GPAC). Third-year Head Coach Sophia Paes has led her squad to an 11-15 mark (1-9 GPAC) entering this week. The Lancers got on the board with their first GPAC win of the season this past weekend with a five-set win at Briar Cliff. Returning Second Team All-GPAC middle hitter Caitlin Guenther leads the team in blocks (90) while Jaya Wachholtz is Mount Marty’s leader in kills (231). As a team, the Lancers are hitting .143 with an average of 10.67 kills per set compared to .149 hitting and 11.15 kills per set put forth by their opponents. Concordia has won each of the past 26 series meetings with the Lancers.
College of Saint Mary will look to return to the national tournament after missing out in 2024 and 2025. All 12 of the program’s national tournament appearances have come since 1998. The Flames started this season hot, getting to 12-3 overall (2-0 GPAC) before dropping six of their next seven matches. This past weekend, CSM went on the road and defeated Briar Cliff in four sets before falling in four sets at No. 4 Morningside. Head Coach Rick Pruett is in his 10th season leading a program he’s taken to the national tournament four times (2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023). The Flames returned GPAC All-Conference players in second team middle blocker Azaria Green and honorable mention libero Elen Pruett. Before hosting the Bulldogs on Saturday, CSM will play at No. 11 Midland on Wednesday. Concordia has taken each of the past five matchups with the Flames.
Next week
A bye is coming next week with no midweek game on the slate. In the second meeting this season, Concordia will travel to play Midland on Saturday, Oct. 24. The Bulldogs won the first matchup (in three sets) back in September.