SEWARD, Neb. – After playing three of its first four conference matches at home, the second-ranked Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball team will hit the road twice this week. The Bulldogs will put their unblemished GPAC record on the line against the Tigers of Doane and No. 12 Dakota Wesleyan. In last week’s action, Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad defeated Mount Marty (three sets) on the road and Hastings (five sets) at home. Those results leave Concordia at 13-2 overall (4-0 GPAC).
This Week
Wednesday, Sept. 23 at Doane (4-12, 1-3 GPAC), 7:30 p.m.
--104.9 Max Country | Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Haddix Center (Crete, Neb.)
Saturday, Sept. 26 at No. 12 Dakota Wesleyan (13-3, 2-2 GPAC), 3 p.m.
--Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Christen Family Athletic Center (Mitchell, S.D.)
By the numbers
• In a bit of a surprise, the Bulldogs leapfrogged rival Northwestern in the latest NAIA coaches’ poll (released on Sept. 16). Concordia ascended to No. 2 behind only top-ranked Eastern Oregon University. The rest of the top five features No. 3 Northwestern, No. 4 College of Idaho and No. 5 McPherson College (Kan.). The Bulldogs have appeared inside the top five of 28 consecutive NAIA coaches’ polls. During the 2023 season, Concordia twice landed the No. 1 ranking. Based on the current poll, the Bulldogs own top 25 wins over No. 5 McPherson and No. 15 Midland. Concordia gets another shot at a highly ranked foe with the trip to No. 12 Dakota Wesleyan coming up on Saturday.
• The active win streak has stretched to seven thanks to last week’s victories over Mount Marty, 25-19, 26-24, 25-21, and Hastings, 26-24, 25-12, 19-25, 14-25, 15-10. In the win at Mount Marty, junior outside hitter Shandy Fa’ali’i starred as she tallied 16 kills, seven digs and four aces while hitting .367. Kyla Griess also added three aces (which came in succession during the third set). Against Hastings, Fa’ali’i added 18 more kills and 12 digs. Ella Brueggemann produced four aces. The Broncos forced a fifth set by controlling the third and fourth frames. In the fifth, Concordia returned to form and hit .350 with nine kills. The results continued lengthy series win streaks against both opponents – 26 versus Mount Marty and 13 versus Hastings. Statistical leaders for the week were Fa’ali’i in kills (34), digs (19) and aces (six), Myla Emery in assists (46) and Makenna Starkey in blocks (five). Jenna Sladky also posted 19 digs.
• The Lincoln East High School product Fa’ali’i averaged 4.25 kills per set last week while continuing to serve as the team’s go-to attacker. On the season, Fa’ali’i ranks second among GPAC players and 20th nationally with an average of 3.72 kills per set. The role as a six-rotation player is a new one for Fa’ali’i, who played as a defensive specialist her freshman and sophomore years. Fa’ali’i has piled up 201 kills this season after totaling a combined 36 kills over her first two collegiate campaigns. Her career-high for kills in a match remains the 22 she recorded in the four-set win over McPherson on Aug. 22.
• Ben Boldt mentioned immediately after the win over Hastings that the team will be spending practice time fine-tuning its passing. The burden falls on several players on a balanced roster. In the back row, six Bulldogs have collected more than 60 digs: Shandy Fa’ali’i (136), Myla Emery (133), Emma Brueggemann (132), Ella Brueggemann (97), Jenna Sladky (71) and Clara Evert (63). At setter, Emery (333 assists) and Ella Brueggemann (233 assists) continue to share the role. When in system, Concordia is difficult to stop. Its 13.04 kills per set rank 15th best on the national leaderboard.
• In addition to ranking 15th nationally in kills per set, the Bulldogs sport NAIA rankings of 16th in aces per set (2.46), 25th in blocks per set (2.11), 52nd in hitting percentage (.197) and 94th in digs per set (15.19). Concordia has posted these statistics while playing the NAIA’s 31st most challenging schedule to date, according to Massey Ratings. Aggressive serving has been a theme for the Bulldogs. Six Concordia players have notched 14 aces this season: Shandy Fa’ali’i (28), Kyla Griess (27), Ella Brueggemann (23), Myla Emery (19), Clara Evert (16) and Jenna Sladky (14).
• With two more conference wins last week, Concordia has pushed its record to 37-2 over its past 39 GPAC regular season contests (dating back to October 2023). The Boldts led the Bulldogs to 15-1 conference records in both 2024 and 2025. The ’24 team went 14-2 in league play and shared the GPAC regular season title. Entering this season, Concordia has placed third or better in the GPAC in six of the past seven seasons. The Bulldogs also own an active streak of five straight GPAC tournament championship match appearances. For Ben Boldt personally (195-57 record at Concordia), he’s nearing a milestone achievement.
The opponents
Doane sits at 4-12 overall (1-3 GPAC) after it fell last week at Hastings and at No. 15 Midland. The Tigers are coming off a 2025 campaign that saw them finish at 12-19 (3-13 GPAC). Doane underwent an in-season coaching change with Brian Stutz now serving as Interim Head Coach (in place of former Head Coach RanDee Ochinero). The rival Tigers began the month of September by winning at Mount Marty in straight sets. Stutz’s squad returned 2025 Second Team All-GPAC outside hitter Brooke Larsen. She teams up with Natalie Wood (190 combined kills) as the team’s top attacking options on the pins. On the season, Doane is hitting .082 while averaging 9.33 kills per set. Its opponents are hitting .183 with an average of 12.20 kills per set. The Bulldogs have prevailed in eight straight series meetings with the Tigers.
Dakota Wesleyan is knocking on the door of the NAIA top 10 after appearing at the national tournament in 2025. The Tigers advanced to the NAIA National Championship final site last season and went 1-1 in pool play (including a five-set loss to Concordia). The 2026 Tigers sport a 13-3 overall record (2-2 GPAC) heading into their Wednesday road trip to Waldorf. So far in league play, Head Coach Lindsay Wilber’s squad has beaten Dordt and Briar Cliff (both in four sets) and has fallen in straight sets to No. 20 Morningside and No. 3 Northwestern. DWU returned GPAC Setter of the Year Kayleigh Hybertson and GPAC Defender of the Year Lizzie Tyler. The Tigers have been strong offensively thanks to the likes of four hitters with at least 135 kills, led by 173 from Evy Knoblock (Second Team All-GPAC in 2025). Under Wilber, DWU made national tournament appearances in 2021, 2022 and 2025. Concordia has gotten the best of the Tigers in six straight matchups.
Next week
The GPAC slate will shift to a Friday-Saturday alignment next week. The Bulldogs will host the league’s two Sioux City, Iowa, inhabitants as Briar Cliff (Oct. 2) and No. 14 Morningside (Oct. 3) are scheduled to make appearances inside Friedrich Arena.