HASTINGS, Neb. – The season’s second Concordia-Hastings matchup looked a lot like the first one. The fourth-ranked Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball team flexed its muscles on Wednesday (Oct. 15) inside Lynn Farrell Arena, where it quickly handled the Broncos, 25-14, 25-16, 25-18, in a pink out. Hastings hit a paltry .025 in the face of a stout Bulldog block and the back row ball tracking of libero Emma Brueggemann.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad pushed the GPAC record to 10-1 (17-2 GPAC) as it reaches the stretch run of the regular season. As a program, Concordia has won at least 10 GPAC matches for the fifth time in the past six seasons.
“I thought we were under control in terms of our offense,” Boldt said. “I didn’t think that the game got too fast for us. We set the tempo. That was really good to see. We were set and ready defensively for what they were bringing at us. I thought our floor defense was really good and I thought our block was funneling them to our diggers. I thought we played a pretty complete match.”
The Bulldogs seized control of the match in the opening set when they rattled off nine straight points with Emma Brueggemann at the service line. The run included three kills by All-American Ashley Keck and turned an 8-8 tie into a commanding 17-9 Concordia lead. It was a sign of what was to come as the Bulldogs went largely unchallenged in the second and third sets. Through the first two sets, Hastings had been hitting negative.
After recently hitting a milestone (1,000 career digs), Keck continues to produce at an elite level. Playing near her hometown of Kearney, Keck posted a match-high 12 kills to go along with 10 digs. In the middle, Ava Greene (seven kills on 11 swings) and Molli Martin (six kills on 13 attempts) were particularly efficient. In joining Keck on the pins, Kya Scott (eight kills) and Ella Waters (seven kills) turned in strong performances. Concordia nearly doubled the Broncos in kills, 45-24.
A three-time GPAC Defender of the Week this season, Emma Brueggemann racked up 21 digs on Wednesday. Her work in combination with the blocking of Greene (four blocks) at the net made life difficult on Hastings. In service, Clara Evert (two aces) gave the Broncos fits with her wicked topspin serve that Boldt described as part of his postgame remarks.
Hastings (5-16, 2-9 GPAC) has dropped each of the last 12 series meetings with the Bulldogs. The Broncos got six kills apiece from three different players on Wednesday, including Klarissa Dowdy, who added three solo blocks.
Boldt is looking for specific markers this week on the road. Said Boldt, “We’re veteran on our pins. They do a really good job of taking good swings. When things are a little bit out of system, we can put up a ball and they can do something with it. I thought our middles played well. Putting them in good positions to attack is really going to open things up for our pins … The last couple of matches, we went in with a mindset that we’re going to earn our points and be ready for whatever the other team has for us.”
The Bulldogs will hit the road again on Saturday for a trek north to Mitchell, S.D., home to Dakota Wesleyan (13-8, 7-4 GPAC). In Wednesday’s action, the Tigers defeated Morningside in four sets inside their home facility, the Christen Athletic Center. Concordia has won each of the past four matchups with DWU.