2023 All-GPAC Volleyball Teams
First Team: Bree Burtwistle (Setter of the Year); Gabi Nordaker; Camryn Opfer.
Second Team: Ashley Keck; Carly Rodaway.
Honorable Mention: Becca Gebhardt; Cassidy Knust.
SEWARD, Neb. – Seven Bulldogs from the GPAC championship Concordia University Volleyball team have reeled in All-Great Plains Athletic Conference recognition, as announced by the league on Tuesday (Nov. 14). A major award went to Bree Burtwistle, named the 2023 GPAC Setter of the Year. She was joined on the all-conference first team by teammates Gabi Nordaker and Camryn Opfer. Second team accolades were earned by Ashley Keck and Carly Rodaway while honorable mention status was granted to Becca Gebhardt and Cassidy Knust.
Six of the seven honorees are repeat All-GPAC award winners from last season. Junior Cassidy Knust has reeled in her first career all-conference accolade.
Named the GPAC Setter of the Week six times in 2023, Burtwistle is the first Bulldog to ever garner the GPAC Setter of the Year award. She was honored as a Second Team All-GPAC and NAIA Honorable Mention All-American in 2022. The Stanton, Neb., native quarterbacks an offense that leads the NAIA with an average of 14.69 kills per set. Individually, Burtwistle ranks first in the GPAC and third nationally in assists per set (11.78). Over 26 matches this season (89 sets), Burtwistle has totaled 1,048 assists, 244 digs, 59 kills, 32 blocks and 29 aces. Burtwistle has accumulated 3,115 assists in 110 career matches.
Nordaker has pulled in first team honors for the third-straight year. She was also named a second team selection as a freshman in 2020. The Millard West High School alum sports GPAC rankings of third in hitting percentage (.332) and sixth in blocks per set (1.18) in 2023. She has totaled 241 kills and 104 blocks on the year. Earlier this season, Nordaker notched her 1,000th career kill. Through 111 career matches, Nordaker has produced 1,134 kills and 446 blocks. Nordaker will continue to add to her numbers in 2024 as she announced she’ll return to the program for a fifth year.
Thanks to the extra year of competition, Opfer has claimed her fifth career All-GPAC award. She was recognized as second team in both 2019 and 2020 before moving up to the first team in 2021 through 2023. Opfer also picked up the GPAC Freshman of the Year award in 2019. The do-it-all Opfer owns a 2023 stat line that shows 261 kills (3.22/set), 289 digs (3.57/set), 33 blocks and 17 aces. An NAIA Second Team All-American last year, Opfer has piled up career totals of 1,529 kills, 1,630 digs, 208 blocks and 80 aces in 142 matches. On the program’s all-time lists, Opfer ranks No. 3 for both kills and digs.
The GPAC’s 2022 Freshman of the Year, Keck has taken a leap forward in her sophomore year and leads the team with 303 kills (3.56/set). Keck received honorable mention accolades a year ago. Keck is hitting .213 from the outside and has tallied 221 digs (2.60/set) while taking on a larger role. The Kearney, Neb., native ranks sixth among GPAC players in kills per set. Keck has posted 576 kills over her first two collegiate seasons.
Rodaway has now claimed second team honors in back-to-back years. The Lincoln Pius X High School alum has been a major weapon on the right side in her three seasons as a Bulldog. In 2023, Rodaway has collected 202 kills (2.35/set) while hitting .281. Rodaway has notched 665 kills since transferring to Concordia via Fort Hays State University.
A three-year starter at libero, Gebhardt has earned her second honorable mention award. The Norfolk, Neb., native achieved a milestone of her own this season while surpassing 1,000 career digs (current total of 1,166). Through 26 matches in 2023, Gebhardt has registered 368 digs (4.13 per set) and has passed serve receive at a 96.2 percent clip. She has also landed 15 aces this season.
A steady performer in the back row and in service, Knust has accumulated a career high 170 digs on the year. Over three seasons, the Aurora, Neb., native has piled up 426 digs in 71 matches. She has also contributed 18 aces in 2023 and has passed serve receive with a 96.2 percent rate.
Up next for Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad will be the opening round of the NAIA Volleyball National Championship. The Bulldogs learned on Monday that they will host Judson University (Ill.) at 1 p.m. CT on Saturday as one of 24 opening round matches across the NAIA.