BELLEVUE, Neb. – A day after claiming a pair of wins over top 25 opponents, the sixth-ranked Concordia University Volleyball team fell short of a perfect weekend at the Bellevue Labor Day Classic. In Saturday (Sept. 4) afternoon action, the Bulldogs were upended by No. 10 University of Providence (Mont.), 25-23, 25-17, 25-13. The Argos hit .307 and got a match high 13 kills from Sadie Lott.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad defeated No. 17 Oklahoma City University and No. 19 Montana Tech in Friday’s matches at the weekend event. Concordia stands at 4-3 overall (1-1 GPAC).
“The biggest thing in this match was Providence won the serve and pass battle,” Boldt said. “They were really tough back there and broke us down a bit. It was a really tight match. There were one or two little things that resulted in them coming out on top. It was back-and-forth the whole time. It was a fun match to play and coach in. I was happy with how our team responded after a tough second set, but you have to be able to put them away when it’s on the line.”
Lott was a handful at middle blocker. She hit .500 (13 kills on 24 swings) and contributed eight digs, two aces and two blocks. Her big day helped lift Providence in the first and third sets when the margins were slim. In that third set, the Bulldogs were close to forcing a fourth set while edging in front, 23-21. The Argos (7-1) put four-straight points on the board to end it. The run was punctuated by Madysen Hoerner’s kill for match point. Concordia also owned a slight 23-22 lead in the opening set.
The Bulldogs hit .218 for the afternoon while featuring a balanced attack. Five Concordia hitters contributed six or more kills: Erica Heinzerling (nine), Camryn Opfer (seven), Arleigh Costello (seven), Gabi Nordaker (six) and Kalee Wiltfong (six). Once again, the Bulldogs used a two-setter system with Tara Callahan (22 assists) and Bree Burtwistle (14 assists) at the controls.
Defensively, Cassidy Knust paced Concordia with 15 digs. Costello (four blocks) and Wiltfong (three blocks) were both active at the net. In service, Kennedy VanScoy dropped in a pair of aces.
Seven matches into the 2021 season, the Bulldogs are certainly battle-tested. Said Boldt, “That’s what we play for. We want to see who we are as a team. I think we found out a couple of really strong connections in our hitters. We need to continue to find who are strongest people are in the tough moments. I’ve been happy with how we’ve responded to all that. We’re going to continue to tweak and find the right connections and the right relationships for six rotations.”
Concordia’s sixth match in a row against a ranked foe is coming up Wednesday when it will host No. 3 Midland (12-0, 2-0 GPAC). First serve is set for 7:30 p.m. CT from Friedrich Arena. The Bulldogs have won each of the past three meetings with the Warriors, including a season sweep in 2020. Midland already owns five wins over ranked teams.