HASTINGS, Neb. – The spark provided by Sara Huss in the middle jumpstarted the fourth-ranked Concordia University Volleyball team in its first road test of the 2023 season. Eventually, the Bulldogs shook off frequent slow starts to sets and took control of host Hastings. GPAC Attacker of the Week Gabi Nordaker again sizzled as Concordia defeated No. 24 Hastings, 25-19, 21-25, 25-18, 25-12, inside Lynn Farrell Arena on Tuesday (Aug. 29) evening.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad remained unscathed in a battle between two undefeated teams. The Bulldogs (4-0, 1-0 GPAC) have knocked off back-to-back nationally ranked foes.
“Their outsides were taking big rips,” Boldt said. “It’s not easy with the speed they run it out and how hard they hit it. It’s not easy to get a block set up out there. Credit to Sara Huss. She did a really good job of coming in. She gets her hands over the net – that was definitely needed. That was the challenge of the match for us, for sure. I think the biggest thing was our play in the front row and being physical when they take big rips. That’s what they were going for.”
There were adjustments to be made after the Broncos powered down 20 kills in a second set that had Concordia flummoxed. Out of the gates in each of the first three sets, Hastings played the role of aggressor. It owned leads of 12-9 in the first set, 8-4 in the second set and 6-3 in the third set. A pair of blocks from Huss in the third set helped turn the tide. The two in-state rivals played to an 18-18 stalemate in the third before an attack error initiated a 7-0 Concordia run to end it.
Nordaker then rattled off three early kills in the fourth set and it was all Bulldogs. They hit .517 in that final set while leaving no doubt. There’s also no doubt that Concordia has an All-American it can ride in the middle. Said Boldt in the postgame radio show, “Holy cow, I just saw this stat – Gabi hit .722 on 18 swings. We’ve really challenged her recently and she’s definitely stepping up.”
Nordaker needed only 18 swings to pile up her team high 14 kills. She was followed in that column by teammates Camryn Opfer (13) and Ashley Keck (11). The Bulldogs outhit the Broncos for the night, .397 to .196. The key was limiting Hastings to respective hitting percentages of .116 and .061 over the final two sets. Other leaders for the victors were Bree Burtwistle with 46 assists and Becca Gebhardt with 13 digs. Burtwistle and Opfer both added two aces. Huss gets a gold star for her four kills and three blocks when Concordia needed to find answers to Hastings’ attack.
Said Boldt, “The environment was great. They had the whole student section out. I thought our players adjusted really well to that. We haven’t had that type of environment yet. This was our first match on the road. I thought they responded really well.”
Hastings (4-1, 0-1 GPAC) leaned heavily upon Ilse Benne and Majesta Valasek, who combined for 34 of the team’s 54 kills. After that rough second set, the Bulldogs adjusted and steadied the ship. The 8-1 Concordia advantage in blocks proved critical. The Broncos wound up with 25 attack errors compared to 11 committed by the Bulldogs, who have won seven straight series meetings.
Next up will be the CSM/United Sports Academy Labor Day Classic in North Sioux City, S.D. The CNOS Fieldhouse will serve as the venue for an event that will feature many highly ranked teams from around the NAIA volleyball world. The schedule for the Bulldogs is included below. The first match of the event will be covered live by 104.9 Max Country.
CSM/United Sports Academy Labor Day Classic
Friday vs. Rocky Mountain College (Mont.), 12 p.m.
Friday vs. Mayville State University (N.D.), 6 p.m.
Saturday vs. Kansas Wesleyan University, 11 a.m.
Saturday vs. No. 6 Park University (Mo.), 5 p.m.