2021 GPAC Volleyball All-Conference Teams
First Team: Gabi Nordaker, Camryn Opfer
Second Team: Tara Callahan
Honorable Mention: Erica Heinzerling, Carly Rodaway
SEWARD, Neb. – A day after learning it would host an NAIA national tournament opening round match, the Concordia University Volleyball team put five players on the list of all-conference honorees announced on Tuesday (Nov. 16) by the GPAC. Both Gabi Nordaker and Camryn Opfer landed on the first team, Tara Callahan garnered second team accolades and Erica Heinzerling and Carly Rodaway were named honorable mention selections.
A Second Team All-GPAC award winner last season, Nordaker moved up to first team this season while establishing herself as one of the top middles in the GPAC. The Millard West High School alum ranks 20th nationally with a team best hitting percentage of .361. Nordaker also paces the Bulldogs in blocks with 99 and has accumulated 304 kills in 103 sets played. The Omaha native starred in the GPAC semifinal win at No. 5 College of Saint Mary, tallying 17 kills and a career high 12 blocks. In two collegiate seasons, Nordaker has compiled 522 kills and 197 blocks.
The list of accolades keeps growing for Opfer, who was recognized as Second Team All-GPAC in both 2019 and 2020, earned GPAC Freshman of the Year honors in 2019 and played her way onto the 2020 NAIA National Championship All-Tournament Team. The Seward High School product is enjoying her finest season in 2021 having posted career highs in kills (335) and digs (321) – two categories she leads the team in. Opfer has hit .219 from the outside while averaging 3.32 kills per set. Opfer’s 25 kills in the five-set win over No. 14 Dakota Wesleyan represented a career high. Opfer currently ranks 13th in program history with 889 career kills.
Callahan has been a constant during the rise of the program over the past few seasons. A native of Brady, Neb., has earned some form of All-GPAC recognition for the fifth year in a row. She garnered honorable mention status in 2017 and 2018 and then First Team All-GPC placement in 2019 and 2020. The two-time NAIA Honorable Mention All-American has racked up 1,016 assists this season for an average of 9.86 assists per set. She’s also notched 264 digs, 32 blocks and 27 aces while playing in all 103 sets. Callahan ranks No. 2 in program history (first during the modern era of rally scoring) for career assists with 4,675.
A native of Ankeny, Iowa, Heinzerling has taken on an increased role this season and has taken advantage while ranking third on the team with 236 kills (2.48 per set). Heinzerling is hitting .203 from the outside and has contributed 41 blocks. Heinzerling’s 21 kills in the five-set victory over No. 14 Dakota Wesleyan marked a career high. She has reached 10 or more kills in 10 separate matches this season.
A transfer from Fort Hays State University and Lincoln Pius X graduate, Rodaway has made a significant impact in her first season with the Bulldogs. While playing on the right side, Rodaway has accumulated 149 kills (fourth most on the team), 40 digs and 27 blocks. She sports a hitting percentage of .249. Rodaway’s season high for kills was 12 in the four-set home win over Doane.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad will enter the national tournament with an overall record of 16-11. Concordia earned an automatic berth to nationals thanks to its GPAC tournament runner-up claim. The Bulldogs are set to appear on the national stage for the third year in a row.