SEWARD, Neb. – Following Tuesday’s season opening home win over York University, the Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball team now faces the challenge of lining up against four teams that qualified for the 2025 national tournament. Those matchups will occur as part of the Siouxland Invite slated for this Friday-Saturday (Aug. 21-22) at the CNOS Fieldhouse in North Sioux City, S.D. Head Coach Ben Boldt will take his squad up against NAIA foes Nelson University (Texas), Bethel College (Kan.), No. 5 Corban University (Ore.) and No. 7 McPherson College (Kan.).
Siouxland Invite (Aug. 21-22)
Location: CNOS Fieldhouse (North Sioux City, S.D.)
Friday, Aug. 21 vs. Nelson University (Texas), 10 a.m.
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Friday, Aug. 21 vs. Bethel College (Kan.), 12 p.m.
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Saturday, Aug. 22 vs. No. 5 Corban University (Ore.), 8 a.m.
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Saturday, Aug. 22 vs. No. 7 McPherson College (Kan.), 12 p.m.
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By the numbers
· Concordia began this season with its highest ever preseason ranking. As revealed on Aug. 12, the Bulldogs landed in a tie for No. 3 with defending national champion Indiana Wesleyan University in the NAIA Women’s Volleyball Top 25 Preseason Poll. The rest of the top five included No. 1 Northwestern, No. 2 Eastern Oregon University and No. 5 Corban University. Concordia has finished in the national rankings in each of the past seven seasons. The Bulldogs achieved final national rankings of 14th in 2019, eighth in 2020, sixth in 2021, fourth in both 2022 and 2023, fifth in 2024 and fourth in 2025 (no rankings were issued after the national tournaments in 2022 or 2023). During the 2023 season, the Bulldogs twice landed the NAIA No. 1 ranking.
· Boldt showcased a revamped but talented roster in Tuesday’s season opener versus York. The Bulldogs were pushed during the first and third sets but won in decisive fashion, 25-21, 25-12, 25-20, inside Friedrich Arena. Concordia held advantages in kills, 46-16, hitting percentage, .295 to .049, aces, 8-4, digs, 41-38, and blocks, 5-3. Boldt admitted it was sloppy at times, as evidenced by Concordia’s 18 service errors. The team leaders in kills were Shandy Fa’ali’i (14), Danica Martin (seven), Makenna Starkey (seven) and Maddie Paulsen (five). Starkey added four blocks while Ella Brueggemann landed three aces and Emma Brueggemann recorded 12 digs.
· A major offseason storyline was the move of Fa’ali’i from defensive specialist to outside hitter. The Lincoln East High School product plays much higher than her 5-foot-8 frame would have one believe. After a slow start on Tuesday, Fa’ali’i found a groove on her way to 14 kills and a .267 hitting percentage. She was named Honorable Mention All-GPAC last season while notching 349 digs in a back row role. Fa’ali’i is now being tasked with playing all rotations while helping make up for the attacking production lost due to the graduation of All-Americans Ashley Keck and Ella Waters and others.
· Of the 14 Bulldogs who saw action versus York, six of them made their collegiate varsity debuts in navy blue. Those six players were senior Bella Hedke, junior Danica Martin, sophomore Jenna Sladky and freshmen Myla Emery, Kyla Griess and Samantha Kimbell. Hedke brings previous experience from her time at Johnson County Community College and Wayne State College. Meanwhile, Martin and Sladky have elevated themselves to varsity positions this season. Of the freshmen, Emery appears set to make the most significant impact. The former Minden High School star started at setter on Tuesday.
· Coaches Ben and Angie Boldt began their tenures at Concordia in December 2017 and have helped the volleyball program ascend to an elite stature on the national level. Last season, Ben Boldt became the winningest head coach in program history and carries a 183-55 record into this weekend’s action. Additionally, Angie Boldt was recognized as the 2025 NAIA National Assistant Coach of the Year by the AVCA. During their first eight seasons, the Bulldogs have made seven national tournament appearances, including four trips to the national quarterfinals and one journey to the national semifinals (2025). The 2023 team shared the GPAC regular season title.
The opponents
An NAIA National Championship Opening Round qualifier in 2025, Nelson will open its 2026 season in Friday’s clash with the Bulldogs. The Rams will make the trek to the Midwest from Waxahachie, Texas. In his first season leading Nelson, 2025 Sooner Athletic Conference Coach of the Year Nick Moore led the program to a 25-10 overall mark and to SAC regular season and tournament championships. The Rams return first team all-conference middle blocker Mackenzie Smith. Nelson ranked 26th nationally with a .219 hitting percentage last season. The Rams have reached the national tournament in five consecutive seasons.
Bethel will meet up with Concordia in the month of August for the second straight year. The Bulldogs won last season’s tussle in Omaha in four sets. The Threshers went on to finish the ’25 season with a 23-11 overall record and an appearance in the opening round of the national tournament. A member of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference, Bethel announced the hiring of Head Coach Brittany VanRoyen back in January. VanRoyen will have the luxury of leaning upon returning NAIA Second Team All-American outside hitter Cameron Offerle, who led the NAIA last season with 602 total kills.
Corban is slated to play five times in the Siouxland area, beginning the stretch with a road tilt at Morningside on Thursday. The Warriors will then play four NAIA top 25 opponents at the Siouxland Invite, including GPAC foes Dakota Wesleyan and Concordia. Head Coach Kim McLain (entering 11th season) has presided over an elite program having led Corban to three national quarterfinal appearances over the past four years. A player to watch is Emma Bischoff, a returning NAIA Third Team All-American, listed as an outside hitter and middle blocker. The Warriors and Bulldogs last met in 2019 in Orange City, Iowa (3-0 Concordia win).
McPherson begins this season ranked in the NAIA top 10 after finishing last season in a similar position. In his eighth season at the helm of the program, Cory Cahill led the Bulldogs to new heights, guiding them to a 34-3 overall record and a spot in the national quarterfinals for the first time ever. Junior middle blocker Enya Fierens stands out amongst the team’s returning players. She finished last season with 326 kills and 108 blocks. The 2025 national tournament run included final site victories over No. 17 Midland and No. 9 University of Cumberlands (Ky.). In the most recent matchup, McPherson opened the 2023 season in Seward and fell in four sets.
Next week
Another major weekend event is coming up. The Power Quad will make its way to Friedrich Arena for six total matches on Aug. 28-29. As part of the home event, Concordia will take on MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.), Columbia College (Mo.) and No. 3 Indiana Wesleyan University.