SEWARD, Neb. – Following a pair of weekend home victories for Concordia University Volleyball, two Bulldogs were honored on Tuesday (Oct. 10). Fourth-year Concordia middle blocker Gabi Nordaker raked in both the NAIA National Attacker of the Week and GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Attacker of the Week awards. Meanwhile, setter Bree Burtwistle was named the GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Setter of the Week. Burtwistle has earned her fifth GPAC weekly award of the season while Nordaker has collected her second GPAC honor of the 2023 campaign. Both Concordia standouts played significant roles in last week’s wins over No. 14 Jamestown (four sets) and Dakota Wesleyan (three sets).
This past weekend, Nordaker dominated in the middle while totaling a combined 28 kills (4.00 per set) and 14 blocks while hitting .400. In the win over Jamestown, the Millard West High School product notched 13 kills and 10 blocks and hit .345. Nordaker leads the GPAC while ranking fifth nationally with a season hitting percentage of .395. In four seasons as a Bulldog, Nordaker has tallied 1,058 kills and 406 blocks in 102 matches. She’s one of only four players in program history to have accumulated at least 400 career blocks.
As part of the two weekend victories, Burtwistle compiled 86 assists (12.29 per set), 16 digs, six kills, three blocks and two aces. A native of Stanton, Neb., Burtwistle totaled 43 assists in the victory over Jamestown. Burtwistle’s average of 11.68 assists per set on the season ranks No. 1 in the GPAC and No. 2 nationally. The Stanton High School alum quarterbacks an attack that leads all NAIA squads in hitting percentage (.299) and in kills per set (14.93). In her collegiate career, Burtwistle has appeared in 101 matches and has tallied 2,733 assists, 751 digs, 114 kills, 101 aces and 63 blocks.
Top-ranked Concordia (17-0, 10-0 GPAC) will play at No. 2 Northwestern (17-2, 8-2 GPAC) at 3 p.m. CT on Saturday.