By Sam Firminhac, Athletic Communications
CRETE, Neb. – The 23rd-ranked Concordia University Volleyball team lost a heartbreaker against Doane on Wednesday night (Oct. 6). The Bulldogs won the second and third sets before slipping in five, 25-21, 26-28, 21-25, 25-21, 15-12. Concordia had hoped to close out a regular season sweep of the rival Tigers, who are now 4-1 at home.
With the loss, the Bulldogs fell to 9-8 overall (4-5 GPAC). Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad has dropped each of its six matches that have gone to a fifth set this season.
Said Boldt, “Credit to Doane for playing a great match. Their outsides played really well. I continue to be proud of how we compete. However, we need to play cleaner volleyball down the stretch.”
In its third-straight five-set match, Concordia saw its seven-match series win streak versus Doane fall by the wayside. The Bulldogs need to find their version of a closer. With a 13-13 tie in the fifth set, the Tigers turned to Kirsten Bures, who buried kills for point Nos. 14 and 15. Gabby Menghini also starred for the victors, racking up 20 kills while hitting .444.
Camryn Opfer and Erica Heinzerling led the Bulldogs with 17 kills each. That total represented a career high for Heinzerling. Opfer also had 14 digs. Gabi Nordaker posted 15 kills while hitting .282. She also led the team in blocks with four. Tara Callahan piled up 65 assists and managing 11 digs. Cassidy Knust paced the Bulldogs with 18 digs. Concordia recorded slightly more kills than the Tigers, 71-68. However, the Bulldogs were hurt by 11 service errors (compared to only two aces).
Doane (17-5, 5-4 GPAC) has been rapidly improving and recently defeated then top-ranked Midland on Sept. 18. The Tigers were just outside of the most recent NAIA top 25. Doane put the match away on Wednesday with 13 kills in the final set. Meanwhile, Concordia’s best effort statistically came in the third set when it hit .357 (18 kills, three errors).
The Bulldogs will look to break their three-match losing streak against No. 18 Dordt (11-5, 3-4 GPAC) on Saturday. First serve is set for 3 p.m. CT. Concordia will be back in Fredrich Arena for the first time since Sept. 25. The last time the Bulldogs faced off with the Defenders was in last year's NAIA national quarterfinals – won by Dordt in straight sets.