SEWARD, Neb. – Tournament time has arrived across the NAIA volleyball landscape. Fresh off a victory that gave the Concordia University Volleyball team a share of the GPAC regular season title, the Bulldogs are preparing to host a GPAC tournament quarterfinal match on Saturday night. As the No. 2 seed, Concordia will welcome seventh-seeded Dakota Wesleyan to Friedrich Arena. Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad stands at 21-2 overall (14-2 GPAC) heading into the postseason.
GPAC Quarterfinals
Saturday, Nov. 4 vs. Dakota Wesleyan (19-14, 8-8 GPAC), 7:30 p.m.
--Max Country | Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Friedrich Arena (Seward, Neb.)
--Admission: $10 for adults/senior citizens, $3 for K-12; only those with NAIA passes and GPAC student ID’s are admitted free of charge.
By the numbers
· A three-way tie atop the GPAC standings came to fruition on the final day of the 2023 regular season as Concordia defeated Midland (four sets), Northwestern defeated Briar Cliff (three sets) and Jamestown defeated Dakota Wesleyan (four sets). That meant that the Bulldogs, Red Raiders and Jimmies each completed the regular season with 14-2 conference records. All three programs are considered GPAC regular season champions. For the purposes of the conference tournament, the tiebreakers came down to percentage of sets won within GPAC play. Thus, the order went No. 1 Northwestern, No. 2 Concordia and No. 3 Jamestown. As the top seed, the Red Raiders have earned one of the league's two automatic bids to nationals. The other will go to the GPAC tournament champion (or the GPAC tournament runner up should Northwestern win the postseason title).
· The 2023 Bulldogs have captured a piece of history. Prior to this season, there had been two conference championship squads in the history of the program. The 1981 team went 9-1 in conference play and won the Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title while the 2000 squad also went 9-1 in conference action and shared the GPAC regular season title (with two other teams). At 14-2 in GPAC play this season, Concordia has broken a school record for conference wins in a single season. The previous standard was 12 by both the 2015 and 2022 editions. Under Ben and Angie Boldt, the Bulldogs’ year-by-year GPAC regular season place finishes have been seventh, third, third, fifth, third and first, respectively. Boldt’s career GPAC record stands at 63-32.
· It wasn’t easy on the road at No. 18 Midland on Tuesday, but Concordia gritted it out by rallying from deficits of 13-6 in the third set and 20-15 in the fourth set. The margins were razor tight in those sets as the Bulldogs won, 25-17, 16-25, 25-23, 27-25. Afterwards, there were hugs all around in acknowledgement of the season long achievement. Statistically, the Concordia leaders were Ashley Keck in kills (15), Gabi Nordaker in blocks (six) and Bree Burtwistle in assists (55) and digs (18). In addition, Camryn Opfer added 13 kills and six digs and Carly Rodaway hit .423 with 13 kills from the right side. The Bulldogs pulled it out of the fire despite being outhit, .237 to .214. Blocking also favored the Warriors, 16-8. Concordia claimed a regular season sweep of Midland.
· Entering this year’s postseason, the Bulldogs have reached at least the semifinal round of the GPAC tournament in four straight seasons. That stretch includes GPAC tournament runner up claims in 2021 and 2022. In both of those instances, Concordia fell at Jamestown in the championship match. Should the Bulldogs meet up with the Jimmies again, it will be in the semifinals and it will be played inside Friedrich Arena. Additionally, the Bulldogs have qualified for the conference tournament for the 18th straight season. They reached the GPAC tournament final for the first time in program history in 2015 when they were the runner up to Midland. Concordia was also a conference tournament runner up back in 1996.
· In conjunction with senior day, Gabi Nordaker announced that she will be returning to the team in 2024 and will use her ‘COVID year’ of eligibility. The Millard West High School product has been at the heart of the greatest successes in program history. Nordaker has starred for two Bulldog squads (2020 and 2021) that reached the NAIA national quarterfinals. Since she joined the program, Concordia has posted a combined record of 83-25 while regularly appearing inside the top 10 of the NAIA coaches’ poll. In 108 career collegiate matches, Nordaker has tallied 1,107 kills and 432 blocks. She was named an NAIA Second Team All-American in 2022 and has twice been recognized as First Team All-GPAC.
· The Seward High School product Opfer hit another career milestone on Tuesday night. Her 13 kills at Midland pushed her career total to 1,502. Only two other players in program history have reached 1,500 career kills: Becky Ernstmeyer (1,740) and Katie Werner (1,600). Opfer has also surpassed 1,500 career digs (1,585) and ranks fourth in school history on that list. She’s closing in on Jocelyn Garcia (1,594) for third place all-time in digs. In five seasons as a Bulldog, Opfer has played in 139 matches (494 sets) and has also tallied 200 blocks and 80 aces.
· Since beginning his tenure as Bulldog head coach in 2018, Ben Boldt made it a standing goal for the program to win a GPAC championship. That goal became a reality on Tuesday night. Even without the conference title, the Boldts’ have accomplished impressive feats. Concordia is looking to reach the NAIA national tournament final site for the fifth year in a row. The program reached the national quarterfinals in 2020 and 2021 and ascended to the No. 1 ranking in the nation this October. The Bulldogs are currently ranked No. 4 entering the postseason. Boldt sports a record of 123-45 (.732) during his Concordia tenure.
The opponent
Dakota Wesleyan advanced all the way to the quarterfinals of the 2022 national tournament. Head Coach Lindsay Wilber’s 2023 squad has been built around All-American middle Ady Dwight, who was named the most recent NAIA National Attacker of the Week. Dwight paces the GPAC in kills (545) and kills per set (4.70) while ranking second in the league in hitting percentage (.351). She’s been facilitated by setter Kayleigh Robertson, who is averaging 10.33 assists per set. Currently not receiving votes nationally, the Tigers (19-14, 8-8 GPAC) likely need to win the GPAC tournament in order to return to the national tournament. DWU visited Friedrich Arena on Oct. 7 and fell, 25-9, 25-20, 25-15. The Tigers are hitting .201 while allowing their foes to hit .184.
2023 GPAC Tournament
Quarterfinals – Saturday, Nov. 4
(8) Doane at (1) Northwestern, 7 p.m.
(5) College of Saint Mary at (4) Midland, 7 p.m.
(6) Morningside at (3) Jamestown, 7 p.m.
(7) Dakota Wesleyan at (2) Concordia, 7:30 p.m.
Semifinals – Wednesday, Nov. 8
1/8 winner vs. 4/5 winner, 7 p.m.
2/7 winner vs. 3/6 winner, 7 p.m.
Championship – Saturday, Nov. 11
Highest seed hosts, time TBA