2025 Volleyball Schedule/Results
28-4 Overall | 15-1 GPAC (2nd) | Season Stats | Roster
| Date | Opponent | Location | Result | Record |
| Aug. 16 | York University | Seward, Neb. | W, 3-0 | 1-0 |
| Power Quad (Aug. 21-22) | ||||
| Aug. 21 | Columbia College (Mo.) | Marion, Ind. | W, 3-1 | 2-0 |
| Aug. 21 | MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.) | Marion, Ind. | W, 3-0 | 3-0 |
| Aug. 22 | (1) Indiana Weselayn University | Marion, Ind. | W, 3-2 | 4-0 |
| CSM Labor Day Classic (Aug. 29-30) | ||||
| Aug. 29 | Ottawa University (Kan.) | Omaha, Neb. | W, 3-1 | 5-0 |
| Aug. 29 | (16) Viterbo University (Wis.) | Omaha, Neb. | W, 3-0 | 6-0 |
| Aug. 30 | Bethel College (Kan.) | Omaha, Neb. | W, 3-1 | 7-0 |
| Aug. 30 | (5) Eastern Oregon University | Omaha, Neb. | L, 0-3 | 7-1 |
| Sept. 6 | *Mount Marty University | Yankton, S.D. | W, 3-0 | 8-1, 1-0 |
| Sept. 10 | *College of Saint Mary | Seward, Neb. | W, 3-0 | 9-1, 2-0 |
| Sept. 17 | *(17) Midland University | Seward, Neb. | W, 3-1 | 10-1, 3-0 |
| Sept. 20 | *Doane University | Crete, Neb. | W, 3-1 | 11-1, 4-0 |
| Sept. 24 | *Hastings College | Seward, Neb. | W, 3-0 | 12-1, 5-0 |
| Sept. 27 | *Dordt University | Seward, Neb. | W, 3-0 | 13-1, 6-0 |
| Oct. 3 | *Morningside University | Sioux City, Iowa | W, 3-2 | 14-1, 7-0 |
| Oct. 4 | *Briar Cliff University | Sioux City, Iowa | W, 3-2 | 15-1, 8-0 |
| Oct. 10 | *(7) Northwestern College | Seward, Neb. | L, 1-3 | 15-2, 8-1 |
| Oct. 11 | *Waldorf University (Homecoming) | Seward, Neb. | W, 3-0 | 16-2, 9-1 |
| Oct. 15 | *Hastings College | Hastings, Neb. | W, 3-0 | 17-2, 10-1 |
| Oct. 18 | *Dakota Wesleyan University | Mitchell, S.D. | W, 3-0 | 18-2, 11-1 |
| Oct. 22 | *Mount Marty University | Seward, Neb. | W, 3-0 | 19-2, 12-1 |
| Oct. 25 | *College of Saint Mary | Omaha, Neb. | W, 3-1 | 20-2, 13-1 |
| Nov. 1 | *(19) Midland University | Fremont, Neb. | W, 3-2 | 21-2, 14-1 |
| Nov. 4 | *Doane University | Seward, Neb. | W, 3-0 | 22-2, 15-1 |
| GPAC Tournament | ||||
| Nov. 8 | Morningside University (Quarterfinals) | Seward, Neb. | W, 3-0 | 23-2 |
| Nov. 12 | (20) Midland University (Semifinals) | Seward, Neb. | W, 3-1 | 24-2 |
| Nov. 15 | (3) Northwestern College (Championship) | Orange City, Iowa | L, 1-3 | 24-3 |
| NAIA National Championships | ||||
| Nov. 22 | Florida National University (Opening Round) | Seward, Neb. | W, 3-0 | 25-3 |
| Dec. 3 | (22) Dakota Wesleyan University (Pool Play) | Sioux City, Iowa | W, 3-2 | 26-3 |
| Dec. 5 | (14) The Master's University (Pool Play) | Sioux City, Iowa | W, 3-1 | 27-3 |
| Dec. 6 | (6) University of Providence (Quarterfinals) | Sioux City, Iowa | W, 3-2 | 28-3 |
| Dec. 8 | (2) Northwestern College (Semifinals) | Sioux City, Iowa | L, 0-3 | 28-4 |
| * - denotes GPAC match |
2025 Roster
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| 1 | Maddie Paulsen | MB | 6-0 | So. | Sioux Falls, S.D. | Sioux Falls Jefferson HS |
| 2 | Lauryn England | S | 5-8 | Jr. | Malcolm, Neb. | Malcolm HS |
| 3 | Danica Martin | MB | 5-11 | So. | Mayer, Minn | Mayer Lutheran HS |
| 4 | Sydney Jelinek | OH | 6-0 | Sr. | Lincoln, Neb. | Norris HS |
| 5 | Laynee Baker | MB | 6-0 | Fr. | Omaha, Neb. | Millard West HS |
| 6 | Ashley Keck | OH | 5-11 | Sr. | Kearney, Neb. | Kearney Catholic HS |
| 7 | Sadah Willey | S | 5-7 | Fr. | Ralston, Neb. | Ralston HS |
| 8 | Addie Kirkegaard | RS | 6-2 | Sr. | Hastings, Neb. | Hastings St. Cecilia HS |
| 9 | Kate Griess | DS | 5-6 | Sr. | Sutton, Neb. | Sutton HS |
| 10 | Sophie Wohlgemuth | OH | 5-10 | So. | Lincoln, Neb. | Lincoln Lutheran HS |
| 11 | Ella Brueggemann | S | 5-8 | Fr. | Hebron, Neb. | Thayer Central HS |
| 12 | Tess Reitsma | OH | 5-9 | Fr. | Bellevue, Neb. | Bellevue West HS |
| 13 | Kya Scott | OH | 5-7 | Sr. | Broken Bow, Neb. | Broken Bow HS |
| 14 | Clara Evert | DS | 5-6 | So. | Gothenburg, Neb. | Gothenburg HS |
| 15 | Kennedy Limback | OH | 5-11 | Fr. | Seward, Neb. | Seward HS |
| 16 | Ella Waters | OH | 6-3 | Jr. | Hickman, Neb. | Norris HS / Washburn University |
| 17 | Ava Greene | MB | 5-11 | Jr. | Papillion, Neb. | Papillion LaVista South HS |
| 18 | Shandy Faalii | DS | 5-8 | So. | Lincoln, Neb. | Lincoln East HS |
| 19 | Lanie Brott | OH | 5-11 | Jr. | Lincoln, Neb. | Pius X HS |
| 20 | Mandy Mettscher | S | 5-10 | So. | Lincoln, Neb. | Lincoln East HS |
| 21 | Katelynn Reiter | S | 5-6 | Fr. | Miller, Neb. | Sumner-Eddyville-Miller HS |
| 22 | Kadyn Sisco | MB | 5-10 | So. | Syracuse, Neb. | Syracuse HS |
| 23 | Molli Martin | MB | 5-11 | Sr. | Lincoln, Neb. | Lincoln Lutheran HS |
| 24 | Malinda Anderson | DS | 5-3 | Fr. | Independence, Mo. | St. Paul Lutheran HS |
| 25 | Autumn Deterding | MB | 5-11 | Sr. | Cambridge, Neb. | Cambridge HS |
| 26 | Jenna Sladky | DS | 5-5 | Fr. | Wahoo, Neb. | Bishop Neumann Catholic HS |
| 27 | Katie Merten | MB | 5-11 | Fr. | Lincoln, Neb. | Lincoln East HS |
| 29 | Makenna Starkey | MB | 5-11 | Fr. | Minden, Neb. | Minden HS |
| 30 | Quincy Cotter | OH | 5-8 | Fr. | Ceresco, Neb. | Raymond Central HS |
| 31 | Emma Brueggemann | DS | 5-8 | Fr. | Hebron, Neb. | Thayer Central HS |
| 32 | Lily Psencik | S | 5-6 | Sr. | Lincoln, Neb. | Lincoln Lutheran HS |
| 34 | Savannah Shelburne | S | 5-7 | Sr. | Omaha, Neb. | Gretna HS |
| Jaylen Hansen | DS | 5-4 | So. | Grand Island, Neb. | Grand Island HS | |
| Taylor Helms | RS | 5-11 | So. | Columbus, Neb. | Columbus Lakeview HS | |
| Tahlia Steinbeck | OH | 6-1 | Jr. | North Platte, Neb. | Hershey HS |
STAFF
Ben Boldt, Head Coach
Angie Boldt, Associate Head Coach
Corina Beimers, Assistant Coach
Juan Caro, Graduate Assistant Coach
Season Preview: 2025 Concordia Volleyball
August 8, 2025
Head Coach: Ben Boldt (154-51, 8th season)
2024 Record: 25-4 overall, 14-2 GPAC (T-1st); NAIA national qualifier
Key Returners: MB Ava Greene; OH Ashley Keck; RS Addie Kirkegaard; S Lily Psencik; OH Kya Scott; S Savannah Shelburne; OH Ella Waters.
Key Losses: DS Becca Gebhardt; DS Cassidy Knust; MB Gabi Nordaker; DS Ashlyn Wischmeier.
2024 NAIA All-America: Ashley Keck (First Team); Gabi Nordaker (Second Team).
2024 GPAC All-Conference: Ashley Keck (Attacker of the Year; First Team); Gabi Nordaker (First Team); Ella Waters (First Team); Addie Kirkegaard (Second Team); Becca Gebhardt (Honorable Mention); Savannah Shelburne (Honorable Mention).
Outlook
Big matches and big moments are part of the deal when you sign up to play for the Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball program. Under the Boldts, coaches Ben and Angie, the Bulldogs have achieved remarkable consistency as they carry active streaks of six-straight trips to the NAIA national championship final site and four-consecutive GPAC championship match appearances into another season of mega expectations. Though a high standard has been set in recent years, the 2025 team is dreaming about doing things no Concordia volleyball teams before them have ever accomplished.
“Let it rip!” (Please, no jokes). That’s the message Head Coach Ben Boldt has for his team one year removed from the program’s third NAIA national quarterfinal appearance (all coming over the past five years). The Bulldogs are preparing to embrace the tension-filled moments when the lights are at their brightest.
“I want to go for it,” Ben Boldt said. “When I think of that theme, it presents itself in clutch moments – tough after 20 points in a set, tough after 10 points in the fifth set. I don’t want to play it safe. I don’t want to tip in those moments. I want to go for it. I want to let it rip. Along with that, it’s zero judgement. Let’s say we really go for it and just miss – zero judgement in that. We want you to go for it. We also want to have purpose. We can’t just have no purpose while we’re out there. We have to be intentional about what we do. Playing into those two things is really what makes up the ‘let it rip’ theme for us this year.”
The calendar won’t fast forward to late November, but the Boldts have always had teams that understand what it takes to navigate the rigors of the months of August, September and October. No doubt, the Bulldogs possess the personnel to handle the challenges that come their way. They return First Team All-American outside hitter Ashley Keck, as well as fellow First Team All-GPAC honoree in pin hitter Ella Waters, in addition to two other 2024 all-conference honorees in right side Addie Kirkegaard and setter Savannah Shelburne. Collectively, they helped the ’24 team to a 27-4 overall record (15-1 GPAC).
The losses the past three seasons (experienced by the large class of 10 seniors) have been few and far between. The combined record over that time is 77-14. But there are certain defeats that linger and fuel motivation for 2025. There have been back-to-back five-set GPAC championship match defeats at Northwestern and last year’s five-set heartbreaker at the hands of Bellevue (2024 NAIA national runner up) in the NAIA quarters. Concordia knows it can play with anyone, as evidenced by last season’s nonconference victory over No. 1 Indiana Wesleyan, the eventual national champion, and those epic GPAC battles with the likes of Northwestern and Midland.
Without question, another lofty preseason ranking is coming for the Bulldogs. Says Keck, one of the best players in the entire NAIA in 2024, “It’s a really good starting point to have, but we can’t dip in any sort of way. We know we can grow every single day. We haven’t reached the national championship and GPAC championship that we want. I think the focus this preseason is on where we can grow in the little ways that can hopefully get us to those goals this year.”
Boldt believes the ’25 team will be another balanced one in terms of what it does well on the court. From an offensive perspective, Concordia expects to rank among the national leaders in categories such as kills per set and hitting percentage. It’s been a hallmark of the program. In what will likely be a 6-2 system as it was in 2024, the Bulldogs will roll out five returners who notched more than 100 kills last season: Keck (379), Waters (293), Kirkegaard (237), Kya Scott (227) and Ava Greene (109).
Keck may own the most accolades, but Concordia is no one-person show. Says Boldt, “We take pride in not having one person – where everyone can say, that’s where the ball is going. When we’re in clutch moments, I want to be able to spread everything out and rely on what’s our best situation and what’s our best matchup. That person can put the ball away.”
The only missing piece of firepower from last season is three-time All-American Gabi Nordaker, who played five stellar seasons with the Bulldogs. Even with that loss, the Bulldogs are well-stocked both on the pins and in the middle. When her opportunity arose, junior Ava Greene took it and ran with it. She figures to be a prominent figure at middle blocker along with the likes of Molli Martin and Maddie Paulsen.
In her first season of competition at Concordia, Waters made a major impact with her contributions (.295 hitting percentage), including a 17-kill performance in the win over No. 1 Indiana Wesleyan. The Bulldogs can go big with the 6-foot-3 Waters and 6-foot-2 Kirkegaard, and they can also get production from the 5-foot-7 Scott, who plays bigger than her frame.
At setter, seniors Savannah Shelburne and Lily Psencik are back in the fold. They shared setter duties last season, filling the shoes left behind by former All-American Bree Burtwistle. Together, Shelburne and Psencik facilitated a powerful attack that ranked fourth nationally in kills per set (14.16). The roster includes seven total setters.
The back row is where Bulldog fans will see the most significant change. Concordia graduated libero Becca Gebhardt and fellow defensive specialist Cassidy Knust. The time is now for sophomore Shandy Faalii, who gained experience as a freshman in 2024. She’ll be joined by other returners such as Clara Evert and Kate Griess. The competition for playing time will continue to unfold through preseason training. Those who are adept at serving will also play a role. There are four returning players who notched at least 15 aces last season (including setters): Shelburne (33), Psencik (22), Griess (19) and Faalii (15). The DS position also could receive a boost from the freshman class.
“We love our ‘bro group,’” Boldt said. “We lost a lot from the graduating class last year. We’re obviously going to look different. I’m not going to say it’s our super strength because our team is very balanced all the way across the board, but I love the people we have in the back row. They’re flying around back there. They’re confident. They’re using their voices. We’re super fired up to see what it ends up looking like.”
With a slight window between preseason report date (Aug. 5) and the first official match (Aug. 16), Concordia is attempting to maximize every day it has while working to define the identity of the 2025 team. Following the season opener at home, the Bulldogs will find themselves challenged by early barometers with the Power Quad (Aug. 21-22) hosted by Indiana Wesleyan and the College of Saint Mary Labor Day Classic (Aug. 29-30) making up the early season slate.
In the leadup to conference play, the Boldts will be watching closely to see how their players react in those defining moments when the outcome of a set is on the line.
Says Keck, “Let it rip came from the coaches and their focus for us this year. What it means to me, and what we’re trying to make it be as a team, is to let it rip now and make mistakes now so that when we get to these big moments – nationals and GPAC championship – we can truly let it rip without the fear of not executing a play. Just go for it. If you don’t execute a play, we don’t care. Just move on from it.”
There’s plenty of pride in what has taken place over recent seasons, but there’s also the desire for something more. Yes, they do talk about the ultimate goal.
“We talk about it,” Ben Boldt said. “We use it. A lot of times it’s in conditioning drills or something like that. We talk about the GPAC championship. We shared a regular season crown two years ago. Whether or not we win it, we’re not going to live and die on that, but that is something that we use. It’s a motivator for us. We want to approach practice, and we want to approach off-the-court stuff at a GPAC championship level. We have a saying that champions behave like champions before they become champions. If we want to call ourselves champions at the end of the year, we have to embrace those championship behaviors at the beginning of the year. We have a standing goal in our program, ever since we’ve gotten here, of GPAC championship and national championship. When our team wraps their head around that every year, that’s going to be something that they’re motivated by.”
The 2025 season will officially get started on Aug. 16 when the Bulldogs welcome York University to Friedrich Arena. The complete varsity and junior varsity schedules can be found HERE.
Dawgs back lofty preseason ranking, stifle York in '25 opener
August 16, 2025
SEWARD, Neb. – Just 11 days after reporting to campus for preseason preparation, Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball opened a highly anticipated 2025 season by flexing its muscles. Ten different players registered at least one kill as the fourth-ranked Bulldogs trounced York University, 25-10, 25-8, 25-19, inside Friedrich Arena on Saturday (Aug. 16). Notably, Concordia stifled a Panther attack that posted a hitting percentage in the red.
The outing provided a glimpse at what Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad can be as 2025 progresses. In the process of winning convincingly, the GPAC favorite Bulldogs were able to tinker with lineup combinations.
“I thought our effort was good,” Boldt said. “The controllables we have in terms of our communication, attitude and effort were good. We kept that at a high level. Obviously, there is execution stuff that we can get better at. We were trying some different combos of players and connections. We saw some things we liked and some things we’ll need to continue to tweak and get better at.”
A stretch that saw Concordia rattle off 11 out of 12 points in the first set put York on its heels from the outset. Now closing in on 1,000 career kills, returning NAIA First Team All-American Ashley Keck supplied six of her match-high nine kills in the opening set. On the other side of the net, York never found any kind of offensive traction. By set, the Panthers hit, -.056, -.143 and .051, respectively. In the third set, the Panthers managed to pull even, 8-8, before the Bulldogs took control.
Statistically, Concordia displayed the type of balance that has become expected in recent years. Following Keck’s nine kills, five additional Bulldogs notched at least four kills: Laynee Baker (seven), Maddie Paulsen (six), Ella Waters (five), Sydney Jelinek (four) and Molli Martin (four). All the while, Concordia used three different setters: seniors Lily Psencik (14 assists) and Savannah Shelburne (seven assists) and freshman Ella Brueggemann (18).
Baker and the Brueggemann twins (Ella and Emma) made their collegiate debuts. Additionally, sophomore Clara Evert saw her first career varsity action. The pieces are fitting together admirably considering the abbreviated preseason.
Said sophomore defensive specialist Shandy Fa’ali’i, “We connect so well with one another. I know it’s only going to grow from here … Our coaches set such high expectations from the beginning. We’re all so open to being there (in that situation). We were ready to roll from the beginning.”
Fa’ali’I equaled Emma Brueggemann (the team’s new libero) for a team-high 13 digs in a remade back row. Keck also contributed eight digs. Up front, Ava Greene and Paulsen collected three blocks apiece. From the service line, the Bulldogs enjoyed an 8-1 advantage in aces. Multiple aces came from Psencik (three), Kate Griess (two) and Fa’ali’i.
Said Boldt of the team’s serving, “I thought we hit our zones pretty well. I think we can get a little tougher in our serve with better hand contact on the ball, but it’s to be expected (the first time out). Mentally, I thought we were pretty tough back there.”
Keck pushed her career kill total to 988 as she nears the 1,000-mark, a milestone achieved by 10 players in the history of the program. Two others coached by the Boldts have reached 1,000 kills at Concordia: Camryn Opfer (1,561) and Gabi Nordaker (1,433).
Concordia’s next eight matches are scheduled to take place away from Friedrich Arena. Coming up next week, the Bulldogs will take part in the Power Quad (Aug. 21-22) hosted by defending national champion Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Ind. The slate for the Power Quad is listed below.
Power Quad | Marion, Ind. (Aug. 21-22):
· Thursday, Aug. 21 vs. Columbia College (Mo.), 12:30 p.m. CT / 1:30 p.m. ET
· Thursday, Aug. 21 vs. MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.), 5:30 p.m. CT / 6:30 p.m. ET
· Friday, Aug. 22 at Indiana Wesleyan University, 11 a.m. CT / 12 p.m. ET
Keck reaches 1,000-kill milestone as fourth-ranked Bulldogs roll in Indiana
August 21, 2025
MARION, Ind. – Fittingly, it was a dominant Thursday (Aug. 21) at the gym for senior Ashley Keck as she accomplished a milestone achieved by only 10 other players in the history of Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball. Keck flew past 1,000 career kills as the fourth-ranked Bulldogs vanquished Columbia College (Mo.), 25-17, 23-25, 25-13, 25-18, and MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.), 25-23, 25-15, 25-20, on day one of the Power Quad hosted by Indiana Wesleyan University. Both of Thursday’s foes received votes in the NAIA preseason coaches’ poll.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad took care of business heading into Friday’s much anticipated clash with the defending national champions. The Bulldogs are 3-0 on the young season.
In breaking down the night cap, Boldt told Max Country radio, “There’s this idea of making the ball better than the contact before. So if it’s not a great pass, make the next contact better. We’re always trying to do what we call, ‘better the ball.’ I think we were scrappy to keep the ball off the floor and do a good job to the get second ball up in the air so we could get a good swing on it.”
Earlier in the day, Boldt sated, “We have to be ready to go no matter what. When people play us, I think we’re one of those teams that they circle on their schedule. We’re going to get everybody’s best shot. If we understand that, we’ll put ourselves in a good position.”
A returning NAIA First Team All-American, Keck hit the 1,000-career kill mark early in the third set when she tapped an overpass into a vacant area. The Kearney, Neb., native smoldered inside Luckey Arena on Thursday, piling up a combined 32 kills while hitting a blistering .435. Keck paced the team in kills in both outings – 17 kills versus Columbia and 15 kills versus MNU.
The only downer on the day occurred in the second set at the hands of Columbia, a national tournament regular. In that stretch, the Bulldogs cut a 24-20 deficit to 24-23 before Nazarena Avila emerged with a set-point kill. The celebration was short-lived for the Cougars, who hit just .083 and .067 in the third and fourth sets, respectively. Concordia held a .252 to .083 hitting advantage for the match. Ella Waters backed Keck by tallying 13 kills on 32 swings.
It was more of the same in match No. 2 after a scare in the first set. MidAmerica Nazarene appeared to tie at 24-24 before a ruling was changed to a Keck kill for set point. The Bulldogs proceeded to seize control behind a frontline that accumulated 10 blocks (to MNU’s three). Senior Molli Martin contributed to six of those blocks while Keck notched four block assists.
In addition to Keck’s 32 kills on Thursday, three teammates totaled at least 10 kills: Waters (16), Ava Greene (11) and Laynee Baker (10). Other statistical leaders included Ella Brueggemann in assists, Emma Brueggemann and Shandy Faalii in aces (three), Emma Brueggemann in digs (35) and Martin in blocks (nine).
Keck becomes the third player during the Boldts’ tenure to collect 1,000 kills. Said Ben Boldt of the milestone, “That was awesome. What a way to do it too – on an overpass. It was kind of a weird play. That’s how she gets her kills. It’s not necessarily always the traditional bump-set-spike. She tips, she rolls – she does it in different ways, which makes her a little bit unique in the player that she is. It was awesome to see the team erupt and have the 1,000-kill signs and all that.”
A showdown awaits the Bulldogs on Friday as they prepare themselves to take on two-time defending national champion Indiana Wesleyan (2-0). First serve is set for 11 a.m. CT / 12 p.m. ET from Marion, Ind. In Thursday’s action, the Wildcats took care of MidAmerica Nazarene in four sets and Columbia in three. Concordia edged IWU in five sets at last season’s Power Quad in Columbia, Mo. The Bulldogs are attempting to go 3-0 at the Power Quad for a second straight year. 104.9 Max Country is on site of live coverage of all Bulldog matches in Marion.
Said Boldt of the matchup with the Wildcats, “Being in situations like this prepares us for stuff that’s about to come – the GPAC and the postseason … Indiana Wesleyan is going to be really tough. We’re going to have to serve and pass well. Those are things that are more controllable from our end of things.”
Fourth-ranked Bulldogs snap No. 1 IWU's 36-match win streak in five-set showdown
August 22, 2025
MARION, Ind. – This match had it all. A showdown between NAIA top five combatants. A five-set pulse-pounder. And the absence of officials at match time. Ultimately, a kill from freshman Laynee Baker set off a celebration from the visitors in navy blue as the fourth-ranked Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball team outlasted top-ranked, two-time defending national champion Indiana Wesleyan University, 24-26, 25-21, 25-27, 25-17, 15-10, on the home court of the Wildcats. Individually, the likes of Ashley Keck and Molli Martin starred on Friday (Aug. 22) in Marion, Ind.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad went 3-0 at the two-day Power Quad hosted by Indiana Wesleyan. The Bulldogs (4-0) also defeated Columbia College (Mo.) and MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.) on Thursday. Boldt’s crew has taken down powerhouse Indiana Wesleyan for a second consecutive August.
“It was definitely a competitive match, lot of tight sets,” Boldt said. “We have to clean up a lot of stuff. We showed a lot of resiliency, but there were sets that we could have put away. We kind of let them off the hook on a couple of points, but we stayed resilient. Through the end of the match, we embodied our motto for the year, ‘let it rip.’ The sets that we let them come back, we weren’t doing that. We were tipping some balls. In the last set, we were not tipping. We were going for it.”
After squandering set-point opportunities in the first and third games, Concordia found itself in jeopardy inside Luckey Arena, home to the NAIA’s top-ranked squad. The Bulldogs put behind those frustrations and outhit the Wildcats, .295 to .088 in the fourth set, and, .120 to -.154, in the fifth set. IWU earned the first point of the fifth set before Concordia gained control, built a 9-4 lead and found the finishing touch. Keck put away a kill for point No. 14 and Baker followed with one of her own for match point.
In the middle, the Lincoln Lutheran alum Martin emerged in a big way. She posted four kills and two blocks in the fourth set as the Bulldogs displayed their mettle. Martin’s final tallies of 13 kills and 10 blocks both represented career highs. Martin led the charge for a front row that produced 22 total blocks, compared to 12 for Indiana Wesleyan. Four of Martin’s teammates contributed to at least four blocks: Ava Greene (eight), Keck (five), Addie Kirkegaard (five) and Baker (four).
The Kearney native Keck played like a returning NAIA First Team All-American in Marion. She filled the stat sheet on Friday with 14 kills, 31 digs, five blocks, 21 service receptions and three aces. Keck (the program’s newest member of the 1,000-kill club) was facilitated on the attack on Friday by setters Lilly Psencik (34 assists) and Ella Brueggemann (21 assists). Concordia hit .125 for the day (while the Wildcats hit .039). Baker finished with eight kills while Kirkegaard and Ella Waters added seven apiece.
The Bulldogs were forced to adjust in the back row early in the first set when libero Emma Brueggemann left after taking a blow to the nose. Lanie Brott filled the role for the rest of the set before giving way to Shandy Faalii, who wound up with 27 digs.
Indiana Wesleyan’s two most recent losses have both come at the hands of Concordia. The Wildcats (2-1) nearly went a full 12 months without tasting defeat. The program’s 36-match win streak was snapped on Friday. IWU had a key absence this week with reigning NAIA National Player of the Year Eva Joldersma sidelined. In her place, Marin Sanchez (14) and Marissa Mullins (13) led the team in kills. Two-time NAIA National Setter of the Year Abbigail Porter collected 45 assists.
Moving forward, Boldt will look for his team to put sets away when it has chances as it did in the first and third sets at Indiana Wesleyan. The highlight of the day for the Wildcats occurred when they rattled off six-straight points to erase a 24-19 deficit in the third set.
Said Boldt, “We have an experienced group. We have some veterans. Each set starts at zero. We have to continue to have the right mentality and continue to come back. Our team has confidence to be able to have that trust. I’m just really proud of them … The competition level was great. It was adapt and adjust.”
The Bulldogs will return home for the start of the fall semester and now look forward to action at the College of Saint Mary Labor Day Classic (Aug. 29-30). As part of the event, Concordia will take on Ottawa University (Kan.), No. 16 Viterbo University (Wis.), Bethel College (Kan.) and No. 5 Eastern Oregon University. All matches will take place inside the Lied Fitness Center Fieldhouse on the CSM campus.
Bulldogs use balance to topple Ottawa, No. 16 Viterbo in Omaha
August 29, 2025
OMAHA, Neb. – Tight sets were sandwiched in with dominant sets as the fourth-ranked Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball team took care of business on day one of two at the College of Saint Mary Labor Day Classic. As part of the largescale event featuring many of the NAIA’s top teams, the Bulldogs defeated Ottawa University (Kan.), 25-18, 26-24, 17-25, 25-13, before then sweeping No. 16 Viterbo University (Wis.), 29-27, 25-16, 25-23, at the Lied Fitness Center Fieldhouse in Omaha. Ella Waters paced Concordia with 18 kills while Addie Kirkegaard hit .484 on Friday (Aug. 29).
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad has won its first six matches of a season for the fifth time during his eight-year tenure. The early 2025 resume includes two victories over NAIA top 25 foes and two over opponents in the national receiving votes category.
“I’m so proud of our attention to detail, especially in the big moments,” Boldt said. “There was a three-point run in the third set (versus Viterbo) where we had a couple of miscues, but after that we cleaned it up and were really sharp. In order to be great in those moments, you have to experience them. I’m proud of how they responded and stayed tough – tough after 20. We let it rip in the big moments.”
Balance was a theme as five Bulldogs posted at least 10 kills and another five notched at least three blocks throughout the day. In the matinee with Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference foe Ottawa (0-3), Kirkegaard sizzled on the attack as she put away 12 kills on 21 swings (no errors). Concordia overwhelmed the Braves in the opening set by hitting .520. After a blip in the third set, the Bulldogs closed it out emphatically as Ottawa hit in the red (-.051) in the fourth set. The Boldts learned more about what combinations work best as they tinkered with the lineup in the early match.
Viterbo (2-4), a national tournament qualifier 11 years running, has become a familiar nonconference opponent. Concordia has defeated the V-Hawks in all four meetings that have taken place since 2021. Returning All-American Jada Mitchell and her teammates pushed the Bulldogs while jumping out to an 11-6 first-set lead before the tide turned. The best stretch of play came in the second set when Concordia hit .269 compared to -.029 for the V-Hawks. Waters and Ashley Keck equaled each other with a match-high 10 kills. In the middle, Ava Greene came through with four blocks.
The Hastings native Kirkegaard made only one error (31 attacks) on the day. Said Boldt of Kirkegaard, “She was awesome today. She had 12 kills and zero errors in that first match. She’s being really efficient. We’re talking about being aggressive and being smart and also smiling. She’s doing all those things. She’s somebody that can keep it loose out there and somebody our team can rely on. She was really good today.”
In addition to the 18 kills Waters collected on Friday, four of her teammates hit double figures: Keck (17), Kirkegaard (16), Laynee Baker (15) and Molli Martin (10). Bulldogs with at least three blocks on the day were Greene (10), Martin (six), Baker (five), Kirkegaard (three) and Waters (three). Keck and Shandy Faalii recorded 24 digs apiece, Kate Griess landed four aces and Lily Psencik amassed 44 assists. The Bulldogs outhit Ottawa/Viterbo, .272 to .139.
Added Boldt, “It’s a full team thing. We continue to ask our players no matter who’s in, that they be ready to go when their name’s called. I think our team has a lot of trust in each other that they know where each other is going to be.”
Action on the CSM campus will continue on Saturday as Concordia takes on Bethel College (Kan.) at 9 a.m. CT and No. 5 Eastern Oregon University at 1 p.m. Both matches can be heard live on 104.9 Max Country with Parker Cyza on the call. EOU carried a 5-0 record into its late Friday night showdown with No. 7 Northwestern.
Season's first loss comes at hands of No. 5 EOU; Bulldogs go 3-1 at CSM Classic
August 30, 2025
OMAHA, Neb. – The unbeaten ride reached 7-0 before the fourth-ranked Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball team met its match on Saturday afternoon at the College of Saint Mary Labor Day Classic in Omaha. As part of day two action at the event, the Bulldogs earned a 23-25, 25-20, 25-15, 25-19, win over Bethel College (Kan.) before being tripped up by No. 5 Eastern Oregon University, 25-19, 25-18, 25-21, to wrap up the weekend. Concordia managed to limit its two Saturday foes to a combined hitting percentage of .147.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad stands at 7-1 following a 3-1 weekend in Omaha. The Bulldogs picked up Friday wins over Ottawa University (Kan.) and No. 16 Viterbo University (Wis.). Concordia will now endeavor to learn and grow from its first defeat.
“We learned a lot in this match in terms of how to deal with the speed of the game,” Boldt said. “We were talking a lot about our fundamentals. It’s being prepared and ready to go for the ball. It’s being prepared in the margins. Sometimes we’re going to be a little more physical than the other team on the other side of the net. The margins are going to be a little bit wider. The margins were a lot tighter in this one. We have some things to clean up, and we have to be a little bit quicker. We learned a whole lot, and I think we’re going to get a lot better.”
With two wins over NAIA top 25 teams under their belts, the Bulldogs hoped to slow down an Eastern Oregon squad that leads the nation in kills per set. A day after taking care of No. 7 Northwestern in straight sets, the Mountaineers looked sharp again behind returning NAIA First Team All-American middle blocker Kiauna Mack (11 kills and five blocks). Mack emerged as a key contributor, along with Brooke Womack (match-high 22 digs), to a defensive effort that stifled the Bulldogs to the tune of respective set-by-set hitting percentages of .133, .071 and .154.
In each set, EOU (7-0) found its finishing touch after Concordia hung within 19-17 in the first and second sets and 24-21 in the fifth. Bulldog All-American outside hitter Ashley Keck posted 11 kills and 10 digs while Ella Watters added eight kills, Molli Martin chipped in five blocks and Shandy Faalii dug 19 attacks. There were only a combined three aces (and just one service error was committed by the Mountaineers). The quickness and power of EOU was simply too much. The Mountaineers claimed their fourth win already over a top 25 foe.
Said Boldt, “Credit to Eastern Oregon. They’re a really good team. They run a fast offense that really stressed us. I thought we served and passed pretty well. We had a couple service errors at the end, but for the majority of the game, I thought we served and passed well. Getting prepared for their offense is tough.”
In the morning match, Bethel took the first set from Concordia behind the hot hitting of middle blocker Alayna Vines (15 kills for the match). However, the Bulldogs sharpened their game and controlled the next three sets while Keck swatted a career-high 23 kills (on 52 swings). She added 11 digs, two blocks and an ace to her stat line. Faalii piled up a team best 31 digs over the day’s two matches. At setter, Lily Psencik and Savannah Shelburne combined for 77 assists over the two matches. Martin and Greene led the team defensively at the net with eight and seven blocks, respectively.
Concordia outhit the Threshers, .252 to .066. The previous day, Bethel (5-5) seized a five-set upset of No. 20 Midland. Bethel also knocked off Hastings in the opening weekend of the season.
Conference play is up next. The Bulldogs will begin the GPAC grind next Saturday (Sept. 6) with a trip to Mount Marty (6-2). First serve of the varsity match from Cimpl Arena in Yankton, S.D., is slated for 3 p.m. CT. Concordia won both of last season’s meetings with the Lancers in four sets.
GPAC road win earned as Griess, Jelinek, Martin start strong in conference play
September 6, 2025
YANKTON, S.D. – Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball continues to unleash an array of players upon its opponents. The likes of Kate Griess, Sydney Jelinek and Molli Martin emerged as key performers in Yankton, S.D., on Saturday (Sept. 6) as the Bulldogs opened conference play with a straight-sets win, 25-22, 25-13, 26-24, over an improving Mount Marty program. Concordia outhit the Lancers, .187 to .083, for the afternoon.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad returned to action for the first time since last weekend’s hectic couple of days on the College of Saint Mary campus. Now ranked No. 2 in the NAIA, the Bulldogs stand at 8-1 overall.
“We want to be a very physical team,” Boldt said. “And I think our middles have done an awesome job of having a mentality of owning the net where I’m going to go out there and be the aggressor. I’m really proud of them. We’ve been working a lot on being tight on our block and being disciplined. I also thought offensively, I was loving some of the stuff we were doing from behind the setter today. Ella Waters was ripping some balls. We’re still trying to find the connection on the slide attack behind the setter, but we’re getting there.”
The production from All-American outside hitter Ashley Keck (14 kills and eight digs on Saturday) is always going to be there, but she certainly doesn’t have to do it alone. Jelinek put away seven kills on 21 swings from the outside and Martin was in on five of the team’s six blocks (to go along with her seven kills). The Lincoln Lutheran High School product has been a major factor in Concordia ranking top five nationally in blocks per set (entering the weekend).
The Bulldogs were pushed to the wire in both the first and third sets by the Lancers (6-4, 0-1 GPAC). Keck landed a kill for set point in the first after Mount Marty had closed within 23-22. Then in the third, Concordia shook off a 23-22 deficit. The Bulldogs took a 25-24 lead on Martin kill and then clinched victory on a Mount Marty attack error. Despite the loss, the Lancers’ Caitlin Guenther (13 kills) put together a strong match.
From a results standpoint, the Bulldogs’ best stretch of play came in the second set. Concordia actually trailed that set 12-11 before getting on a roll with Kate Griess at the service line. Griess and company rattled off 11 points in a row to take command of the match. Griess dropped in one of the team’s three aces during that surge.
Said Boldt, “Kate Griess went on a great run there. She was really dialed in on her serve. It was just like, how many can we get her? She was putting us at a really big advantage because her serve got them out of system. We were getting easy balls back and really flying in there … We’ll take a look at the film, reflect a little bit and get ready for the next one. The GPAC is a grind.”
Statistically, Waters chipped in with six kills and two blocks and Maddie Paulsen posted four kills and two blocks. Libero Emma Brueggemann returned to the court and paced the team with 13 digs. Ella Brueggemann (20 assists) and Savannah Shelburne (14 assists) split setter duties. It all added up to the Bulldogs’ 24th straight series win over Mount Marty.
The Bulldogs are scheduled to make their long-awaited return to Friedrich Arena on Wednesday evening for a tussle with in-state rival College of Saint Mary (7-3, 0-0 GPAC). First serve of the varsity match is slated for 7:30 p.m. CT. In this weekend’s action, the Flames were set to play Midland in the evening.
Bulldogs rip apart CSM in home masterclass
September 10, 2025
SEWARD, Neb. – In its first home appearance in more than three weeks, the Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball team put on a masterclass. The second-ranked Bulldogs overwhelmed visiting College of Saint Mary in the first and second sets on the way to a second straight sweep to open conference play. Concordia won inside Friedrich Arena on Wednesday (Sept. 10), 25-8, 25-13, 25-18, while outhitting the Flames, .309 to -.016.
Whatever Head Coach Ben Boldt and his staff did to prepare their team for this one, it worked. Afterwards, Boldt struggled to find anything to nitpick. The Bulldogs have moved to 9-1 overall (2-0 GPAC).
“We played really well. We played really efficiently,” Boldt said. “We executed our game plan. I thought that we were locked in tonight. I can’t argue with a lot of stuff that happened. We need to continue to be detail-oriented and we want to continue to bring our best and be ready to go when our name’s called.”
Twelve points into the match, CSM had already exhausted its two first-set timeouts. The advantage for the home team ballooned to 20-4 when Ella Brueggemann landed a kill on the setter dump. The tone had been established. Concordia hit a blistering .367 (14 kills to three errors) in the first set and made it a runaway. The statistics told the story as the Bulldogs held significant advantages in kills, 44-20, blocks, 7-2, aces, 5-2, and digs, 73-52.
In continuing a theme this 2025 season, Concordia stifled the opposition’s attack. While hitting in the red, the Flames (7-5, 0-2 GPAC) must have felt as though there were eight or nine Bulldogs on the other side of the net. Libero Emma Brueggemann dug 23 attacks and do-it-all All-American Ashley Keck added 13 of her own. At the net, Ava Greene posted six blocks in another starring defensive effort.
As usual, the attack was spread around. Keck paced the team with 12 kills (on 31 swings). Three teammates posted at least five kills, including Kya Scott (seven), Ella Waters (six) and Molli Martin (five). The team’s array of hitters thrived as three different setters again saw action, led by Ella Brueggemann with 18 assists. Ella Brueggemann equaled Shandy Faalii with two aces as part of an aggressive approach from the service line.
Four days earlier, CSM fell at home in five sets to Midland. Not a single Flame registered more than four kills on Wednesday. All-conference middle blocker Azaria Green went for four kills on 14 attempts. Green and company put together their best stretch of play in the third set when they built an 11-8 lead. But Concordia quickly responded and later rattled off the match’s final five points. The Bulldogs have won three straight meetings over the rival Flames, who finished last season at 16-14 overall (7-9 GPAC).
On this night, it would have taken an exceptional effort to compete with the Bulldogs on their home floor. Said Boldt, “Tonight, we were dialed in. We put our hands over the net where we needed to blocking-wise. It was very efficient tonight. It felt good … I’m really proud of the team. We’ve had a number of different lineups out there. I love this team. I love how they support each other and I love this process of (going through) a season. We’re going to have our challenges. There are going to be tough moments, but we all have each other’s back.”
The Bulldogs will have the weekend off from competition while looking ahead to next Wednesday night’s clash with rival and 17th-ranked Midland (7-5, 2-0 GPAC). First serve of the varsity match is set for 7:30 p.m. CT from Friedrich Arena. Concordia took all three 2024 meetings from the Warriors, including one that took place in the GPAC tournament semifinals.
Bulldogs bounce back from first set, cruise past No. 17 Midland
September 18, 2025
SEWARD, Neb. – The first set slipped through its fingers, but the second-ranked Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball team never allowed Midland to come close in any of the remaining sets. The Bulldogs won the defensive battle, 28-30, 25-17, 25-19, 25-17, while limiting the 17th-ranked Warriors to .056 hitting on Wednesday (Sept. 17) night. Concordia’s 17 blocks keyed its latest victory inside Friedrich Arena.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad pushed the overall record to 10-1 (3-0 GPAC). The Bulldogs returned to action for the first time since routing College of Saint Mary a week earlier.
“Welcome to Concordia versus Midland,” said Boldt to his team following the opening set. “That’s what you can expect, especially with two quality programs. I think we reset. We put in Addie Kirkegaard on the right. I was really proud of her for stepping up. That really forced them to adjust. Our blocking was really good, especially in the last three sets.”
As Concordia tightened its serve and pass games, everything else fell into place. At the net, the likes of Ava Greene (nine blocks), Molli Martin (eight blocks) and Ella Waters (eight blocks) formed a brick wall. Of the five Midland hitters who attacked at least 10 times, none of them hit better than .222. Such struggles led to commanding leads for the Bulldogs, including 20-10 in the second set and 13-3 in the fourth set.
The biggest roar of the night came on Concordia’s seventh point of the fourth set. After impressive efforts by Shandy Faalii and Emma Brueggemann to keep the ball alive, the Lincoln East High School product Faalii brought the thunder from the back row. Her smash hit off the face of a Warrior player and landed for a kill. The play was symbolic of the final three sets. Midland hit in the red (-.021) in the third set.
Offensively, All-American Ashley Keck keeps doing her thing. She broke out her array of fastballs, curveballs and changeups on the way to a match high 17 kills (.240 hitting percentage). She also added 15 digs and an ace. Other kills leaders included Waters (nine), Kya Scott (nine) and Martin (seven). At setter, Ella Brueggemann (26 assists) and Lily Psencik (19 assists) took on significant workloads. Both Ella Brueggemann and Kate Griess dropped in two aces as part of another aggressive service approach.
When times get tight, the Bulldogs know they can lean upon defense. Reigning GPAC Defender of the Week Emma Brueggemann posted a team best 18 digs in helping clean up the attacks that did make it past the Concordia front row. It’s no easy task for the opposition.
Said Martin, “We’ve worked on blocking and defense a lot. We’ve been working on pressing and covering areas that we need … We have a lot of depth and a lot of people who can step up. I think that’s why we are where we are. This season has been so cool with the team we have and the players we have.”
Said Boldt, “It was a defensive battle the whole time. I’m really proud of the effort and the resilience. GPAC grit – that’s what it’s all about … Ella’s really been working on her blocking technique and being disciplined and not reaching. I thought she did a good job of setting up in front of where her attacker needed to be … and our middles continue to block well. There were a couple times Midland got it through our block, but we stayed true and stayed physical.”
Midland (7-6, 2-1 GPAC) fell for the first time in conference play. The Warriors got a team high 12 kills from Brooklynn Snyder. Delainey Cast notched 21 digs.
The second road trip of the conference season will be a short one with the Bulldogs scheduled to play at Doane (8-7, 1-2 GPAC) at 5 p.m. CT (varsity) on Saturday. Concordia has won each of the past six and 13 of the last 14 meetings in the series with Doane. In Wednesday night’s action, the Tigers were defeated in five sets at College of Saint Mary.
No. 2 Concordia shakes slow start, topples Doane
September 20, 2025
CRETE, Neb. – In both outings this week, second-ranked Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball shook off a downer in the first set and exercised control over the next three. The Bulldogs continued their series dominance of Doane on Saturday (Sept. 20), taking a 21-25, 25-17, 25-13, 25-22, win inside the Haddix Center in Crete. After committing 12 attack errors in the opening set, Concordia tightened up and limited the hitting miscues to 13 total over the second through fourth sets.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad remains unbeaten in GPAC play at 4-0 (11-1 overall). As a program, the Bulldogs have won 14 of the last 15 clashes with the Tigers.
“I was a little disappointed in how we started – slow,” Boldt said. “When we play, we have to expect the best. I thought we got a little casual in the middle of the set. We got caught in a rotation where they went on like a seven-point run. That really flipped the momentum of the match. That was kind of a tough run. That happens in volleyball because of some matchup stuff. We have to stay gritty in those moments. I don’t know if we close out the match like we did if we didn’t go through what we did in the first set.”
Concordia looked the part of the NAIA’s No. 2 team as the match wore on. Aggressive serving (eight aces as a team) helped tee up the Bulldogs’ standouts in the front row. All-American Ashley Keck produced 14 of her match high 19 kills over the final two sets as she found a groove. Additionally, Concordia’s blocking is a constant. It came up with nine blocks on Saturday with middle Ava Greene contributing to five of them.
The best stretch of play for the Bulldogs occurred in the third set when it hit .345 with just one attack error. On the other side of the net, Doane hit .000 and was blocked three times in the third set. The Tigers’ top two attackers both finished with double-digit attack errors while up against one of the nation’s best defensive teams. For the match, Concordia outhit Doane, .182 to .075.
Four Bulldogs were credited with contributing to three or more blocks: Greene (five), Molli Martin (four), Ella Waters (four) and Addie Kirkegaard (three). In the back row, Emma Brueggemann (14), Keck (13) and Shandy Faalii (12) each hit double figures in digs. On the attack, Kikegaard and Martin chipped in with eight kills apiece. Keck added three aces to her stat line while two aces were landed by Faalii. Lily Psencik (23 assists) and Ella Brueggemann (20 assists) quarterbacked the offense.
Said Boldt, “I thought our floor defense got better as the match went on. Our blocking could have been better, but Doane was hitting some different shots. They were keeping their attacks variable. It threw us off a little bit on our block. We stayed steady and our floor defense got a whole lot better throughout the course of the match.”
Doane (9-8, 1-3 GPAC) also played Friday night and picked up a five-set nonconference win over Peru State College. In Saturday’s match, Natalie Wood and Brooke Larsen paced the Tiger attack with 14 and 11 kills, respectively.
Another in-state matchup is on the docket for Wednesday when the Bulldogs are scheduled to host Hastings (4-10, 1-3 GPAC). First serve of the varsity match is set for 7:30 p.m. CT. Concordia has won each of the past 10 series matchups with the Broncos.
Superior defensive play, service push Bulldogs to 5-0 GPAC mark
September 24, 2025
SEWARD, Neb. – There was a brief hiccup to begin the evening, but the second-ranked Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball team quickly established control while taking care of rival Hastings, 25-19, 25-19, 25-15, on Wednesday (Sept. 24) from Friedrich Arena. For the fifth straight match to open GPAC play, the Bulldogs held their opposition to a hitting percentage south of .100. Superior serving and stellar defense were more than enough to befuddle the Broncos.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad kept its GPAC mark unblemished at 5-0 (12-1 GPAC). As a program, Concordia has won 15 consecutive GPAC regular season matches.
“I thought we responded well to challenges we set out for them,” Boldt said. “We started off down 6-1 in the first set, but I thought we came back and responded. I thought we stayed true and stayed composed. I was proud of that … The person they set the most hit negative, and I think that was because of our block setup and our presence out there. She was trying to hit around it. Defensively, I thought we played pretty well.”
Slow starts have been a bit of a theme lately for the Bulldogs, but it didn’t take them long to shake out of it on Wednesday. Boldt called a timeout after Hastings jumped out to a 6-1 first-set lead. The tide turned by the time Concordia evened up, 12-12, thanks to four straight kills, including three in a row from Ashley Keck, who again showed off her arsenal equipped with both power and finesse on the attack. To the Broncos’ credit, they clung within 20-19 before the Bulldogs rattled off the final five points of the first set, capped by Lily Psencik’s ace.
The final two sets were much more decisive. Concordia darted out to advantages of 8-3 in the second and 18-8 in the third. Meanwhile, the miscues for Hastings piled up. The Broncos committed 22 attack errors and 10 service errors. The only block (Ava Greene and Addie Kirkegaard) on the night for the Bulldogs came late in the second set, but their physicality at the net played a distinct role in the outcome.
The Kearney, Neb., native Keck led all players with nine kills to go along with her nine digs. It was an active night in the back row for freshman Emma Brueggemann, who collected 18 digs (and four assists). The setter duo of Ella Brueggemann (two aces) and Psencik combined for 27 assists while teeing it up for five teammates to notch at least five kills. Keck was followed in the kills by Kya Scott (six), Molli Martin (six), Greene (five) and Ella Waters (five). Concordia hit .268 as a team.
Added Boldt, “I’d like to start off cleaner. Volleyball is kind of weird. One point happens and then the next point happens. If there’s an error that happens, it can snowball on you a little bit. You have to flush the last play, stay clean and stay aggressive. The result of the play often comes back to your focus on the fundamentals and executing that.”
Hastings (4-11, 1-4 GPAC) was paced by the six kills apiece from Ilse Benne and Makenna Sutter. Lainey Benson dropped in three aces. The Broncos have fallen in 11 straight series meetings with the Bulldogs, who continue to take care of business while wearing a target on their backs.
Said Kya Scott, “Ben and Angie always say that everyone that has us on their schedule has our number circled right next to them. We have to trust the process, play Concordia volleyball and play like we know how to play.”
This coming Saturday will be senior day for the Bulldogs, who will welcome Dordt (12-4, 3-2 GPAC) for a 3 p.m. CT first serve (varsity match). A senior day recognition will take place prior to the start of the contest. In last season’s meeting with the Defenders, Concordia survived in five sets (16-14 in the fifth) in Sioux Center, Iowa.
Defensive grit carries the day in senior day win
September 27, 2025
SEWARD, Neb. – The hitting percentages weren’t pretty on Saturday (Sept. 27), but this Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball team didn’t seem to mind. The second-ranked Bulldogs played just a bit cleaner than the opposition while dispatching of Dordt in a competitive straight-sets clash, 25-20, 25-23, 25-23, inside Friedrich Arena. Prior to first serve, Concordia honored a class of 10 seniors, each of whom saw action on Saturday. Autumn Deterding made her first varsity appearance and started the match.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad improved to 13-1 overall and remained unbeaten in league play (6-0). Dating back to last season, the program has won 16 straight GPAC regular season matches.
“I’m proud of our team for staying resilient,” Boldt said. “Dordt’s a really good team, and they’ve had some good wins this year. They’re a physical team, they play hard and they’re well-coached. You never quite know how your team is going to respond on a senior day. I thought we did a great job of locking in this week.”
Having played No. 6 Northwestern to five sets earlier this season, Dordt (12-5, 3-3 GPAC) had Concordia’s attention. Nothing was easy on Saturday as the Bulldogs never hit above .150 in any of the three sets. In the opening set, Concordia roared back from a 12-6 deficit. In the middle, Ava Greene starred as she floored back-to-back kills to stop the Defender run and then put away another kill for set point. The kills were difficult to come back. Ultimately, the Bulldogs outhit Dordt, .111 to .049.
The final two sets were nailbiters. Concordia finally put the Defenders away with the help of another set-point kill from Greene and then thanks to a service error for match point. Dordt showed grit of its own in going toe-to-toe with the Bulldogs across the spectrum of statistical categories. Concordia held slight advantages in kills, 35-32, and digs, 57-52. Both teams finished with seven blocks. The Defenders were led by the seven kills from Payton Doenhoefer.
It was the typical balanced effort from the Bulldogs, who got a team best 10 kills from Ashley Keck. The Kearney, Neb., native rotated for a particularly booming kill late in the third set. She added 10 digs and two blocks to her stat line. Other statistical leaders included Ella Brueggemann in assists (18), Emma Brueggemann in digs (18) and Greene in blocks (four). Four Concordia players recorded one ace apiece. In addition, five kills or more came from Kya Scott (six), Greene (six) and Molli Martin (five).
Said Boldt, “I felt like we were urgent and we had purpose. We had to settle into the match a little bit and figure out who we needed to attack and key in on. They’re a good serving team, so we really had to focus on coming back to coming back to the fundamental of calling the ball first, not hesitating and locking in on our passing and keeping the ball in the middle of the court. Late in every single set, that was a reminder for our team. They executed and finished it out.”
The seniors that were honored prior to the match are Autumn Deterding, Kate Griess, Sydney Jelinek, Ashley Keck, Addie Kirkegaard, Molli Martin, Lily Psencik, Kya Scott, Savannah Shelburne and Ella Waters. A transfer from Washburn University (Kan.), Waters has the option to return in 2026. Collectively, the group has contributed to 90 wins since the start of the 2022 season.
Said Keck of her senior day experience, “I’m happy as can be. This is my second family. We talked about wanting to ‘out-family’ the other team this year. I think that win today shows who we are as a family more than a team. We compete with each other and be there for each other in big moments so we can put away a game like that.”
The format next week will shift to Friday-Saturday action as the Bulldogs look forward to a trip to Sioux City, Iowa. Concordia will play at Morningside (9-7, 3-3 GPAC) on Oct. 3 before taking to the home court of Briar Cliff (8-8, 2-4 GPAC) on Oct. 4.
No. 2 Concordia survives road test, rallies for win at Morningside
October 3, 2025
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – In just its second five-set match all season, the second-ranked Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball team survived the scare on the road. Even after going up 4-0 in the fifth, the Bulldogs were forced to scrap their way to a victory, 25-23, 18-25, 25-27, 25-17, 15-9, over Morningside, a national qualifier in each of the past two seasons. The tension in Sioux City, Iowa, on Friday (Oct. 3) finally ceased when senior Molli Martin stuffed a Mustang attack for match point.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad moved to 14-1 overall (7-0 GPAC) with leg one of its Sioux City road trip complete. The program has captured 17 straight GPAC regular season matches (two in five sets).
“Credit to Morningside,” Boldt said. “They were really bringing it. We had a theme this week. We had a Kobe (Bryant) quote: ‘I play to figure the game out.’ We did that. We made a lot of adjustments. We were hitting the ball super hard, but it wasn’t going down. We adjusted and started hitting some different shots and it opened some things up for us. It was just little things like that. We trusted each other and took it one point at a time. I thought it was a gritty win.”
Fittingly for this edition of Concordia Volleyball, the visitors used their blocking to turn the tide in their favor. The Bulldogs stonewalled Morningside with seven fourth-set blocks before ultimately ending the night on a stuff. The Mustangs hit negative in the fourth (-.026) and fifth (-.077) sets while watching the upset bid slip through their fingers. In the back row, budding Concordia freshman libero Emma Brueggemann came through with 34 digs.
In the middle of the fifth set, Morningside clung within one (8-7) before the Bulldog attack got rolling. Point Nos. 11, 12, 13 and 14, came via kills from Maddie Paulsen, Molli Martin, Ella Waters and Ashley Keck, respectively. Paulsen also emerged with a booming kill while sliding to her right for point No. 8. In the end, the Bulldogs’ grit and depth of talent won out.
Concordia was pushed to the max after it failed to close out the third set. A marathon of a rally that ended with an Ashley Keck kill made it 24-21. Morningside responded by taking the next four points and eventually grabbed the 2-1 match advantage via an errant Bulldog attack for set point. The Mustangs came after Concordia with the likes of double-figure kill attackers in Payten Lode (19), Malia Fichtl (12) and Emma Haren (11).
But the going got tougher for Morningside (9-8, 3-4 GPAC) in sets four and five. Said Boldt, “We started owning the net. We had a mentality where the ball hits our hands, the ball goes down. It was part of figuring the game out. We had our block set up in a good spot. We adjusted from where we started the game and went more down the line and digging cross court. When we’re in the right spot technically, we’re a really good blocking team.”
The Bulldogs finished with 15 blocks (to the Mustangs’ seven). Those who contributed to at least four blocks were Ava Greene (seven), Martin (five), Kya Scott (five), Paulsen (four) and Ella Waters (four). Four Concordia hitters also reached double figures in kills: Keck (15), Scott (12), Waters (11) and Martin (10). Keck added 23 digs. At setter, Ella Brueggemann, Lily Psencik and Savannah Shelburne all made an impact. Boldt commended Shelburne for giving the team a lift late in the match. In addition, Emma Brueggemann posted two of the team’s five aces.
The result gave Ben Boldt his 168th win as head coach, moving him into sole possession of the No. 2 spot on the program’s all-time list. He passed Vicki Boye (167). Boldt owns the highest winning percentage (.764) of any coach in school history.
As part of the weekend stay in Sioux City, the Bulldogs will also take on Briar Cliff (8-10, 2-5 GPAC) at 5 p.m. CT on Saturday. In Friday night action, the Chargers were beaten in three sets at home by No. 18 Midland. Concordia has won each of the past seven meetings with Briar Cliff. Max Country will have live coverage from Briar Cliff.
Keck stars as Bulldogs escape Sioux City with another five-set triumph
October 4, 2025
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball got all it could handle in its Sioux City swing. Dynamic blocking Briar Cliff pushed the second-ranked Bulldogs to the limit on Saturday (Oct. 4) evening inside a sultry Newman Flanagan Center. Concordia overcame 19 Charger blocks and pulled it off by the hair on its chinny chin chin, 27-25, 25-23, 15-25, 26-28, 15-11. All-American Ashley Keck racked up 26 kills (career high) and 27 digs in staving off the upset bid.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad survived the weekend and kept the GPAC record unblemished at 8-0 (15-1 overall). As a program, the Bulldogs have won 18 straight GPAC regular season matches.
“Two grinders of matches here this weekend,” Boldt said. “GPAC road wins are really tough. Maybe we didn’t play our best this weekend, but I see a team that is going through what you need to in order to be a tough team. I saw a lot of growth, a lot of grit and a lot of grind. I thought it was a full team win. We can figure out a lot of different ways to win.”
An improved Briar Cliff squad that hasn’t beaten Concordia during Boldt’s tenure came dangerously close to carrying out a reverse sweep. Three different Chargers contributed to eight or more blocks as part of the team’s 19-block performance. The home team heated up offensively in the third set when it hit .417 with 17 kills. Oftentimes, a kill from Keck or Ella Waters helped calm rocky waters from the Bulldogs’ perspective.
In the deciding set, Concordia jumped out to a 4-0 lead before Briar Cliff showed its resolve in evening up at 8-8 and 9-9. The Bulldogs turned to Keck, who powered down kills for point Nos. 10, 12 and 15. The closing stretch also included key combined blocks from Waters and Ava Greene. One day after finding itself in the same position at Morningside, Concordia delivered again. It has won in five sets three times this season.
The Bulldogs found a way despite being outhit, .167 to .115, for the match. Concordia came up with nine blocks of its own (six block assists for Greene) and held advantages in kills, 72-51, digs, 99-91, and aces, 6-4. In addition to Keck’s 26 kills, Waters posted a season high 18 of her own. In the back row, Emma Brueggemann equaled Keck with 27 digs. At setter, Savannah Shelburne stepped in for the majority of opportunities and amassed 43 assists. Keck and Kate Griess both recorded two aces. Laynee Baker also provided a spark with three kills and three blocks.
Said Boldt, “Ashley and Ella had really good nights. We leaned on them a lot. People are always going to key in on Ashley. They had their best blocker lined up against her. We had to figure out the kinds of shots that were going to work. We set the ball to Ella a good chunk, and I thought she took some good swings. Many others contributed – they are a really good blocking team. It’s tough to get it around that thing.”
Sophomore middle Aubrey Hoeft earned credit for a solo block and 10 block assists for the nation’s leading blocking team. Outside hitter Emma Brenelli paced the attack with 15 kills. The previous night, the Chargers (8-11, 2-6 GPAC) were defeated at home in straight sets by No. 18 Midland.
A significant homecoming weekend is on the horizon. The Bulldogs will welcome No. 7 Northwestern (16-3, 8-0 GPAC) to Friedrich Arena for an 8 p.m. CT first serve this coming Friday (Oct. 10). The first 100 students will receive a free T-shirt as part of the white-out promotion. The next day, Concordia will also host Waldorf (9-7, 1-7 GPAC).
Red Raiders get the best of Bulldogs in NAIA top 10 matchup
October 10, 2025
SEWARD, Neb. – The stage was set and the fans were clad in white as Friedrich Arena welcomed its largest crowd so far this 2025 season. However, the second-ranked Bulldogs were off their game from a serve and pass perspective, and arch nemesis and seventh-ranked Northwestern seized the moment. The result was a 25-9, 16-25, 25-14, 25-21, victory late on Friday (Oct. 10) for the visitors from Orange City, Iowa. Red Raider star outside hitter Stella Winterfeld returned to the court and put away a match-high 22 kills.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s program had won 18-straight GPAC regular season matches before being tripped up on Friday. The Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball team (15-2, 8-1 GPAC) falls one game behind Northwestern (17-3, 9-0 GPAC) atop the league standings.
“Credit to Northwestern. They really put pressure on us,” Boldt said. “It was mostly serve and pass. We couldn’t necessarily find a rhythm tonight with passing the ball in system. That was probably the biggest thing. They have a big block, but when we’re in system and flying around, we were putting the ball away. The serve and pass game went their way. Credit to them.”
The most positive takeaway for the Bulldogs was the way they responded to a rough first set that saw themselves outhit, .462 to -.067. It was a stunningly dominant opening act for the Red Raiders, who did not commit a single attack error in the first set. Concordia steadied itself, jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the second set and then rode the hot hand of Kya Scott, who killed point Nos. 17, 18, 23 and 25 while knotting up the match.
But Northwestern simply played much cleaner as evidenced by its 54 kills (18 errors) to 41 kills (23 errors) for the Bulldogs and overall advantage in hitting percentage, .250 to .122. The serve of the Red Raiders frequently gave Concordia fits as the likes of Maggie Bloom and Nyah Potthoff sprayed bullets across the net. Sidelined since Sept. 17, Winterfeld re-emerged in a big way as she hit .319 and added 11 digs to her stat line. All-American middle Zavyr Metger contributed to five of her side’s nine blocks.
Meanwhile, Concordia All-American Ashley Keck reached a career milestone as she eclipsed 1,000 digs for her career. She became just the fifth player in program history to reach 1,000 in both kills and digs. The Kearney, Neb., native finished her night with nine kills and 18 digs. Scott led the charge with 12 kills. On the front line, Ella Waters (six blocks), Ava Greene (five blocks) and Molli Martin (five blocks) helped the Bulldogs virtually equal the Red Raiders in blocks. Emma Brueggemann chipped in with 16 digs in the back row.
Entering the matchup, five of the previous six Concordia-Northwestern meetings had gone to five sets. Since the start of 2023, the Red Raiders have had the Bulldogs’ number. The two sides met in the GPAC Championship Matches of 2023 and 2024 (with Northwestern winning both times).
Said Boldt, “In these big games, we’ve got to learn how to win them. This is a very memorable teaching point for our team in terms of what it takes to win championships. You typically learn more in a loss than you do in a win. I really want our team to take this and what it feels like and really take a learning moment and move forward.”
The Bulldogs will quickly turn around to host Waldorf (9-8, 1-8 GPAC) on Saturday. Match times are 2:30 p.m. for the junior varsity and 4 p.m. for the varsity from Friedrich Arena. In Friday night’s action, the Warriors fell at No. 18 Midland in five sets.
Bulldogs bounce back, hit .359 in offensive outburst
Oct. 11, 2025
SEWARD, Neb. – Less than 24 hours after enduring its first GPAC defeat of the season, the second-ranked Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball team showed no signs of a letdown. The Bulldogs hit a blazing .359 on Saturday (Oct. 11) while vanquishing visiting Waldorf, 25-23, 25-8, 25-17, inside Friedrich Arena. The Warriors had no answer for the likes of Ashley Keck and Ella Waters on the outsides.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad has improved to 16-2 overall (9-1 GPAC) after a weekend homestand. Particularly in the final two sets on Saturday, Boldt saw what he was hoping to see.
“We wanted to be a team that earns our own points,” Boldt said. “We don’t want to rely on the other team to give us points. We wanted to focus on our controllables, calling the ball and putting the work in for it. When they get rolling, Waldorf can get hot. They’ve got a really good right side attack. Their outsides can really rip it. I was proud of our defense for staying disciplined and proud of our block for following the game plan – but our offense was great, and that’s where we need to be.”
The day’s only drama took place in the first set. A Concordia attack error pulled Waldorf within 24-23 before Kya Scott put it on ice with one of her seven kills on the day. From there, it was no contest. The Bulldogs posted sizzling hitting percentages of .500 (14 kills, one error) in the second set and .447 (19 kills, two errors) in the third set. Keck did the honors of polishing off the win with a kill for match point.
The stat sheet was dominated by the Bulldogs, who outhit Midland, .359 to .154, and held significant advantages in kills, 48-24, aces, 8-2, and digs, 55-37. A day after reaching 1,000 career digs, Keck totaled 15 kills and 11 digs. Across the board, Concordia was efficient on the attack. Waters hit .615 with 10 kills. Scott hit .353 with seven kills. Molli Martin hit .500 with six kills and Ava Greene hit .571 with five kills.
In the back row, libero Emma Brueggemann chipped in with 18 digs in addition to her pair of aces. She was equaled in the ace category by teammates Shandy Faalii, Kate Griess and Lily Psencik. At setter Psencik collected 26 assists and nine digs. Meanwhile, Maritn led the team’s blocking efforts with four denials.
This was exactly the performance Concordia aimed for after falling in four sets on Friday in a much-anticipated matchup with No. 7 Northwestern. Said Emma Bruggemann, “I think we did a really good job of going back to the basics, trusting our training and fundamentals. That really helped us to play loose and free. We moved on from yesterday and leaned into what today meant for us as a team. We just pulled together and trusted each other.”
No Waldorf play mustered more than six kills. The Warriors (9-9, 1-9 GPAC) sit at the bottom of the GPAC standings after an 0-2 weekend stay in Nebraska.
Added Boldt, “We want to continue to focus and get better. We can’t stay stagnant through the year. We made a little adjustment to our lineup today and made it a little more balanced. We’ll continue to see what those rotations look like. We’ve got to continue to get better.”
After two at home this weekend, the Bulldogs will be on the road for two matches next week. Up next, Concordia will play at Hastings (5-15, 2-8 GPAC) at 7:30 p.m. CT (varsity) on Wednesday. The Bulldogs took down the Broncos in three sets in Seward on Sept. 24.
Martin mashes in middle as Bulldogs post fourth straight sweep
Oct. 22, 2025
SEWARD, Neb. – It was a near automatic kill whenever the Bulldogs found Molli Martin in the middle on Wednesday (Oct. 22). The hot hand of Martin led the fourth-ranked Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball team to a sweep of Mount Marty, 25-20, 25-20, 25-23, inside Friedrich Arena, where the program hosted its annual pink out match in support of breast cancer awareness. The Lancers roared out of the gates before the Bulldogs responded by settling in from a serve and pass perspective.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad has earned four straight-set wins in a row to move to 19-2 overall (12-1 GPAC) as the regular season begins to wind down.
“I thought we stayed composed,” Boldt said. “We picked up our serving and passing after the first part of the first set. They were serving and passing better than us. That’s kind of what happened. Once we got back to focusing on our serve and pass, communicating and calling the ball, we got ourselves into more in-system scenarios. That was the evolution of the first set.”
The opening moments of Wednesday's match were the brightest ones for Mount Marty, which jetted out to an 8-1 advantage and forced an early Concordia timeout. When in system, the Bulldogs set to the middle and Martin powered the first-set comeback with kills for her side’s point Nos. 4, 5, 7, 14 and 15. The Lincoln Lutheran High School alum also contributed to two blocks in the first set, which concluded with an Emma Brueggemann ace. Martin finished with 10 kills on 12 swings (for a sizzling .750 hitting percentage) to go with three blocks.
The freshman libero Brueggemann continues to lead a back row that gives opposing attackers fits. The Lancers hit .076 for the night and failed to hit better than .156 in any of the three sets. Brueggemann led all players with 20 digs. In the front row, Maddie Paulsen and Ava Greene equaled Martin with three blocks of their own.
The always reliable Ashley Keck notched 10 kills, 15 digs and a pair of aces on Wednesday. In other noteworthy statistical efforts from Concordia, Ella Waters collected seven kills, Shandy Faalii landed a pair of aces and setters Savannah Shelburne (18 assists) and Lily Psencik (15 assists) combined for 33 assists. The Bulldogs hit .168 as a team.
Mount Marty (10-13, 3-9 GPAC) has dropped each of its past 25 meetings with Concordia. However, the Lancers gave the Bulldogs a strong push on Wednesday behind nine kills from Jaya Wachholtz. Mount Marty posted eight blocks.
Since falling for the first time in GPAC play back on Oct. 10, Concordia has elevated its play. Said Martin, “I think it lit a fire under us – just showing us what we don’t want to do again. It showed us that we’re going to have to fight and adjust a few things … Recently in games, I’ve been overthinking my attack. I tried to stop thinking and just play because that’s when I play the best.”
Said Boldt of Martin, “She had a great game. After the first set, she was hitting a thousand. She was able to sustain that all the way through. She had some pretty timely stuff blocks also. She had a great night tonight … We have to have a mindset that we need to continue to get better. That starts in the practice gym. We had three really good matches after Northwestern. This wasn’t necessarily our cleanest match. We have to have a mindset of continuing to get better.”
A short road trip is coming up Saturday as the Bulldogs will head to Omaha to take on College of Saint Mary (12-11, 5-7 GPAC). First serve of the varsity match is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT from the Lied Fitness Center. In Wednesday’s action, the Flames fell at No. 17 Midland in five sets. Max Country (104.9 FM) will have live coverage on Saturday.
Waters sizzles as Dawgs earn season sweep of CSM
Oct. 25, 2025
OMAHA, Neb. – Ella Waters smoldered from the right side and Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball put together one of its most efficient attacking matches of the season. The result was a 25-15, 25-17, 19-25, 25-22, road win over College of Saint Mary on Saturday (Oct. 25) evening. After absorbing a fiery charge from the Flames, The Bulldogs hammered out 20 kills in the fourth set to put it on ice. The match-point kill was delivered by freshman Makenna Starkey.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad earned a season sweep of College of Saint Mary and has improved to 20-2 overall (13-1 GPAC). The program has hit the 20-win mark for the fifth time during Boldt’s eight-year tenure.
“I thought we came in focused and really put pressure on serve and pass,” Boldt said. “We were earning our points, especially in those first two sets. We were hitting over .300 and over 15 kills per set. That’s what we can be when we’re earning our points. I was really proud of how they came out and proud of them throughout the match for staying composed.”
In her near-unstoppable hitting display, Waters equaled a career high with 18 kills on the strength of an eye-popping .654 hitting percentage (only one error on 26 swings). On the pins, Waters went a perfect 6-for-6 and Ashley Keck went 5-for-6 in the opening set that saw Concordia hit .433 as a team. Keck enjoyed a fine match of her own as she collected 18 kills, 27 digs and three aces.
To CSM’s credit, it countered the Bulldog firepower in the third set when it adjusted its serving tactics. Deeper and harder serves turned the tide in the Flames’ favor as they hit .283 (18 kills and five errors) in the third set. CSM also fought back from a 16-7 deficit in the fourth set and got within 20-18. The Flames who burned the brightest on this night were Madalyn Welp (16 kills on .350 hitting) and returning First Team All-GPAC middle Azaria Green (11 kills and two blocks).
Nearly across the board, Concordia held statistical advantages: .294 to .150 in hitting percentage, 61-44 in kills, 73-57 in digs and 8-4 in blocks. CSM (12-12, 5-8 GPAC) had a slight edge in aces, 8-6. In backing Waters and Keck, Ava Greene notched 10 kills and four blocks. The Bulldogs continue to lean upon veteran setters Lily Psencik and Savannah Shelburne, who combined for 53 assists on Saturday. Libero Emma Brueggemann chipped in with 20 digs.
In one of the best outings of her Concordia career, Waters added six blocks. Over the past two weeks (six matches), Waters is hitting .414 with 60 kills in raising her game to another level.
Said Boldt, “When we got into trouble, we were like, ‘Let’s set Ella.’ How about that? That sounds like a good plan. She’s got herself in a groove with getting the ball on her hitting shoulder and getting great hand contact on the ball. She had a great game tonight .. Defensively, I thought we did a good job. Our blockers took away the shots that we needed to and our diggers set up around them.” Boldt went on to give a shoutout to his son Brady on his birthday.
The Bulldogs will wait until next Saturday (Nov. 1) to return to action. On that day, Concordia will be in Fremont to take on No. 17 Midland (16-8, 11-3 GPAC) with varsity first serve at 5 p.m. CT. Back on Sept. 17, the Bulldogs defeated the Warriors in four sets inside Friedrich Arena. Concordia owns a four-match series win streak over the rival Warriors.
Greene, Keck lead Bulldogs in reverse sweep of No. 19 Midland
Nov. 1, 2025
FREMONT, Neb. – For only the second time all season, Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball found itself in a two-sets-to-none hole. After the second set finished with an official’s whistle on a late call, the fourth-ranked Bulldogs sprung to life and earned the reverse sweep over rival and 19th-ranked Midland, 20-25, 23-25, 25-19, 25-23, 15-9, on Saturday (Nov. 1) evening. The individual superlatives for Concordia included 13 blocks from Ava Green and 18 kills and 18 digs from All-American Ashley Keck.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad improved to 21-2 (14-1 GPAC) with one match remaining in the regular season. The Bulldogs took both meetings this season from the Warriors, but this one was no picnic.
“When you have a match between Concordia and Midland, this is what it looks like,” Boldt said. “You have to be prepared for a gritty match. You have to come prepared to work hard. You have to earn your points. Both the hitting percentages were really high today and everybody was getting kills. I’m really proud of our team for their composure and sticking with it. It was truly a team win.”
Behind standout outside hitter Brooklynn Snyder, Midland took the fight to Concordia and hit better than .300 in each of the first two sets. Down 24-23 in the second set, the Bulldogs thought they had kept the ball alive, but a point was awarded that resulted in a kill for set point. The tide turned in the third set when Concordia trailed 14-12. A Kya Scott kill ignited a 6-0 Concordia run that paved the way for a fourth set.
The blocking of Greene then became a major story as she combined to stuff seven Warriors attacks over the fourth and fifth sets. Keck came through with a kill for point No. 25 in the fourth. In the fifth, the Bulldogs shook off a 4-3 deficit by rattling off seven of the next eight points to take control. Fittingly, the match ended on a combined block by Greene and Maddie Paulsen.
Said Boldt, “Everybody was earning points tonight. Ava is a really good blocker. That’s her super power. She’s locked into the game plan. She owns that identity as a volleyball player … We didn’t get outside of ourselves. We got super focused. I was proud how we responded to that (going down 2-0).”
Keck’s stat line included five blocks of her own. Concordia amassed a whopping 17 blocks to Midland’s five. Offensively, the Bulldogs were cooking with a .288 hitting percentage. Keck was followed in the kill category by teammates in Molli Martin (12), Ella Waters (12), Greene (eight) and Scott (eight). Setter Savannah Shelburne produced a fine performance with 25 assists, 10 digs and four aces (out of the team’s nine aces). Lily Psencik contributed 29 assists and libero Emma Brueggemann chipped in with 14 digs.
The Warriors (16-9, 11-4 GPAC) are locked into the No. 3 seed for the upcoming GPAC tournament. Midland found some hitting success (.203 percentage) when it managed to avoid the block. Snyder led all players with 21 kills while Abree Plueger notched 16 kills.
The Bulldogs will polish off the 2025 regular season this coming Tuesday by welcoming Doane (12-18, 3-13 GPAC) to Friedrich Arena. First serve of the varsity match is set for 7:30 p.m. CT. Concordia has won 14 of the past 15 meetings with the rival Tigers. In their first get together this season, the Bulldogs defeated Doane in Crete in four sets.
Bulldogs outmatch Doane, finish regular season at 15-1 in GPAC
Nov. 4, 2025
SEWARD, Neb. – Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball had rival Doane outmatched. The fourth-ranked Bulldogs dominated all facets of the game while sweeping the Tigers, 25-16, 25-15, 25-14, in the 2025 regular season finale inside Friedrich Arena on Tuesday (Nov. 4). As part of a sharp performance, Concordia hit .407 in throttling Doane in a snappy, one-hour, 10-minute contest.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad finished the regular season at 15-1 in league play (22-2 overall) and will begin the postseason as the GPAC’s No. 2 seed. The Bulldogs also posted a 15-1 GPAC mark in 2024.
“I thought we played pretty clean,” Boldt said. “Our serving was good. Our passing was good, which allows us to put our hitters in good positions. A focus of ours was making sure that we earned our own points. It’s kind of a team identity that we’ve set for ourselves. There’s a lot that goes into that. We made good decisions and we stayed aggressive.”
The Tigers took the first set from Concordia in Crete back on Sept. 20 and clung within a point (16-15) in Tuesday’s opening set. That’s about the time any momentum Doane felt was stamped out. A service error began a stretch that saw the Bulldogs rattle off 16 of the next 18 points, a run that spilled into the second set. Concordia controlled the match with its serve game, stayed in system consistently and hit at least .389 in every set.
Bulldog hitters enjoyed a field day. Five Concordia players collected six or more kills, and all five hit above .300: Ashley Keck (13; .400), Ava Greene (seven; .545), Molli Martin (seven; .700), Kya Scott (six; .333) and Ella Waters (six; .364). In another fine outing, Keck added 12 digs, four aces and a block to her stat line. Maddie Paulsen contributed four kills on nine swings. Keck and company were facilitated by the setting duo of Lily Psencik (20 assists) and Savannah Shelburne (14 assists). Emma Brueggemann led the team in digs (16) and chipped in with two aces.
Greene spurred the defensive effort at the net with two blocks. Afterwards, the Papillion, Neb., native reflected on the journey to this point, and why this program keeps churning out incredible seasons.
Said Greene, “This season’s been very special. We just have this really close bond on the court. I think that translates from off the court. We spend a lot of time together, not just in practice or in games. We spend quality time, and I think that shows on the court. We’re very connected and we all have these goals we want to reach.”
On Tuesday, the Bulldogs dominated across the stat sheet with advantages in hitting percentage, .407 to .122, kills, 46-26, aces, 8-5, digs, 54-34, and blocks, 4-3. In taking care of a Doane team that had already been eliminated from postseason contention, Concordia showed the maturity not to overlook its opponent.
Said Boldt, “It’s consistency in the work that our team has put in. This senior group has been awesome. They’re a core group of kids that come from central Nebraska, small town Nebraska, and they really love each other and play for each other. This whole program is important. The results are a byproduct of that connection. They’ve done an awesome job of setting a standard for the team and showing everyone what it means to be a Bulldog.”
Doane (12-19, 3-13 GPAC) again played without one of its leading attackers in Natalie Wood. The Tigers were led by the 10 kills from Mariah Silva. They ended their season on a 10-match skid.
For the sixth time in seven years, the Bulldogs have earned the right to host in the quarterfinals of the GPAC tournament. As the league’s No. 2 seed, Concordia will welcome Morningside (14-13, 7-9 GPAC) to Friedrich Arena for a 7:30 p.m. CT first serve on Saturday. Dates for the remaining GPAC postseason rounds will be Nov. 12 for the semifinals and Nov. 15 for the championship match.
Keck smolders as No. 4 Concordia cruises to GPAC semis for seventh straight year
Nov. 8, 2025
SEWARD, Neb. – Head Coach Ben Boldt loves to see balance when he looks at the stat sheet, but he couldn’t argue with the results on Saturday (Nov. 8). Behind a sizzling Ashley Keck, the fourth-ranked Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball team made quick work of Morningside, 25-15, 25-13, 25-17, in the GPAC tournament quarterfinals inside Friedrich Arena. Keck produced 22 of her team’s 48 kills.
The Boldts have guided the program to at least the GPAC semifinals for the seventh straight year. The Bulldogs will take a 23-2 overall record into the next round of postseason play.
“We always took about focus on our serve and fight on our pass and really getting good hand contact on the ball when we’re serving,” Boldt said. “I thought we really did that well tonight. We managed when we needed to tonight. I thought we were putting them under pressure and getting them out of system. Our service game was great tonight.”
Strong serve and pass play helped tee the ball up for the All-American Keck, who was consistent throughout the night with six kills in the first set, seven in the second and nine in the third. When the Mustangs threatened to extend the match by pulling even in the third at 17-17, Keck said goodnight. She put away kills for point Nos. 21, 24 and 25 in the third set. Shandy Faalii ended the evening on the service line for the final eight points of the match.
The first two sets were no contest. Concordia outhit Morningside .349 to .122 in the first set and then .289 to .051 in the second. While Keck starred on the attack, libero Emma Brueggemann gave Mustang hitters fits. She piled up 22 digs as Morningside hit only .093 (28 kills and 16 errors for the night). At the net, middle blocker Ava Greene contributed to five blocks (one solo).
The connection between the Bulldogs’ setters and hitters continues to trend positively. After Keck’s 22 kills, four Concordia players posted five or more kills: Greene (seven), Molli Martin (five), Kya Scott (five) and Ella Waters (five). Assists were split nearly even between Savannah Shelburne (23) and Lily Psencik (21). Two aces apiece came from Brueggemann, Faalii and Shelburne.
When asked about her success on Saturday, Keck shifted the focus back to what the team did well. Said Keck, “We served and passed well, and we played as a team. I think that’s what’s most important. We played together and for each other … I think our connections in practice are showing up in games.”
Added Boldt, “Our setters put her in good positions. That’s the thing about it – it’s not the same kill twice in a row. She can take it down the line, she can go across court with it and she can throw in an off-speed ball. She does a great job. There was a point there where I was like, we need to spread it out a little bit more. Let’s keep working to get people going. There was also a point where it was like, let’s just keep setting Ashley.”
Morningside (14-14) has been a dangerous team that has two particularly impressive nonconference wins over top 25 opponents. The Mustangs got a team high nine kills from Jacey Miller on Saturday. Standout Payten Lode was limited to six kills.
The Bulldogs have reached the GPAC semifinals for the seventh straight year. In the 2025 semifinal round, Concordia will host third-seeded Midland (18-9, 12-4 GPAC) at 7 p.m. CT on Wednesday. On the other side of the bracket, No. 1 seed Northwestern will host fourth-seeded Dakota Wesleyan. The semifinal winners will meet in the GPAC Championship Match on Saturday, Nov. 15.
Bulldogs topple Midland for third time, advance to GPAC title match for fifth straight year
Nov. 12, 2025
SEWARD, Neb. – Tension filled the final moments of the first and third sets in a characteristically spirited matchup between Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball and rival Midland. In their GPAC semifinal victory, the Bulldogs shook off a downer in the first set, survived a harrowing third set and defeated the Warriors, 22-25, 25-18, 26-24, 25-20, inside Friedrich Arena on Wednesday (Nov. 12). Concordia pin hitters Ashley Keck and Ella Waters combined for 39 kills.
Coaches Ben and Angie Boldt have led the program back to the GPAC Championship Match for the fifth consecutive season. The Bulldogs (24-2) have taken down Midland for the third time in 2025.
“I thought we earned it,” Boldt said. “We earned our points – I thought we won the serve and pass game, which is not easy to do against Midland. They are a really good serving team. It was a gritty performance. It wasn’t always super clean, but we buckled down and put it away when we needed to.”
An ability to stay in system paved the way once again for the All-American Keck to feast. She’s on some kind of heater. The Kearney, Neb., native scorched the Warriors for 22 kills on 50 swings (to go along with 23 digs) – four days after she dropped the hammer on Morningside with 22 kills in a three-set match. On the opposite pin, Waters heated up as the night went along and finished with 17 kills on 39 attacks (.333). Waters put an exclamation point on the match with six kills in the final set.
Concordia hit .281 for the match as the setter-hitter dynamics continue to gel. Senior Savannah Shelburne put together a fine evening with 34 assists, 11 digs and two aces. Shelburne and fellow setter Lily Psencik (20 assists) effectively found the hot hand. Senior Kya Scott added eight kills, including a clutch one for set point in the third.
Said Shelburne, “Throughout the season, we’ve worked very hard on connections and out-of-system stuff. I think Ashley and I have a great connection. Molli (Martin) and I have a great connection – Ava (Greene), Kya, Ella – everyone on the court, I have 100 percent trust in.”
However, not everything was smooth sailing while up against the 20th-ranked Warriors (the GPAC’s No. 3 seed). Midland came back from a 21-17 deficit to steal the first set. Point Nos. 24 and 25 both came on Lauren Jones kills. Midland nearly pulled a rabbit out of its hat in the third set, notching five points in a row to make it 24-24. An attack error followed by Scott’s kill allowed Bulldog fans to breathe a sigh of relief. As Boldt would say later, the Warriors capitalized on some advantageous serve and pass situations.
Said Boldt, “As the game went on along, it was us figuring it out. That’s how it has been against Midland this entire year. You go in with a game plan and you have to adjust. The team that does that is usually the one that’s going to be earning points.”
Midland (18-10, 12-4 GPAC) is essentially a lock for an at-large berth into the national field. The Warriors got 12 kills from Brooklyn Snyder and 11 from Abree Plueger on Wednesday. Midland hit .199 as a team.
In other noteworthy efforts, three Bulldogs produced three blocks apiece: Greene, Martin and Waters. Greene and Maddie Paulsen chipped in five blocks apiece. Libero Emma Brueggemann posted 13 digs. Shandy Faalii got into the act with three kills. Keck and Kate Griess equaled Shelburne in the ace department with two apiece.
Another heavyweight showdown between Concordia and No. 3 Northwestern (27-3) is up next on the docket. The two sides will battle for the GPAC postseason championship in Orange City, Iowa, at 7 p.m. CT on Saturday. The same matchup also occurred in the 2023 and 2024 GPAC Championship matches with the Red Raiders coming out on top in five sets in both instances. Said Boldt of the opportunity in front of his team, “In order to win a GPAC championship, you have to put yourself in that position. We’re really looking forward to the match.”
GPAC championship trilogy versus Northwestern capped with familiar runner up finish
Nov. 15, 2025
ORANGE CITY, Iowa – Northwestern has kept its stranglehold on conference supremacy. For the third straight year, the Red Raiders got the best of Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball in the GPAC Championship Match. Amidst a sea of red in Orange City, Iowa, third-ranked Northwestern claimed the title by a final of 25-11, 23-25, 25-13, 25-19, on Saturday (Nov. 15) evening. The highlight for the fourth-ranked Bulldogs was their rally to take the second set.
Head Coach Ben Boldt led the program to its fifth straight appearance in the GPAC tournament final with all five coming on the road (two at Jamestown and three at Northwestern). Concordia will bring a 24-3 record into the national tournament.
“Credit to Northwestern,” Boldt said. “I thought they served really well. They have a really good outside hitter that kind of set the tone in the match. We came in and had a handful of errors right away and probably gave them five of the first seven points. I was happy for our team to come back and battle. Ultimately, they earned their points over the course of the match.”
It’s fair to give credit to the Red Raiders (28-3), who have elevated themselves to another level since being tripped up three times by nonconference foes in the first month and a half of the season. In Saturday’s clash, Northwestern dominated for vast stretches of the match thanks to its elite blocking efforts combined with the attacking of star outside hitter Stella Winterfeld, who collected a match-high 20 kills. The Red Raiders outhit Concordia, .317 to .112.
In the second set, the Bulldogs found life after facing deficits of 16-10 and 21-17. Concordia eventually came back to even up, 22-22, on a Ky Scott kill. Scott also killed the ball for point No. 24. An errant set sewed up the second set for the Bulldogs. However, the celebration was short-lived. Northwestern mounted leads of 9-2 and 18-6 in the third set while regaining control.
Serve and pass advantages were also in favor of the Red Raiders, who stayed in system and worked to quickly end points. In the middle for Northwestern, Zavyr Metzger never fails to make her presence known. She contributed to six of her side’s nine blocks. In addition to owning the hitting percentage category, the Red Raiders had statistical edges in kills, 56-42, aces, 7-2, digs, 54-44, and blocks, 9-6.
When the operation was executed smoothly, Concordia found the likes of Ella Waters (14 kills) and Ashley Keck (13 kills) on the pins. Scott also added four kills. As it played out, the Bulldog middles were only a slight factor offensively, although Ava Greene and Molli Martin did chip in with three blocks apiece. Setters Savannah Shelburne (21 assists) and Lily Psencik (14 assists) combined for 35 assists. Keck posted a team high 11 digs. Concordia was plagued by 34 combined hitting/service errors.
The national tournament is up next. As an automatic qualifier, the Bulldogs will play in the NAIA National Championship Opening Round on Nov. 22. Official pairings will be announced by the NAIA at 4 p.m. CT on Monday via a selection show. Concordia is expected to be one of the opening round hosts.
Concluded Boldt, “I think we learned a lot. I think being in these moments really prepares you for the national tournament. We earned our way to this GPAC Championship Game. Not everybody has an opportunity to play in a conference championship game. It’s really going to help us in our prep for the national tournament. We’re excited to move forward and to be able to continue to compete.”
2025 GPAC Tournament
Quarterfinals – Saturday, Nov. 8
(1) Northwestern def. (8) Mount Marty, 3-0
(4) Dakota Wesleyan def. (5) Dordt, 3-1
(3) Midland def. (6) College of Saint Mary, 3-0
(2) Concordia def. (7) Morningside, 3-0
Semifinals – Wednesday, Nov. 12
(1) Northwestern def. (4) Dakota Wesleyan, 3-0
(2) Concordia def. (3) Midland, 3-1
Championship – Saturday, Nov. 15
(1) Northwestern def. (2) Concordia, 3-1
Bulldogs handle business, book seventh straight trip to NAIA final site
Nov. 22, 2025
SEWARD, Neb. – Once the Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball team adapted to what it saw on the other side of the net, it rolled to victory. The nation’s third-seeded Bulldogs hit .350 in their final home match of 2025 and defeated unfamiliar foe Florida National University, 25-17, 25-15, 25-10, in the NAIA National Championship Opening Round on Saturday (Nov. 22) afternoon. Five Bulldogs notched at least six kills in a balanced effort.
Head Coach Ben Boldt and his staff have led the program to the final site of the NAIA National Championship tournament for the seventh straight year. Concordia stands at 25-3 overall.
“It took us a little bit to get into a rhythm, but once we did, I thought we took care of business,” Boldt said. “It was a bit different style of play to start off with. That’s what you’re going to have to adjust to when you start playing teams you’re not used to. Typically in a GPAC match, there’s a certain tempo that’s coming at you. It wasn’t the exact same tempo. We have to delay our block and our digging had to adjust to the ball that was coming over the net. I think we found the flow and the rhythm of the match.”
Though Florida National entered the opening round without national tournament experience on its roster, the moment did not appear too big early on for the visitors from Hialeah, Fla. A kill by Ariana Long made it 13-13 in the opening set. The Conquistadors later clung within 19-17 before the Bulldogs rattled off the next six points to gain the upper hand. Ella Waters and Ava Greene combined on the block for set point, and Concordia was on its way.
The Bulldogs hit .406 in the second set and .345 in the third while triumphing in dominant fashion. In the back row, Concordia libero Emma Brueggemann (18 digs) ranged all over court in a starring effort. Her efforts teed the ball up on the attack for the team’s kills leaders: Ashley Kick (10), Kya Scott (nine), Maddie Paulsen (seven), Molli Martin (six) and Ella Waters (six). On the block, the Bulldogs enjoyed a decided advantage, 11-2, while led by Greene (four blocks).
Scott and her fellow seniors were not going to let this opportunity to play on the biggest stage get away from them. Scott heated up as Saturday’s match moved along. The attackers were spurred by senior setters Lily Psencik and Savannah Shelburne (19 assists apiece).
Said Scott, “It’s bittersweet because we just played our last home game here. We got to end it on a great note and get to head farther into the national tournament. We started out slow, but the more we found ourselves the more we started competing. I think overall we played well.”
As the third set got out of hand, the Bulldogs went deeper into the bench. Sixteen Concordia players saw action as the likes of Laynee Baker, Sydney Jelinek, Kadyn Sisco and Makenna Starkey made contributions.
Said Boldt, “Our bench is really deep, and I think they do an awesome job in practice preparing us for tough competition. They bring it every single time in practice. It’s awesome to get them an opportunity to get out there. They bring a different energy. We have full trust that they can come in and make an impact in the match.”
Florida National (17-19) appeared at the national tournament for the second time in program history. The Conquistadors were paced on Saturday by the eight kills from Chriselle Ferdinand. FNU was limited to an .010 hitting percentage.
Final site pools are scheduled to be officially announced at 1 p.m. CT on Sunday. As the top seed in Pool C (based on the overall seeding prior to the opening round), the Bulldogs will play their first pool play match on Wednesday, Dec. 3. The complete pool play schedule can be found HERE. All national tournament matches the rest of the way will be played at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa.
Third-ranked Bulldogs outlast GPAC foe DWU in five, move to 1-0 in pool play
Dec. 3, 2025
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – It was a dangerously close call on day one of pool play at the NAIA National Championship tournament. In the end, Ashley Keck was engulfed by her teammates in a celebratory mob as the third-ranked Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball team held off GPAC rival Dakota Wesleyan in five sets, 25-23, 22-25, 25-22, 20-25, 15-9. Keck came through with five kills in the final set while leading her side through a Wednesday (Dec. 3) evening characterized by ebbs and flows.
The contest marked the sixth time that the Bulldogs have played a five-set match at the national tournament in program history. Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad found a way to win on Wednesday despite trailing 5-2 in the fifth set.
“I was really proud of our composure,” Boldt said. “You gotta work hard and you gotta stay composed in these settings. That was a national tournament match. I’m really proud of the resilience that we showed there. Dakota Wesleyan is a really mentally tough team. This is the second team that we played them this year. I was proud of our mentality.”
A winning mentality was needed on a night when DWU never let Concordia get too far out in front. The Tigers showed a little grit of their own in shaking off a first set they let get away from them. They relinquished a 22-17 lead in the opening set before battling back to take the second and fourth sets. Karly VanDerWerff (team-high 20 kills) and her DWU teammates even roared back from a 13-8 deficit in the fourth set while forcing a fifth.
Considering the magnitude, the Bulldogs’ best stretch of the night came after they went down 5-2 in the fifth set. Concordia made only one hitting error and hit .417 in in the fifth set, finding its finishing punch behind the likes of Keck and Kya Scott (four fifth-set kills), two seniors hoping to continue the ride as long as possible. Keck finished with match-highs of 27 kills and 29 digs to go along with three blocks.
“You can probably tell I’m emotional right now,” Keck told NAIA Women’s Volleyball Report after the match. “This team has been through a lot this year, so I think it’s really going to show what we can do the rest of this tournament together … I think we can clean up some errors. I think we had 10 hitting errors in the first set. There are areas we can clean up in our offense.”
In the defensive battle, DWU slightly outhit the Bulldogs, .138 to .136. In addition to Keck and Scott (11 kills), Concordia’s kills leaders were Ella Waters (nine), Ava Greene (eight) and Maddie Paulsen (seven). Savannah Shelburne (31) and Lily Psencik (27) combined for 58 assists. In the back row, Shandy Faalii (29 digs) and Emma Brueggemann (25 digs) put forth strong efforts. Up front, Molli Martin (seven) and Paulsen (six) led the way in blocks.
Said Boldt, “When anybody’s name is called, they’re ready to play. We had some people struggle in that match and we had people come off the bench ready to go. We talk about that all the time that the strength of our team is our depth. We talk about being able to out-family (the opponent). We have a lot of trust in the team and everybody being ready to go.”
The Tigers (19-12) are making their third national tournament appearance in five years. They countered Keck and the Concordia attack with star libero Lizzie Tyler, who notched 35 digs. DWU nearly capitalized on 38 Bulldog attack errors.
Pool play will continue on Friday when the Bulldogs will clash with No. 14 The Master’s University (Calif.). First serve is set for 6:30 p.m. CT from the Tyson Events Center. Concordia also played the Mustangs in pool play last season and came away with a four-set win. The Bulldogs can lock up a spot in the national quarterfinals with a victory on Friday.
Trustworthy Dawgs bound for national quarters for fourth time in program history
Dec. 5, 2025
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – In a match that was a hair away from reaching a fifth set, Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball displayed its mettle. Maddie Paulsen finished off an extended rally with the kill for match point, sending her teammates in a mad dash to greet her. The third-ranked Bulldogs fended off No. 14 The Master’s University (Calif.), 25-22, 16-25, 25-23, 27-25, inside the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa, on Friday (Dec. 5) evening. The win pushed Concordia to the quarterfinals of the NAIA Women’s Volleyball National Championship.
Head Coach Ben Boldt has guided the program back to the quarterfinals for the fourth time in program history (all appearances coming since 2020). The Bulldogs (27-3) came through in tight moments in both pool play matches.
“Our motto this year is ‘let it rip.’ I thought (Maddie) did that. I thought our whole team did that,” Boldt said. “The most exciting thing for me was to see them continue to compete all the way through … It was just trust (in that third set comeback). Trust ourselves. Trust our training. Trust our teammates. We’ve prepared for this moment. Being able to play free takes all those things into account. We’re staying mentally tough in tough moments. I’m really proud of that.”
Due to the results in the rest of Pool C (which included Concordia), Boldt’s team could have fallen back on playing a tiebreaker set had it lost to The Master’s. It wasn’t part of the plan. The Bulldogs wouldn’t have been able to finish the win in the fourth set if not for its comeback in the third. Concordia shook loose from a 17-11 deficit and eventually tied it, 21-21, on a Kya Scott kill. Late in the set, freshman Makenna Starkey produced the biggest kill of her young career and a combined block from Ashley Keck and Molli Martin put it away. The Bulldogs led the match, 2-1.
The margins were razor thin again in the fourth set. With Dakota Wesleyan players and fans cheering them on (in hopes of keeping the DWU season alive), the Mustangs moved their lead to 25-24 with Isabella Amet’s kill. The final three points of the match went like this: Scott kill, attack error by The Master’s and finally, Paulsen’s kill off the assist from Lily Psencik. It was the fourth kill of the night for Paulsen, who, in the postgame huddle, rang a tiny victory bell brought by athletic trainer Randy Baack.
It was a monster night on the block for right side Ella Waters. Five of her 10 blocks came during the pivotal third set. Waters also added 10 kills and was rewarded with a postgame interview on the NAIA’s official broadcast.
Said Waters, “We always talk about trust your team, trust your training and trust yourself. I think that’s what we did today on the court … It was awesome to see everyone contribute. It was a team win for sure. I’m so proud of our team, and I can’t wait to play tomorrow.”
Said Boldt of Waters, “She found different ways to impact the game. All of her attacks weren’t finding the floor, but she impacted the game with her blocking for sure. She had a pivotal block at the end that swung the momentum back in our favor. It’s just competing – I’m really proud.”
Keck (16) and Scott (15) were the team leaders in kills. Keck has pushed her season kill total to 444, giving her the most in a single season in program history during the modern rally scoring era (2008-present). Keck also posted 13 digs on Friday. With the help of Waters, Concordia owned a 13-11 edge in blocks. The Bulldogs had more service errors (12) than they would have wanted, but their serve and pass efforts were good enough to get the job done. Psencik and Shelburne combined for 36 assists as Concordia hit .163.
On the other side, Amet floored 15 kills as the Mustangs hit .113. Kinsley Kollman notched 20 digs while helping contain Concordia’s offensive attack. The Master’s were defeated in five sets by DWU on Thursday and went 0-2 in pool play.
One of eight teams left standing, the Bulldogs will draw sixth-ranked University of Providence (Mont.) in the quarterfinals. First serve is set for 8:30 p.m. CT on Saturday from the Tyson Events Center. The Argonauts (34-2) swept their way past No. 19 College of Idaho and No. 11 Mount Vernon Nazarene University (Ohio) in Pool F of the NAIA National Championship. Concordia will attempt to reach the national semifinals for the first time in program history. Providence has reached the national quarterfinals for its second time in school history.
Bulldogs bask in program's first ever NAIA national semifinal advancement
Dec. 7, 2025
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – A weeklong grind has concluded in historic fashion for Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball. The 2025 Bulldogs have made their mark as the program’s first ever team to reach the semifinals of the NAIA National Championship. Heartache in the fourth set failed to deter third-ranked Concordia, which outlasted No. 6 University of Providence (Mont.) in a near three-hour match, 25-20, 25-22, 15-25, 25-27, 15-12, late Saturday (Dec. 7) inside the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa.
Head Coach Ben Boldt and his staff had guided the Bulldogs to the quarterfinals on three previous occasions. This time, Concordia (28-3) will let it rip on national semifinal Monday.
“It means a lot. We talked about that in the locker room,” Boldt said. “It’s built on the people who have come before us. I’m really proud right now. It’s a culmination of the work that we’ve put in and just keeping at it. We don’t talk about results. We talk about our process. Where we’re at now is a result of us putting in work.”
This one was extra special for seniors like Ashley Keck. Said Keck in her immediate reaction, “It’s amazing. We fought all season. We haven’t lost a fifth set. We knew going into the fifth set that this was our chance. This is who we are. We get ourselves into these tough moments, but we finish them.”
It took 14 sets over their first three matches at the final set for the Bulldogs to sew up their spot in the semifinals. As a credit to Saturday’s opponent, the Argonauts of Great Falls, Mont., they fought off three Concordia match-point opportunities in the fourth set. A successful challenge by Providence resulted in a kill for Cabry Taylor that capped the fourth set.
In the fifth set, the Bulldogs took an 8-7 lead on a kill by Keck and never relinquished the advantage. On the game’s final sequence, Kya Scott and Molli Martin combined on a block that the Argonauts eventually fumbled to the floor. Concordia held Providence to .081 hitting in the fifth set and racked up 10 kills. After coming up short in the quarterfinals in 2020, 2021 and 2024, the Bulldogs made this their time.
Said Boldt, “You can tell that we’ve done this enough. You can tell that we have toughness. We’re mentally tough. We don’t get rattled. We need to execute. We’re executing in the tough moments. I love our motto this year because I think we’re going for it in the big moments. In that fourth set, we had three chances at putting the match away. Different from last year, we were swinging on those. We kept at it and we kept at it, and we put it away in the fifth.”
Almost certain to repeat as an NAIA National Championship All-Tournament selection, Keck helped will her side to victory with 24 kills and 29 digs on Saturday. Fellow classmates Ella Waters (18) and Scott (14) joined Keck in double figures in the kill category. In the back row, Emma Brueggemann, Clara Evert, Shandy Faalii and Lily Psencik showed grit in each notching double-digit digs. The team’s 116 digs helped push the Bulldogs over the edge. Ava Greene led the way with four blocks.
Not everything about it was pretty, and that’s okay this time of year. Concordia got outhit by Providence, .198 to .172, but it emerged with more kills, 74-64, in a survive-and-advance effort. Savannah Shelburne (33 assists) and Psencik (32 assists) combined for 65 assists.
On the other side of the net, Bella Green paced the Argonauts with 16 kills, and three of her teammates posted more than 20 digs, led by 23 from Bella Thompson. A well-balanced team, Providence (33-3) entered the match ranking top 15 nationally in blocks per set, kills per set, digs per set and hitting percentage.
With her 24 kills on Saturday, Keck moved past former teammate Gabi Nordaker for No. 4 on the program’s all-time kills list. Keck has accumulated 1,447 kills in her career. Win or lose on Saturday, Keck would have been overjoyed simply to have this opportunity to compete with her teammates. The victory and postgame celebration, including a locker room soaking of Ben Boldt, comes as a bonus.
Said Keck of the meaning for the seniors, “We’ve done this with each other the past four years. We give it our all every single game. What’s most important is this team has pure joy. Win or lose, we’re going to have that joy. No one’s going to take that away from us.”
A third clash this season with archrival Northwestern (32-3) awaits Concordia in Monday’s national semifinal round. Each of the top four seeds have reached the semifinals. On the other side of the bracket, No. 1 Eastern Oregon University will meet No. 4 Indiana Wesleyan University. The semifinal matches are set for 5 and 8 p.m. CT on Monday with the Bulldogs slated for the late-night contest. The winners will play in the NAIA National Championship Match at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
Historic journey ends in national semifinals
Dec. 8, 2025
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – While making the first national semifinal appearance in program history, Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball let it rip in the opening set. However, GPAC rival and second-ranked Northwestern turned the tables late in the first set and rode that tidal wave to victory, 25-23, 25-13, 25-9, ending the journey for the third-ranked Bulldogs on Monday (Dec. 8) night. Concordia wound up with negative hitting percentages in the second and third sets in action that took place inside the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s program has reached at least the national quarterfinal round in four of the past six seasons. Concordia finished 2025 at 28-4 overall.
“We came out and were executing our game plan,” Boldt said. “We hit a point there where it was tough to get kills. We tried to make some adjustments. If you’re going to win national championships, you have to execute. Credit to Northwestern on that. They made some adjustments with their block that really had us trying to find kills. I thought we stuck together through it.”
The majority of the first set went about as the Bulldogs would have scripted it. Northwestern called the match’s first two timeouts with the Bulldogs owning leads of 13-9 and 17-11. The Concordia advantage hung steady at 19-13 before the Red Raiders rattled off seven of the next eight points to pull even. GPAC Player of the Year Stella Winterfield rose up to put away the 24th and 25th points for Northwestern.
Once the momentum shifted, the Bulldogs never swung it back on their side. The Red Raiders looked like a team on a mission in rolling through the second and third sets with respective hitting percentages of .324 and .348. On the other side of the net, Concordia hit only .051 for the night. Northwestern finished with a kills advantage of 41-31 and ruled the block, 9-5.
The statistical leaders for the Bulldogs by category were Ashley Keck in kills (13), Keck and Emma Brueggemann in digs (nine), Savannah Shelburne in assists (15) and Ella Waters in blocks (three). Concordia was held without a service ace (compared to five for Northwestern).
The GPAC champion Red Raiders (33-3) have cruised in straight sets in each of their first five national tournament matches. Winterfeld finished with 14 kills while All-American middle blocker Zavyr Metzger got in on six blocks. Maggie Bloom paced the back row with 13 digs. Northwestern toppled the Bulldogs in all three of this season’s meetings and pushed its overall win streak to 22.
In addition to becoming the first national semifinalist in program history, the 2025 edition of Concordia Volleyball racked up the most wins for a Bulldog team since 1996. The ’25 Bulldogs placed second in the GPAC in the regular season and in the tournament. As for Boldt, he’s now the winningest coach in program history with 182 victories over his eight seasons.
If that was it for the All-American Keck, it’s been quite a run. She tallied 1,460 kills and 1,266 digs over the past four seasons and is a likely NAIA National Championship All-Tournament team selection for a second year in a row. Keck and her senior classmates have combined to go 105-18 since the start of the 2022 season. The senior class numbers 10 strong.
When emerging from the locker room after Monday’s loss, the Bulldogs were still wearing their game jerseys. They didn’t want the ride to end. The memories will carry on for years to come.
Said Boldt, “One of our goals is at that end – not wanting to take our jerseys off. That’s something that’s awesome to see. What we did, we did it together through the great times, which we had them, and through the tough times, which we had them. We chose each other. You can’t ask for anything more. I’m really proud of the work we put into building a team.”
The national tournament path to the semifinals for Concordia included wins over Florida National University (opening round), No. 22 Dakota Wesleyan (pool play), No. 14 The Master’s University (pool play) and No. 6 University of Providence (quarterfinals). After the quarterfinal win, Boldt was showered with water in a joy-filled postgame locker room. As Keck mentioned after that victory, she and her teammates won’t let that joy leave them, win or lose.
Said Boldt in providing some closing thoughts, “I don’t think winning a quarterfinal or getting to the final four makes you a different person or makes you a different team necessarily. I don’t feel any different with what this team was doing than the first team we had here at Concordia. I still feel that same competitive spirit to accomplish things. We’re still in our process as a team and continuing to build as a program. I’m really proud of where we’re at as a team, how they’ve come together and who they are as people.”
Season-In-Review: 2025 Concordia Volleyball
Dec. 12, 2025
In one of the lasting images of the 2025 season, Head Coach Ben Boldt received a celebratory water shower in the postgame locker room on a night when history was made. The ’25 Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball team became the first in program annals to advance to the semifinals of the NAIA National Championship. In doing so, the Bulldogs built upon the accomplishments of recent years and exemplified the team’s season long motto of “let it rip.”
In many ways, the ’25 season was a continuation of the remarkable success enjoyed by Concordia during the eight years the program has been led by Ben and Angie Boldt. For a seventh year in a row, the Bulldogs ended their season at the Tyson Events Center, the national championship final site.
“I’m really proud of the team,” Ben Boldt said. “I think we maxed out. We lost to a good team (in the national semifinals). Credit to Northwestern. I thought our team competed and that’s really what we want to get to. There was no fear in the swings we were taking. I really thought we did a great job of owning our motto this year of ‘let it rip.’ We did that with great purpose in the quarterfinal versus Providence, who is a really good team. That’s what I’m taking away from this. I’m proud that we owned our motto throughout the year. We really played for each other. It was a great year.”
In addition to reaching the semifinals, the Bulldogs went 28-4 while earning the most wins for a Concordia Volleyball team during the GPAC era (2000-present). Furthermore, they advanced to the GPAC Championship Match for a fifth consecutive year and claimed eight victories over top 25 teams along the way. As a result of the historic triumph in the national quarterfinals, Ben Boldt became the winningest coach in program history with his 182 wins surpassing Berniece Jones (181 wins). As standouts during the postseason run, Ashley Keck and Ella Waters were named to the NAIA National Championship All-Tournament Team. Meanwhile, Angie Boldt was voted GPAC Assistant Coach of the Year.
So many other memorable moments took place during the swan song for a class of 10 seniors. The four-year seniors helped the program to an impressive combined record of 105-18 for an .854 winning percentage, the highest over a four-year stretch in program history. The seniors recognized back on senior day (Sept. 27) were Autumn Deterding, Kate Griess, Sydney Jelinek, Ashley Keck, Addie Kirkegaard, Molli Martin, Lily Psencik, Kya Scott, Savannah Shelburne and Ella Waters.
In her senior campaign, Keck put together one of the finest individual seasons ever by a Bulldog Volleyball player. The Kearney, Neb., native has put herself on track to earn another NAIA All-America award. Her 481 kills in 2025 were the most by a Bulldog during the GPAC era and the fourth most in a single season in school history. During the season, Keck eclipsed both 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs for her career, making her the fifth Concordia player ever to accomplish that feat. Keck will go down as one of the greatest players to ever wear Bulldog Blue.
“She does what she does,” Boldt said. “Ashley is someone you can lean on if we’re in trouble. She’s someone who has put in so much work. I thought she handled the load really well. She didn’t feel like it was all on her shoulders, but she also knew that when she got the ball set to her, she could find a way to get kills. She affected the tournament in different ways besides getting kills. She’s a six-rotation passer for us. She came up with some really big digs and had some ace serves. I’m just really proud of her. How it ended was very satisfying for her considering the effort she put into it.”
For the second year in a row, Keck was tabbed the GPAC Attacker of the Year. She was joined with first team all-conference honors by middle blocker Ava Greene and right side Ella Waters. Second team accolades went to libero Emma Brueggemann and middle blocker Molli Martin and honorable mention status was earned by defensive specialist Shandy Faalii and defensive specialist Kya Scott. Brueggemann was also lauded as the GPAC Freshman Year in a sterling first season in the back row. A strong defensive team, Concordia held opponents to a .119 hitting percentage and to 10.97 kills per set. Greene led the front row defensive efforts with an average of 1.22 blocks per set.
From an offensive perspective, the Bulldogs were a balanced team. Setters Lily Psencik and Savannah Shelburne teed the ball up for five different players to surpass 150 total kills: Keck (481), Waters (290), Scott (189), Martin (182) and Greene (155). The most widely seen kill of the whole season may have been one delivered out of the back row by Faalii, whose thunderous kill (on the heels of an extended rally) in the home win over Midland on Sept. 17 made an appearance on SportsCenter’s top 10 plays.
The team’s season hitting percentage of .207 ranked 34th nationally. Though it was a drop from 2024 (.240), Concordia showed an ability to rise to the occasion and to let it rip when times got tight. The theme of ‘let it rip’ was a response to the 2024 squad’s five-set loss to Bellevue in the national quarterfinals. The motto inspired the type of mindset that helped carry the Bulldogs to five-set national tournament victories over No. 22 Dakota Wesleyan and No. 6 Providence (Mont.).
Nothing came easy on the national stage, and that was okay with this Concordia edition. In the momentous national quarterfinal victory over Providence, Keck, Waters and Scott took turns striking for kills down the stretch. As Keck said afterwards, “We knew going into the fifth set that this was our chance. This is who we are. We get ourselves into these tough moments, but we finish them.”
The results in 2025 were a byproduct of an intense focus on the day-to-day processes emphasized by the Boldts. It may sound cliché, but it’s how Concordia has built itself into an elite program with 24 consecutive appearances in the top five of the NAIA coaches’ poll.
“You can’t always control the outcomes, but you can control how you approach it,” Ben Boldt said. “You have to stay in the present and not get ahead of yourself. Be there and be with each other. When we had that right mindset, I thought we were executing really well. We were just gritty. I don’t know that we hit over .200 for a full match. When we needed to do it, like in the fifth set versus Dakota Wesleyan, we hit over .400. We had similar hitting numbers versus Providence. When we needed to execute, we did. We stayed in it and competed. I thought our mentality was really good in controlling what we could control.”
Preparation for 2026 will pick up once classes resume for the second semester. The Boldts will be tasked with replacing the accomplished senior class. New names and faces will prepare this offseason to pick up the slack.
Said Boldt, “We’re moving forward. You’re always thinking about the next thing as a coach. I’m really looking forward to a little bit of a break for the team so they can focus on academics and finish up finals. With the group that we have, there are 10 seniors who are graduating. It’s kind of a new group that we’re going to have. The last couple of years we’ve had that group that has been together. I’m looking forward to some new faces that are going to be out there. We have to make sure that we put in the work. We’ll come up with a new motto for next year. I have a couple of ideas for that. Over the Christmas break, that’s the kind of stuff that we do to set the groundwork for what the next year’s going to be. We’re in that mode right now.”