SEWARD, Neb. – Coming off a match with a ranked Bellevue foe, the Concordia University Volleyball team is getting set to play four more top 25 opponents this week. In a GPAC battle, the Bulldogs will play at No. 23 College of Saint Mary on Wednesday before heading to Bellevue, Neb., for weekend neutral site matches against No. 19 Oklahoma City University, No. 17 Montana Technological University and No. 10 University of Providence (Mont.). Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad went 2-1 last week with wins over Mount Marty and Baker University (Kan.).
This Week
Wednesday, Sept. 1 at No. 23 College of Saint Mary (7-1, 0-1), 7:30 p.m.
--Live Webcast | 104.9 Max Country
Sept. 3-4: Bellevue Labor Day Classic
Friday, Sept. 3 vs. No. 19 Oklahoma City (0-0), 3 p.m.
--Classic Info Page
Friday, Sept. 3 vs. No. 17 Montana Tech (6-1), 7 p.m.
--Classic Info Page
Saturday, Sept. 4 vs. No. 10 Providence (4-0), 1 p.m.
--Classic Info Page
Note: All matches at Bellevue’s Labor Day Classic will be held at the Lied Activity Center in Bellevue, Neb. The facility is not to be confused with the Lied Fitness Center in Omaha, home to College of Saint Mary.
The first Concordia-Bellevue meeting since 2017 turned into a classic. After dropping the first two sets, the Bulldogs rallied to win the third and fourth sets and held a 13-11 advantage in the fifth. The 12th-ranked Bruins managed to rattle off the final four points of the match and celebrated their second win already this season over a top 10 opponent. In the close loss, three Concordia attackers reached double figures in kills: Gabi Nordaker (15), Arleigh Costello (14) and Camryn Opfer (12). Concordia had a slight advantage in hitting percentage, .247 to .238, while Bellevue had more kills, 71-63.
The Bulldogs took care of business nicely in their first two matches last week. At the time of the win over Baker, Concordia owned a nine-match home win streak. The Bulldogs are hitting .289 as a team, a percentage that ranks eighth in the NAIA. The middles have proven productive so far with Gabi Nordaker having recorded 27 kills and a .467 hitting percentage and Sara Huss having collected 25 kills and a .413 hitting percentage. Tara Callahan (fifth year in program) posted 118 assists in the season’s first week and landed seven aces in the victory over Baker.
While moving on without four-year libero Marissa Hoerman (graduated), Concordia has had many contributors in the back row. Five Bulldogs have piled up 20 digs or more so far this season: Opfer (36), Callahan (29), Rebecca Gebhardt (24), Kennedy VanScoy (22) and Tatum Kuti (20). Hoerman compiled 1,547 service receptions and 1,437 digs in her collegiate career.
The Flames have been busy in the month of August having won seven nonconference matches. Their only defeat so far came in three sets at No. 3 Midland on Aug. 25. College of Saint Mary went 12-10 overall last season, following a national tournament appearance in 2019. Head Coach Rick Pruett’s squad has been led on the attack so far by outside hitter Makenna Freeman (75 kills; .259 hitting percentage). CSM also returns the GPAC Libero of the Year, Rachel Cushing.
Each of this weekend’s opponents is ranked inside the NAIA top 20. Montana Tech is a program the Bulldogs defeated in NAIA national tournament pool play in 2019. Montana Tech and Providence are both members of the Frontier Conference while Oklahoma City resides in the Sooner Athletic Conference. Through seven matches, Montana Tech leads the nation in service aces per set (3.57). Providence sports NAIA national ranks of fourth in digs per set (21.43) and 19th in kills per set (13.36).
Once the weekend concludes, Concordia will look forward to hosting Midland on Sept. 8. Also next week, the Bulldogs will be headed to Baldwin City, Kan., for three matches over two days (Sept. 10-11).