SEWARD, Neb. – After taking care of business at home, Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball will take its act on the road this week. The second-ranked Bulldogs protected the home court by toppling Briar Cliff in three sets and No. 14 Morningside in four sets. Next up, Concordia will play on the road at Waldorf on Friday and at No. 3 Northwestern on Saturday. The Bulldogs and Red Raiders enter the week tied atop the GPAC standings with identical 8-0 league marks. Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad has moved to 17-2 overall at the halfway point of the conference schedule.
This Week
Friday, Oct. 9 at Waldorf (11-6, 3-5 GPAC), 7:30 p.m.
--Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Hanson Fieldhouse (Forest City, Iowa)
Saturday, Oct. 10 at No. 3 Northwestern (18-0, 8-0 GPAC), 3 p.m.
--Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Bultman Center (Orange City, Iowa)
By the numbers
• The first RPI and ARC Ratings of 2026 were scheduled to be released on Tuesday (Oct. 6) but were pushed back one day by the NAIA. Fans of NAIA volleyball can check back on the NAIA website HERE on Wednesday for the unveiling of RPI/ARC ratings, in addition to a new NAIA top 25, as voted upon by the selection committee. Last week, Concordia defeated No. 14 Morningside, marking its fourth ranked victory of the season. The Bulldogs also own wins over No. 7 McPherson College (Kan.), No. 12 Dakota Wesleyan and No. 16 Midland (based on rankings at the time matches were played).
• Concordia improved to 8-1 at home this season after triumphing over Briar Cliff, 25-15, 25-20, 29-27, and No. 14 Morningside, 25-22, 25-19, 20-25, 25-18, this past weekend. For the week, the Bulldogs held statistical advantages of .227 to .113 in hitting percentage, 96-76 in kills, 18-7 in aces, 116-111 in digs and 24-11 in blocks. Individual statistical leaders were Makenna Starkey in kills (21) and blocks (eight), Ella Brueggemann in assists (41), Clara Evert in aces (six) and Lanie Brott in digs (21). Each of Evert’s six aces came against Morningside and continued a teamwide theme of aggressive serving. The Mustangs (17-4, 6-2 GPAC) managed to win the third set and mount a 14-10 lead in the fourth set. One of four seniors honored prior to first serve, Lanie Brott came through with a momentum-building block as part of an 8-0 run in the fourth set.
• Concordia Athletic Communications featured Shandy Fa’ali’i last week in a written profile that can be read HERE. The Lincoln East High School product’s ability to play all six rotations has allowed her teammates to settle into roles that suit their skills. Fa’ali’i totaled 20 kills over last week’s two wins and currently ranks 21st among all NAIA players with an average of 3.70 kills per set. Fa’ali’i has reached double figures in kills in 14 of the season’s first 19 matches. This season, she’s totaled 248 kills, 169 digs, 32 aces and 18 blocks and has passed serve receive in 393 of 423 opportunities (in 67 sets played). As the go-to attacker, 29.8 percent of the team’s attacks have been directed towards Fa’ali’i.
• Concordia will first focus attention upon Waldorf, but on Saturday, it will attempt to break Northwestern’s stranglehold in the recent series history. The Red Raiders have beaten the Bulldogs in each of the past three GPAC Championship Matches and ended Concordia’s 2025 season in the national semifinals. Northwestern has won each of the past seven meetings (three in five sets). The most recent Bulldog win over the Red Raiders occurred in 2022 in a match decided in five sets in Seward. Concordia, Northwestern and Jamestown each shared the 2023 GPAC regular season championship.
• On the NAIA national leaderboards, the Bulldogs rank eighth in kills per set (13.21), 10th in blocks per set (2.36), 17th in aces per set (2.40), 44th in hitting percentage (.206) and 88th in digs per set (15.63). Six different Concordia players have produced at least 18 aces this season: Shandy Fa’ali’i (32), Ella Brueggemann (27), Kyla Griess (27), Myla Emery (26), Clara Evert (25) and Jenna Sladky (18). Four Bulldogs have surpassed 100 kills in 2026: Fa’ali’i (248), Makenna Starkey (138), Samantha Kimbell (122) and Bella Hedke (106). Hedke is the team leader in blocks with 60.
• Ben Boldt became the program’s winningest head coach at the 2025 national tournament. With win No. 182, Boldt moved past Berniece Jones, who won 181 matches during her tenure from 1976 to 1988. Currently in year nine leading the Bulldogs, Boldt has pushed his mark to 199-57 since arriving in Seward ahead of the 2018 season. Boldt could hit the 200-win mark on Friday at Waldorf. For all nine seasons, Ben has teamed up with his wife Angie, the Associate Head Coach. The staff has also included Corina Vega since 2022 while Juan Caro is in his second year as the graduate assistant. The Boldts have guided the program to seven national tournament appearances, including four that finished in at least the quarterfinal round.
• Bonus note: The Concordia win streak has reached 11. The Bulldogs have not dropped a match since their nail-biting five-set loss to then third-ranked Indiana Wesleyan University on Aug. 29. In the 11 matches since then, Concordia has won 33 of 38 sets. The only five-setter in the streak came versus Hastings on Sept. 19.
The opponents
Waldorf is in its third season as a member of the GPAC. At 11-6 overall (3-5 GPAC), the Warriors have already reached their win total for the entire 2025 season (11-13 overall, 3-13 GPAC). Waldorf recently put together a three-match conference winning streak that included victories over Dakota Wesleyan (three sets), Mount Marty (four sets) and Doane (four sets) before this past Saturday’s four-set loss at Hastings. Head Coach Matt Benhoe returned 2025 GPAC Honorable Mention All-Conference honorees in setter Reinya Balderson and middle blocker Peyton Klooster. The team’s top attackers are Emily Goodner (193 kills) and Klooster (133 kills). A strong defensive team, Waldorf has limited opponents to a .173 hitting percentage and an average of 11.85 kills per set. In the first two meetings as GPAC members, Concordia has twice defeated the Warriors in straight sets.
Northwestern is the Bulldogs’ arch nemesis. The Red Raiders have set the standard within the conference and have won 49 consecutive GPAC regular season matches. That string dates back to a five-set home loss to College of Saint Mary on Sept. 29, 2023. At the top of the Northwestern scouting report is reigning GPAC Player of the Year Stella Winterfeld, who ranks second nationally with an average of 4.84 kills per set. Head Coach Kyle Van Den Bosch’s squad also returned All-GPAC award winners in first team middle hitter Maddy Sampson, second team setter Nyah Potthoff and honorable mention pin hitter Sidney Oostra. Notably, the Red Raiders graduated GPAC Defensive Player of the Year Zavyr Metzger. Under Van Den Bosch (2005-present), the program has celebrated 17 combined GPAC championships and has reached the national tournament 16 times, including two national championship match appearances (runner up to Indiana Wesleyan in both 2023 and 2025). Led by Winterfeld, the current team sports national rankings of third in hitting percentage (.294) and fifth in kills per set (13.42). The winner on Saturday will have a leg up on the conference title race. Northwestern will also host No. 15 Midland on Friday night.
Next week
The schedule will shift back to a Wednesday-Saturday alignment starting next week. The Bulldogs will host Mount Marty on Wednesday, Oct. 14 before traveling to play at College of Saint Mary on Saturday, Oct. 17.