Bulldogs bounce back from first set, cruise past No. 17 Midland

By Jacob Knabel on Sep. 18, 2025 in Volleyball

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.

BOX SCORE: (2) CUNE 3, (17) Midland 1