SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball got all it could handle in its Sioux City swing. Dynamic blocking Briar Cliff pushed the second-ranked Bulldogs to the limit on Saturday (Oct. 4) evening inside a sultry Newman Flanagan Center. Concordia overcame 19 Charger blocks and pulled it off by the hair on its chinny chin chin, 27-25, 25-23, 15-25, 26-28, 15-11. All-American Ashley Keck racked up 26 kills (career high) and 27 digs in staving off the upset bid.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad survived the weekend and kept the GPAC record unblemished at 8-0 (15-1 overall). As a program, the Bulldogs have won 18 straight GPAC regular season matches.
“Two grinders of matches here this weekend,” Boldt said. “GPAC road wins are really tough. Maybe we didn’t play our best this weekend, but I see a team that is going through what you need to in order to be a tough team. I saw a lot of growth, a lot of grit and a lot of grind. I thought it was a full team win. We can figure out a lot of different ways to win.”
An improved Briar Cliff squad that hasn’t beaten Concordia during Boldt’s tenure came dangerously close to carrying out a reverse sweep. Three different Chargers contributed to eight or more blocks as part of the team’s 19-block performance. The home team heated up offensively in the third set when it hit .417 with 17 kills. Oftentimes, a kill from Keck or Ella Waters helped calm rocky waters from the Bulldogs’ perspective.
In the deciding set, Concordia jumped out to a 4-0 lead before Briar Cliff showed its resolve in evening up at 8-8 and 9-9. The Bulldogs turned to Keck, who powered down kills for point Nos. 10, 12 and 15. The closing stretch also included key combined blocks from Waters and Ava Greene. One day after finding itself in the same position at Morningside, Concordia delivered again. It has won in five sets three times this season.
The Bulldogs found a way despite being outhit, .167 to .115, for the match. Concordia came up with nine blocks of its own (six block assists for Greene) and held advantages in kills, 72-51, digs, 99-91, and aces, 6-4. In addition to Keck’s 26 kills, Waters posted a season high 18 of her own. In the back row, Emma Brueggemann equaled Keck with 27 digs. At setter, Savannah Shelburne stepped in for the majority of opportunities and amassed 43 assists. Keck and Kate Griess both recorded two aces. Laynee Baker also provided a spark with three kills and three blocks.
Said Boldt, “Ashley and Ella had really good nights. We leaned on them a lot. People are always going to key in on Ashley. They had their best blocker lined up against her. We had to figure out the kinds of shots that were going to work. We set the ball to Ella a good chunk, and I thought she took some good swings. Many others contributed – they are a really good blocking team. It’s tough to get it around that thing.”
Sophomore middle Aubrey Hoeft earned credit for a solo block and 10 block assists for the nation’s leading blocking team. Outside hitter Emma Brenelli paced the attack with 15 kills. The previous night, the Chargers (8-11, 2-6 GPAC) were defeated at home in straight sets by No. 18 Midland.
A significant homecoming weekend is on the horizon. The Bulldogs will welcome No. 7 Northwestern (16-3, 8-0 GPAC) to Friedrich Arena for an 8 p.m. CT first serve this coming Friday (Oct. 10). The first 100 students will receive a free T-shirt as part of the white-out promotion. The next day, Concordia will also host Waldorf (9-7, 1-7 GPAC).