SEWARD, Neb. – The conference wins continue to pile up for the second-ranked Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball team. The Bulldogs have handled their business with four of the past five matches taking place inside Friedrich Arena. Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad enjoyed some home cooking last week as it toppled Hastings and Dordt in straight sets. The program honored a class of 10 seniors prior to the victory over Dordt. Next up, Concordia will take its act on the road to a familiar destination, Sioux City, Iowa, home to this week’s foes, Morningside and Briar Cliff. The Bulldogs enter the week with an overall record of 13-1 (6-0 GPAC).
This Week
Friday, Oct. 3 at Morningside (9-7, 3-3 GPAC), 7:30 p.m.
--Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Rosen Verdoorn Sports Center (Sioux City, Iowa)
Saturday, Oct. 4 at Briar Cliff (8-8, 2-4 GPAC), 5 p.m.
--Max Country | Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Newman Flanagan Center (Sioux City, Iowa)
By the numbers
· The streak of consecutive top five NAIA national rankings reached 20 on Sept. 17 as the Bulldogs remained at No. 2 in the NAIA coaches’ poll. Eastern Oregon University continues to hold down the No. 1 ranking while the rest of the current top five features No. 3 Corban University (Ore.), No. 4 University of Providence (Mont.) and No. 5 Bellevue University. Based on the latest NAIA poll, Concordia has defeated three top 25 teams: No. 7 Indiana Wesleyan University, No. 15 Viterbo University (Wis.) and No. 17 Midland. The only defeat came at the hands of top-ranked Eastern Oregon. According to Massey Ratings, the Bulldogs have played the NAIA’s 22nd most challenging schedule to this point.
· The home record is 5-0 on the season following the wins over Hastings and Dordt. Concordia cruised past the Broncos, 25-19, 25-19, 25-15, before taking a competitive sweep from the Defenders, 25-20, 25-23, 25-23. The theme of defensive success continued as the Bulldogs limited Hastings to an .054 hitting percentage and Dordt to an .049 hitting percentage. The team’s statistical leaders for the week were Ashley Keck in kills (19), Ella Brueggemann in assists (32) and aces (three), Emma Brueggemann in digs (36) and Ava Greene in blocks (five). Concordia did not drop a single set in matches that were more about defensive play. Offensively, the Bulldogs hit .182 and averaged 12.0 kills per set for the week.
· Dating back to last season, Concordia has won 16 straight GPAC regular season matches. The string began after a five-set home loss at the hands of top-ranked Northwestern on Sept. 28, 2024. During the active GPAC regular season win streak, only one of the matches has gone to a fifth set – the Oct. 19, 2024, clash with Dordt in Sioux Center, Iowa. Going back farther, the Bulldogs have won 24 of their last 25 GPAC regular season contests. Since the start of the 2024 season, Northwestern is the only GPAC team that has managed to topple Concordia.
· Consider this the weekly update on NAIA First Team All-American Ashley Keck, who is on track to add another All-America award in 2025. The Kearney, Neb., native posted a combined 19 kills and 19 digs last week as she continues to star as the Bulldogs’ most potent offensive force. Keck remains the GPAC leader in kills per set with an average of 4.07 from her spot at outside hitter. In 104 career collegiate matches, Keck has produced 1,166 kills, 945 digs and 94 blocks. She’s doubly difficult to defend thanks to her array of attacks and ability to use power and finesse depending on the situation.
· Opposing teams are hitting just .075 with an average of 10.39 kills per set this season. The opponent hitting percentage ranks best among all GPAC teams. During conference play, not a single opponent has hit above .100 versus the Bulldogs: Mount Marty (.083), College of Saint Mary (-.016), Midland (.056), Doane (.075), Hastings (.054) and Dordt (.049). Nationally, Concordia ranks sixth in blocks per set (2.57) and 11th in digs per set (18.51).
· The senior class goes 10 deep (when factoring in Ella Waters, a junior in terms of eligibility). That group has helped continue the program’s prominence from a national perspective. Not only does the program own a streak of 20 consecutive top-five national rankings, it sports an overall record of 90-15 since the start of the 2022 campaign. The class contributed to a share of the 2023 GPAC regular season title and to three trips to the national tournament final site and three GPAC tournament championship match appearances.
· Among GPAC teams, Concordia ranks first in kills per set (13.22), first in digs per set (18.51), second in hitting percentage (.207) and third in blocks per set (2.57). The Bulldogs are the only team in the GPAC to rank in the top three of the conference in each of those four statistical categories.
The opponents
A 2023 and 2024 national qualifier, Morningside received votes in the most recent NAIA coaches’ poll. The Mustangs will be looking to rebound after a pair of league losses last week as they fell at home to Dakota Wesleyan (four sets) and on the road to Doane (five sets). Morningside returned one All-GPAC player in senior outside hitter Payten Lode (honorable mention). She ranks second on the team in kills (156) behind sophomore outside hitter Emma Haren (193). As a team, the Mustangs are hitting .180 and averaging 12.65 kills per set. Their opponents are hitting .169 with an average of 11.81 kills per set. Head Coach Jessica Squier is in her sixth season leading the program. Concordia has won each of the past six series meetings with Morningside. The Mustangs are 3-2 at home this season.
Briar Cliff tabbed Lauren Boatman as its head coach in January, soon after she guided Sioux City Bishop Heelan to an Iowa Class 4A state championship. The Chargers have immediately improved after finishing the 2024 season without a conference victory. Briar Cliff enters the week at 8-8 overall (2-4 GPAC). The two league wins have come against Waldorf and Hastings, both on the road. The Chargers returned their two Honorable Mention All-GPAC players from last season: libero Avery Beller and middle blocker Aubrey Hoeft. The team’s leading attackers have been Tamika Eastman and Aliyah Basham with 123 and 120 kills, respectively. Briar Cliff leads the nation in blocks per set (3.22) behind Hoeft, who averages 1.47 blocks per set. As a team, the Chargers are hitting .174 with an average of 11.02 kills per set. The Bulldogs have won seven straight matchups with Briar Cliff, which is 0-2 at home in 2025.
Next week
The Friday-Saturday configuration will continue next week with the Bulldogs set to host the showdown with No. 6 Northwestern on Oct. 10 followed by a homecoming battle with Waldorf on Oct. 11.