SEWARD, Neb. – For the fifth-straight year, the Concordia University Volleyball program has advanced to at least the semifinals of the GPAC tournament. The second-seeded Bulldogs rolled past seventh-seeded Dakota Wesleyan in the quarterfinals this past Saturday. Across the GPAC, each of the top seeds held serve and advanced to the semifinals. Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad now looks forward to welcoming No. 12 Jamestown to Friedrich Arena for the second time this season. Fourth-ranked Concordia stands at 22-2 overall heading into the matchup with the Jimmies.
GPAC Semifinals
Wednesday, Nov. 8 vs. No. 12 Jamestown (23-8, 14-2 GPAC), 7 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.
--Fan Theme: Whiteout
By the numbers
· This season’s second meeting with Dakota Wesleyan looked a lot like the first one. The Bulldogs managed to neutralize All-American middle Ady Dwight thanks in large part to the blocking exploits of Gabi Nordaker. The Millard West High School alum recorded eight blocks as Concordia limited the Tigers (19-14) to an .087 hitting percentage. On the other side of the net, the Bulldogs hit .385 and floored 48 kills in the 25-11, 25-17, 25-15, triumph. Camryn Opfer enjoyed an efficient night in hitting .524 with 11 kills, 13 digs and three blocks. In addition, Ashley Keck contributed 11 kills and 10 digs, Maddie Paulsen and Carly Rodaway notched nine kills apiece and Bree Burtwistle accumulated 44 assists. In service, Cassidy Knust landed three aces.
· A couple of individual milestones were reached during last week’s action. In the regular season finale at Midland, Opfer moved past 1,500 career kills. Only two other players in program history have reached 1,500 career kills: Becky Ernstmeyer (1,740) and Katie Werner (1,600). The Seward High School product has also surpassed 1,500 career digs (1,598) and ranks third in school history on that list. In the win over DWU, Opfer passed Jocelyn Garcia (1,594) on the career digs list. As part of the quarterfinal win, Burtwistle hit the 3,000-assist plateau (3,025) for her career. That total includes the one year Burtwistle spent at Midland. In school history, there are three Bulldogs with more than 4,000 assists: Stacy Stuckenschmidt (4,949), Tara Callahan (4,816) and Alayna Kavanaugh (4,485).
· 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 No. 2 team in the regular season 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.
· Concordia aims to reach the GPAC tournament final for the third year in a row. The previous two years, the Bulldogs traveled to Jamestown for the conference championship match and fell both times. The tables have turned in 2023 with the Jimmies making the trip to Seward. Concordia is appearing in the GPAC semifinals for the fifth consecutive year. Under Ben Boldt, the Bulldogs have gone 7-5 in GPAC postseason play with two runner-up claims. Additionally, Concordia has qualified for the conference tournament for the 18th straight season. The Bulldogs 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 on Oct. 28, 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 84-25 while regularly appearing inside the top 10 of the NAIA coaches’ poll. In 109 career collegiate matches, Nordaker has tallied 1,112 kills and 440 blocks. She was named an NAIA Second Team All-American in 2022 and has twice been recognized as First Team All-GPAC.
· 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 Oct. 31. 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 in the NAIA. Boldt sports a record of 124-45 (.733) during his Concordia tenure.
The opponent
Jamestown is playing out its final season as a member of the GPAC as it carries out plans to transition to the NCAA Division II level. The reigning NAIA national champions recovered nicely from a tough stretch against strong competition at the beginning of this season and came together for a share of the GPAC regular season title. The Jimmies had Concordia’s number until this season’s meeting in Seward that was won by the Bulldogs in four sets. The only other defeat in GPAC play for Jamestown came at home in four sets to the conference’s top seed Northwestern. Head Coach Jon Hegerle’s squad figures to be a tough out in postseason play considering its high-level defensive abilities. Jamestown opponents have hit only .122 this season. Reigning NAIA Defender of the Year Ellie Holen averages 6.74 digs per set. On the attack, outside hitter Aleah Zieske leads the way with 410 kills (3.73/set). Jamestown employs a two-setter system with Lily Bertsch and Paige Oswald at the controls. Barring what occurs at the national tournament, this could be the last time Concordia and Jamestown go head-to-head in volleyball for the foreseeable future.
2023 GPAC Tournament
Quarterfinals – Saturday, Nov. 4
(1) Northwestern def. (8) Doane, 3-0
(4) Midland def. (5) College of Saint Mary, 3-1
(3) Jamestown def. (6) Morningside, 3-0
(2) Concordia def. (7) Dakota Wesleyan, 3-0
Semifinals – Wednesday, Nov. 8
(4) Midland at (1) Northwestern, 7 p.m.
(3) Jamestown at (2) Concordia, 7 p.m.
Championship – Saturday, Nov. 11
Highest seed hosts, time TBA