FREMONT, Neb. – The Concordia University Volleyball team is peaking at the right time. There was no fear for the Bulldogs on Saturday (Nov. 6) in a trip to Fremont, Neb., that resulted in a dominant win over fifth-ranked Midland. Concordia beat the Warriors like a drum in the third set and took the GPAC tournament quarterfinal clash in three, 25-23, 25-19, 25-7. The Bulldogs have reached the conference semifinal round for the third year in a row.
Head Coach Ben Boldt is presiding over a scary team that has won four-straight matches, including three over teams ranked in the NAIA top 15. There’s no way Concordia (15-10) can be kept out of the national qualifying field at this point.
“I don’t feel like we’ve done anything different from what we’ve done all year,” Boldt said. “We served really well and we blocked really well. When we do that, it took them out of the things they wanted to do. Our serve and defense was awesome and our offense was clicking. When that happens, you see this happen. That was awesome.”
Talk about finishing strong – the Bulldogs put this one to bed early by hitting .722 in the final set. They racked up 13 kills on 18 swings without a single error. For the match, Concordia outhit Midland, .333 to .065, and enjoyed a massive blocking advantage, 9-2. In total, the Warriors were guilty of 35 errors, including 26 of the attacking variety.
That’s what happens when you run into a focused team like the Bulldogs, one that has experienced its share of difficult losses and then came out the other side. Star Camryn Opfer led the attack with 13 kills (.286) from the outside. In the middle, Gabi Nordaker continued her tear with seven kills (.500) and five blocks. With a lot of focus from the opponent placed on Opfer and Nordaker, Carly Rodaway took advantage of her opportunities and collected nine kills on 14 swings from the right side.
Said Boldt, “Gabi had a really good night blocking. She was taking that away from the middle. When you can establish middle, it opens up everybody else. When they couldn’t establish middle, nobody else was open.”
Tara Callahan totaled 26 assists and five digs for the victors. Kennedy VanScoy paced the back row with nine digs. Rodaway and Kalee Wiltfong were in on three blocks apiece. As a team, Concordia missed only two serves.
On the other side of the net, Midland (23-5) struggled to find answers. Taliyah Flores racked up 10 kills, but hit only .121. As a team, the Warriors hit .026 in the second set and -.065 in the third. Midland had won the two regular season matchups over the Bulldogs.
A series of close defeats may have prevented Concordia from competing for a GPAC regular season title, but it is on a mission to give it a run in the postseason. The program seeks its first appearance in the conference tournament title match since 2015.
Said Boldt, “I’m happy that we’ve gone through all the evolutions of our team. We’re here. I’m just really proud of the team. Stats and talent aside, they love each other. It’s an awesome team to be a part of.”
The sixth-seeded Bulldogs will head to Omaha on Wednesday to play second-seeded College of Saint Mary (25-4) in the GPAC semifinals. First serve is set for 7 p.m. CT. The Flames won both meetings in the regular season, but both came down to five sets after Concordia had squandered match-point chances in the fourth.