SEWARD, Neb. – Following a tough weekend road trip to the Dakotas, the Concordia University Volleyball team has a chance to catch its breath in the middle of the week. The sixth-ranked Bulldogs are off until Saturday when they will host No. 7 Northwestern inside Friedrich Arena. Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad is regrouping after it dropped matches at No. 2 Jamestown (four sets) and at No. 15 Dakota Wesleyan (three sets). Those defeats were a blow to the team’s chances at winning a GPAC regular season title, but Concordia is holding down a tie for third place at 7-3 in the GPAC (16-3 overall).
This Week
Saturday, Oct. 15 vs. No. 7 Northwestern (17-4, 7-3 GPAC)
--Live Webcast/Stats | Location: Friedrich Arena (Seward, Neb.)
By the numbers
· In terms of national rankings, the Bulldogs will likely not budge much despite last week’s losses. In the latest GPAC poll released on Monday, Concordia stood at No. 3 behind Jamestown and Midland. The overall season profile remains strong for the Bulldogs, who have endured each of their three defeats on the road against top 15 opponents. Based on the NAIA coaches’ poll announced on Sept. 28, Concordia owns five wins over ranked foes: No. 8 Viterbo (Wis.), No. 12 Dordt, No. 18 College of Saint Mary, No. 23 Southern Oregon and No. 25 Texas Wesleyan. Another three top 25 matchups are left on the regular season schedule.
· The Bulldogs entered the match at Jamestown (Oct. 7) having won 18 consecutive sets. That streak was halted with the Jimmies dominating the opening set, 25-11, last week in North Dakota. To Concordia’s credit, it bounced back and won the second set, 26-24, with the final point coming on Cassidy Knust’s ace. Jamestown then won a close third set, 27-25, before controlling the fourth, 25-16. The Bulldogs were cooled off and hit .066 for the match. The Jimmies got a match high 18 kills from Kalli Hegerle and hit .249 as a team. The bright spot for Concordia was Carly Rodaway, who notched 14 kills and hit .367 from the right side.
· The match at Dakota Wesleyan (Oct. 8) turned in the first set when the Bulldogs were unable to close it out. They had led 22-17 before the Tigers went on an 8-1 run punctuated by kills from star middle Ady Dwight for point Nos. 23, 24 and 25. The home team went on to win a close second set, 25-23, before dominating the third, 25-12. Dwight had a field day in racking up 21 kills on the strength of a .486 hitting percentage. DWU outhit Concordia, .385 to .195. Three Bulldogs reached double figures in kills: Camryn Opfer (11), Gabi Nordaker (10) and Rodaway (10). Bree Burtwistle accumulated 30 assists and three aces.
· The pair of defeats resulted in the Bulldogs dropping out of the national lead in hitting percentage. The team’s season percentage fell from .296 to .273, which is still good for No. 2 in the NAIA behind Marian (.287). On the individual national leaderboards, Nordaker ranks eighth in hitting percentage (.362) and Burtwistle ranks fourth in assists per set (11.11). As for Opfer, she continues to increase her career totals. She enters the week with 1,128 kills and 1,158 digs in 106 career matches at Concordia. The next teammates in line in terms of career kills are Nordaker (771) and Wiltfong (725).
· It’s back to the friendly confines of Friedrich Arena, where the Bulldogs are 6-0 this season. Dating back to the end of 2021, Concordia has won nine-straight home matches. In the six home contests in 2022, the Bulldogs have hit .348 while averaging 15.39 kills per set. Meanwhile, their opponents have hit .100 with 9.56 kills per set. To this point, every home match has resulted in a win in three sets while up against McPherson (Kan.), Texas Wesleyan, Hastings, College of Saint Mary, Briar Cliff and Morningside.
The opponent
Since falling at home to Midland in four sets on Sept. 24, Northwestern has rattled off six wins in a row with each of them being decided in three sets. The Red Raiders will host Morningside on Wednesday before shifting focus to the match at Concordia on Saturday. Head Coach Kyle Van Den Bosch (18th season) has presided over a consistently high achieving program that his placed inside the NAIA top 10 eight times during his tenure. This year’s Northwestern edition is hitting .238 with 13.30 kills per set. The go-to hitters have been outsides Jazlin De Haan (251 kills) and Alysen Dexter (230 kills). The Red Raiders are poised to reach the national tournament for the 13th time under Van Den Bosch.
Next week
The Bulldogs will host Doane on Oct. 19 and then go on the road to play No. 18 College of Saint Mary on Oct. 22. Concordia will be seeking season sweeps of both opponents.