NEW ORLEANS, La. – Host Xavier University of New Orleans made the 10th-ranked Concordia University Volleyball team sweat it out a bit, but the Bulldogs sealed the deal in four sets with a rocket from Kara Stark for match point. For the second year in a row, Concordia is headed to the final site of the NAIA Women’s Volleyball National Championship. The Bulldogs defeated Xavier, 25-13, 25-14, 23-25, 25-20, as part of the NAIA Opening Round on Saturday (April 17).
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad traveled down to New Orleans for the first leg of the national tournament journey. After smooth sailing in the first two sets, Concordia (16-4) found itself in a battle.
“I was happy with how we came out. I thought we were doing really well in the serve and pass game and getting them out of their system,” Boldt said. “In the third set, they started passing the ball a whole lot better, which made them tougher to defend. It opened up some holes in our block and allowed their pins to whale a way on some swings. They created some momentum for themselves. It was nice to see us battle through that and respond.”
The Gold Nuggets (18-5) of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference are accustomed to this stage having made appearances in the opening round in 10 straight seasons. Over the first two sets on Saturday, the Bulldogs were in their comfort zone. Camryn Opfer continued a sparkling spring with 13 of her match high 18 kills coming in the first two sets. Concordia held Xavier to a negative hitting percentage in the opening set and outhit the opponent, .223 to .089, for the match.
Finally, Xavier found traction in the third set when it got in a rhythm. Kennedy Wade, Kayla Black and Bria Mayes struck for five, four and four kills, respectively, in that set. The Bulldogs came back to tie the third, 23-23, before Wade and Black ended it with back-to-back kills. Black and Wade shared the team high with 12 kills apiece.
The fourth set was knotted, 11-11, before the Bulldogs began to exert their will. In the middle, Gabi Nordaker (10 kills, five blocks) put together a fine afternoon and came through with four kills in the fourth. Concordia managed to stamp out the upset bid when Stark’s attack landed for match point. The Gold Nuggets pushed the Bulldogs in that set with 12 kills of their own.
“The margins are slim when it comes to the national tournament,” Boldt said. “If we let up at all a little bit – these are good teams and they can come back on you at any point … we’re excited about (going to Sioux City). I was focused on this match and the here and now. I have to thank our administration for putting the trip together for us. The support has been awesome. It’s a team effort.”
Stark racked up 10 kills while joining Opfer and Nordaker in double figures. Opfer added 16 kills and an ace to her stat line. Meanwhile, Tara Callahan produced 45 assists and 13 digs. In the back row, Marissa Hoerman led the way with a match high 23 digs (to go along with two aces). Concordia held advantages in blocks, 8-6, and aces, 6-4.
The NAIA Opening Round featured a total of 48 national qualifiers. The 24-team national championship final site pool play matchups will be announced on Sunday (April 18) via NAIA.org. Pool play will take place at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa, on April 27-28 with bracket play to follow on April 29. A season ago, the Bulldogs reached the NAIA national round of 16, a feat that had never been achieved in program history.
