ORANGE CITY, Iowa – Northwestern has kept its stranglehold on conference supremacy. For the third straight year, the Red Raiders got the best of Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball in the GPAC Championship Match. Amidst a sea of red in Orange City, Iowa, third-ranked Northwestern claimed the title by a final of 25-11, 23-25, 25-13, 25-19, on Saturday (Nov. 15) evening. The highlight for the fourth-ranked Bulldogs was their rally to take the second set.
Head Coach Ben Boldt led the program to its fifth straight appearance in the GPAC tournament final with all five coming on the road (two at Jamestown and three at Northwestern). Concordia will bring a 24-3 record into the national tournament.
“Credit to Northwestern,” Boldt said. “I thought they served really well. They have a really good outside hitter that kind of set the tone in the match. We came in and had a handful of errors right away and probably gave them five of the first seven points. I was happy for our team to come back and battle. Ultimately, they earned their points over the course of the match.”
It’s fair to give credit to the Red Raiders (28-3), who have elevated themselves to another level since being tripped up three times by nonconference foes in the first month and a half of the season. In Saturday’s clash, Northwestern dominated for vast stretches of the match thanks to its elite blocking efforts combined with the attacking of star outside hitter Stella Winterfeld, who collected a match-high 20 kills. The Red Raiders outhit Concordia, .317 to .112.
In the second set, the Bulldogs found life after facing deficits of 16-10 and 21-17. Concordia eventually came back to even up, 22-22, on a Ky Scott kill. Scott also killed the ball for point No. 24. An errant set sewed up the second set for the Bulldogs. However, the celebration was short-lived. Northwestern mounted leads of 9-2 and 18-6 in the third set while regaining control.
Serve and pass advantages were also in favor of the Red Raiders, who stayed in system and worked to quickly end points. In the middle for Northwestern, Zavyr Metzger never fails to make her presence known. She contributed to six of her side’s nine blocks. In addition to owning the hitting percentage category, the Red Raiders had statistical edges in kills, 56-42, aces, 7-2, digs, 54-44, and blocks, 9-6.
When the operation was executed smoothly, Concordia found the likes of Ella Waters (14 kills) and Ashley Keck (13 kills) on the pins. Scott also added four kills. As it played out, the Bulldog middles were only a slight factor offensively, although Ava Greene and Molli Martin did chip in with three blocks apiece. Setters Savannah Shelburne (21 assists) and Lily Psencik (14 assists) combined for 35 assists. Keck posted a team high 11 digs. Concordia was plagued by 34 combined hitting/service errors.
The national tournament is up next. As an automatic qualifier, the Bulldogs will play in the NAIA National Championship Opening Round on Nov. 22. Official pairings will be announced by the NAIA at 4 p.m. CT on Monday via a selection show. Concordia is expected to be one of the opening round hosts.
Concluded Boldt, “I think we learned a lot. I think being in these moments really prepares you for the national tournament. We earned our way to this GPAC Championship Game. Not everybody has an opportunity to play in a conference championship game. It’s really going to help us in our prep for the national tournament. We’re excited to move forward and to be able to continue to compete.”
2025 GPAC Tournament
Quarterfinals – Saturday, Nov. 8
(1) Northwestern def. (8) Mount Marty, 3-0
(4) Dakota Wesleyan def. (5) Dordt, 3-1
(3) Midland def. (6) College of Saint Mary, 3-0
(2) Concordia def. (7) Morningside, 3-0
Semifinals – Wednesday, Nov. 12
(1) Northwestern def. (4) Dakota Wesleyan, 3-0
(2) Concordia def. (3) Midland, 3-1
Championship – Saturday, Nov. 15
(1) Northwestern def. (2) Concordia, 3-1