FREMONT, Neb. – While hosting its senior day, No. 22 Midland may have felt like it had them, but it didn’t. The second-ranked Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball team shrugged off a defeat in the opening set and a 4-0 disadvantage in the second set while taking down the rival Warriors, 22-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-19, in Fremont, Neb., on Tuesday (Nov. 5). The Bulldogs accumulated 17 blocks and got a match high 17 kills from Ashley Keck.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad has polished off the 2024 regular season at 22-2 overall (15-1 GPAC). Concordia wound up 8-0 in GPAC road matches and placed second in the league behind undefeated and top-ranked Northwestern (27-0, 16-0 GPAC).
“The first set, we got stuck in a rotation, and that stuff can happen,” Boldt said. “In the second set, we were down 4-0. It was a matter of having a competitive mindset. I was really proud of our team after that run in the second set. Our mindset switched and we really went after it.”
Throughout the 2024 regular season, the Bulldogs have proven gritty and unflappable. In Tuesday’s clash, Concordia eventually turned the tide after staring down an 18-14 deficit in the second set. Ella Waters helped spark the rally with a kill and Addie Kirkegaard eventually put set No. 1 away with a kill of her own. That momentum led into the Bulldogs’ best offensive set of the evening as they hit .333 with 17 kills in the third.
In the middle, Nordaker and Ava Greene are a dynamic blocking duo. Both standouts came away with eight blocks while helping limit Midland to .112 hitting overall. Six of Concordia’s 17 blocks came in the fourth set. Not only did the Bulldogs enjoy an advantage in blocking (17-12), they also had the better of the Warriors in kills, 53-49, digs, 76-67, and hitting percentage, .192 to .112.
The All-America candidate Keck added 10 digs and four blocks to her stat line. Kya Scott joined her double figures in kills with 12 while Waters finished with nine kills and six blocks. Savannah Shelburne landed three aces, including one for match point. Shelburne (21 assists) and Lily Psencik (23 assists) combined for 44 assists. Becca Gebhardt paced the back row with 13 digs.
The 15th GPAC win of 2024 marked a program record for most conference victories in a single season, surpassing the 14 totaled by the 2023 squad. The only blemish on the league record came in five sets against a Red Raider opponent the Bulldogs just might see in the postseason. One thing is for certain, Concordia is no easy out.
Said Boldt, “They’re a tough team to beat. We’re pretty even all the way across the board. If someone is not having their best night, someone else steps up, and we’re gritty when it comes to our play at the net and in the back row. We ended up with 17 blocks and really turned it up at the net.”
Midland (16-10, 12-4 GPAC) will be the No. 3 seed in the upcoming GPAC tournament. The Warriors got a team high 13 kills from Brooklynn Snyder while middle Abbey Ringler notched 10 kills (and eight blocks) on .429 hitting. Concordia won both regular season meetings over Midland.
In the quarterfinal round of the GPAC tournament on Saturday, the second-seeded Bulldogs will welcome seventh-seeded Dakota Wesleyan (13-15, 7-9 GPAC) to Friedrich Arena for a 5 p.m. CT matchup. The winner will advance to play in the semifinals on Wednesday, Nov. 13 against either third-seeded Midland or sixth-seeded Dordt. Concordia will carry a 10-match winning streak into the postseason.