NAIA Volleyball Coaches’ Poll (Aug. 30)
SEWARD, Neb. – Never before has the Concordia University Volleyball program owned a higher national ranking than it does currently. The Bulldogs moved from No. 4 in the preseason to No. 2 in the NAIA Women’s Volleyball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll released on Wednesday (Aug. 30). Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad even pulled in three first-place national votes (out of 19). Concordia is the highest rated team in the GPAC and sits behind only Eastern Oregon University on the national level.
Boldt’s crew has jumped out to a 4-0 record that includes back-to-back wins over nationally ranked opponents: No. 11 MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.) and No. 24 Hastings. The Bulldogs finished last season ranked No. 2 nationally in hitting percentage and also sit No. 2 in that category in 2023 with a .319 hitting percentage.
Concordia concluded the 2022 campaign ranked No. 4 in the final NAIA coaches’ poll (there were no polls released after the national tournament). Prior to 2022, the Bulldogs also earned final national rankings of No. 14 in 2019, No. 8 in 2020 and No. 6 in 2021. Concordia has reached the final site of the national tournament in three-straight seasons with NAIA quarterfinal advancements in 2020 and 2021.
There are six GPAC teams ranked in the latest NAIA coaches’ poll: No. 2 Concordia, No. 3 Northwestern, No. 9 Midland, No. 12 College of Saint Mary, No. 17 Jamestown and No. 21 Hastings. The Bulldogs will be tested this weekend in North Sioux City, S.D., by two teams on the national radar: No. 6 Park University (Mo.) and Rocky Mountain College (Mont.), a squad receiving votes.