SEWARD, Neb. – The fourth-ranked Concordia University Volleyball team was not going to be denied a spot at the final site of the 2022 NAIA National Championship. The Bulldogs took care of business on Saturday (Nov. 19) in the opening round while following the lead of Camryn Opfer. Concordia hit .294 and defeated Florida College, 25-9, 25-10, 25-21, inside Friedrich Arena in a match that marked the third time the program has hosted in the opening round.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad moved to 24-5 while quickly dispatching of the Falcons, who traveled nearly 1,500 miles from their home base in the Tampa, Fla., area.
“We’re honored to have qualified (for the final site). I think we earned our way there,” Boldt said. “We’re super excited. Everything we’ve worked for all year is to get to that final site. We’ll play it out from there. I think our team plays for each other and has embraced each other. They’re happy we got there, but obviously we’re not satisfied with where we’re at. We want to continue to get better.”
Concordia owned a modest 7-6 lead in the opening set on Saturday before leaving Florida College in the dust. The Bulldogs rattled off 18 of the next 21 points with the help of five kills from both Ashley Keck and Opfer in that first set. Rebecca Gebhardt toed the service line eight times in a row (including for two aces) during the run that finished that set. It looked like more of the same in the second set.
The Falcons (28-10), champions of the Continental Athletic Conference, tightened up their play and gave a better account of themselves in the third set. Prolific attacker Emma Noskey produced a team high nine kills and helped Florida College hang within three points late in the third set (23-20 and 24-21). Match point then came on a service error. The Falcons entered play as one of the national leaders in aces – but Concordia had a significant advantage in that category, 6-1.
In perhaps her last ever home match, Opfer shined. The Seward High School product produced 14 kills, 16 digs and three blocks and hit .394 from the outside. The four-time All-GPAC honoree has a lot to do with the success of the program during an unprecedented run.
Said Opfer when asked about heading back to Sioux City again, “I think it says a lot about this program and the leadership and the culture that we’ve made throughout these past four years – and even before that. It’s crazy how the culture has elevated so much. You can see that on the court. I can trust anyone on this team, and I think it shows.”
It was an efficient outing for the Bulldogs, who got five kills or more from five players: Opfer (14), Gabi Nordaker (eight), Keck (six), Morgan Nibbe (six) and Bree Burtwistle (five). At setter, Burtwistle also racked up 36 assists and nine digs. In the back row, Gebhardt totaled 14 digs and three aces while Lexie Kreizel contributed eight digs. From a team perspective, Concordia owned advantages in kills, 48-24, digs, 65-49, and blocks, 6-4.
Added Boldt on Opfer’s performance, “Cam had a ‘wristy day.’ That’s what we keep working on. When she can turn it with her wrist to different places, she can do really well. That’s something we’ve been working on this week and ever since she’s been here.”
The 24-team national championship final site pool play matchups will be announced by the NAIA on Sunday (Nov. 20) by 5 p.m. CT. All action for the remainder of the national tournament will take place at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa. The first pool play action will get started on Wednesday, Nov. 30. For more details on the NAIA Volleyball National Championship, click HERE.