ORANGE CITY, Iowa – A matchup between the nation’s most potent attack and the nation’s most imposing block took center stage in Orange City, Iowa, on Saturday (Nov. 11) night. The 2023 GPAC tournament championship match lived up to its billing as top-ranked Northwestern held off the fourth-ranked Concordia University Volleyball team, 25-17, 17-25, 23-25, 25-21, 15-11. A frenzied crowd inside the Bultman Center got its money’s worth. Macay Van’t Hul’s match-point kill prompted a jubilant celebration for the Red Raiders.
Head Coach Ben Boldt had no issue with his team’s effort and energy. Northwestern executed on a slightly higher level in key moments and came away with an eye-popping 19 blocks for the evening.
“It was a great match and a great environment,” Boldt said. “Down the stretch there, they found a couple more points than we did. I’m 100 percent certain we got tougher tonight. We’re going to use this and learn from it. It was a great match. Credit to them. We can’t hang our heads. Our mentality needs to continue to get stronger. We’ll be ready for the national tournament.”
The Bulldogs (23-3) adjusted admirably after getting stuffed in the opening set to the tune of eight Red Raider blocks. Sophomore outside hitter Ashley Keck pounced for 10 of her 20 kills during the second set as Concordia turned the tide amidst a hostile environment. The Bulldogs put away 20 kills in the second set and another 14 in the third while gaining the upper hand. Concordia even weathered an injury to freshman middle Maddie Paulsen in the third set (she did not return). Senior Sara Huss filled the void.
There was an opportunity for the Bulldogs to put it away in the fourth set when they pulled even at 20-20 on Keck’s kill. Northwestern then showed its championship mettle in rattling off five of the next six points. A tense fifth set was forced by Jazlin De Haan’s kill for set point. The Red Raiders were just a little sharper in that final set, which saw the host outhit the visitors, .206 to .138. It was 13-11 in the fifth before Northwestern put away the final two points of the night.
Two of Concordia’s three losses have come in Orange City. On another night, this one could have gone another way. The Red Raiders (26-2) won this battle of contrasting styles. Northwestern presents a difficult matchup for any foe with the NAIA’s leading blocker Zavyr Metzger, who tallied 10 blocks on Saturday evening.
Said Boldt, “Our strength is our offense and their strength is their blocking. We out-killed them and they out-blocked us tonight. I think our team stayed tough all the way through it. The ability to find a couple more points is all it is. We’ll go back to work.”
Keck added 19 digs to her stat line. Four other Bulldogs notched at least nine kills: Gabi Nordaker (14), Carly Rodaway (11), Camryn Opfer (nine) and Paulsen (nine). Setter Bree Burtwistle collected 51 assists, 24 digs and two aces. Twenty-plus digs were recorded by Becca Gebhardt (25), Burtwistle and Opfer (20). Nordaker was in on four of the team’s five blocks.
Northwestern got match highs of 27 kills from De Haan and 34 digs from Olivia Granstra. The Red Raiders outhit Concordia for the match, .189 to .127. The Bulldogs had the edge in kills, 67-58. For Northwestern, this was its first GPAC tournament title since 2014. Meanwhile, Concordia is still seeking its first GPAC tournament championship. It has placed as the GPAC postseason runner up four times, including each of the past three years.
Up next will be the opening round of the 2023 NAIA Volleyball National Championship. The Bulldogs are preparing to host an opening round match at 1 p.m. CT next Saturday (Nov. 18). Official pairings for the opening round will be announced by the NAIA via a live selection show at 2 p.m. CT on Monday. The show will be aired on the NAIA’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@PlayNAIA.