SEWARD, Neb. – Back at home against an opponent still seeking its first conference win, the sixth-ranked Concordia University Volleyball team remained focused. Twelve different Bulldogs registered at least one kill in another impressive all-around display that left Briar Cliff little chance. Behind nine more kills from Gabi Nordaker, Concordia won, 25-14, 25-13, 25-10, inside Friedrich Arena on Friday (Sept. 30). The Bulldogs moved their perfect home record this season to 5-0.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad has won five consecutive GPAC matches, all in straight sets, and stands at 15-1 overall (6-1 GPAC).
“Our serving got them out of system,” Boldt said. “The biggest thing for us was staying disciplined on defense. It’s easy to get undisciplined when the ball coming over is a bit unorthodox. In those situations, it’s important to stay disciplined and don’t reach where someone else could be digging. It’s all those little things. You want to keep it simple and play clean. We did a good job of that. We hit for a really high percentage.”
The Bulldogs hit .425 to be exact and pushed their now NAIA national leading hitting percentage to .289 for the season. As Ben and Angie Boldt would tell you, that’s a product of not just powerful attacking, but also the first two touches that set the ball on a tee for stars like Nordaker, who has hit better than .400 in five matches in a row. Others with four or more kills on Friday were Ashley Kick (six), Camryn Opfer (five), Morgan Nibbe (four) and Shelby Stark (four).
The visitors from Sioux City, Iowa, provided the most resistance in the early part of the first set. It was 9-9 before Concordia took complete control. The Bulldogs proceeded to rattle off 10 of the next 11 points, including two on Opfer kills. As part of the runaway in the second set, Rebecca Gebhardt landed three ace serves in a four-point stretch. Gebhardt finished with a team high 14 digs to go along with the three aces.
The entire roster had opportunities to contribute. The fifth-year senior Nibbe put away set point in the second with a booming kill and Mollie Grosshans (three kills and a block) had a big hand in the team’s third-set dominance. At setter, Bree Burtwistle handed out 31 assists and Bree Green supplied four. Ashlyn Wichmeier posted two aces while Lexie Kreizel notched 10 digs and Nordaker earned credit for three blocks.
Said Boldt of the reserves, “I thought they played great. They wanted to play their best and they did. They made adjustments and they played the game. I still think at some point when it comes down to crunch time, we’re going to need that 6-2 sub where we need a big block or something like that. To continue to get reps with that is really important for our team.”
Briar Cliff hit .045 and had nearly as many hitting errors (16) as kills (20). The team leader in kills was Chloe Johnson with eight. The Chargers now face the challenge of playing at No. 3 Midland on Saturday.
The Bulldogs will be right back inside Friedrich Arena on Saturday to host Morningside (6-14, 2-5 GPAC) at 3 p.m. CT (junior varsity at 1:30 p.m.). Prior to first serve, Concordia will honor a senior class of six: Bree Burtwistle, Bree Green, Mary Nibbe, Camryn Opfer, Kennedy VanScoy and Kalee Wiltfong. The Bulldogs have won three straight in the series with the Mustangs, who fell in three sets at Midland on Friday.