SEWARD, Neb. – The third-ranked Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball team will play in front of the Friedrich Arena faithful for the final time this regular season when action gets underway on Wednesday night. Rival Doane will serve as the opposition as the Bulldogs attempt to keep their perfect October record (8-0) intact. Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad enters the week at 20-2 overall (13-1 GPAC) after having earned wins last week over Mount Marty and Hastings. After hosting Doane, Concordia will have the weekend off to gear up for next Tuesday (Nov. 5)’s match at No. 18 Midland.
This Week
Wednesday, Oct. 30 vs. Doane (8-18, 3-10 GPAC), 7:30 p.m.
--104.9 Max Country | Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Friedrich Arena (Seward, Neb.)
--Fan theme: Halloween (no masks)
By the numbers
· Concordia checks in at No. 3 in the NAIA national poll entering the week (another poll will be released on Wednesday. The Bulldogs have spent the entirety of this season ranked inside the nation’s top five while following a 2023 season that saw them rise as high as No. 1. Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad remains in the hunt for a GPAC title with three matches remaining in the regular season. At 13-1 in league play, Concordia sits one game behind No. 1 Northwestern (25-0, 14-0 GPAC) atop the conference standings. The Red Raiders will finish their regular season by playing at Waldorf before hosting Dordt. Concordia and Northwestern shared the 2023 GPAC regular season title along with Jamestown.
· In last week’s action, the Bulldogs outhit Mount Marty, .247 to .077, and Hastings, .263 to .107. The statistical leaders on the week were Ashley Keck in kills (25), Savannah Shelburne in assists (45) and aces (four), Becca Gebhardt in digs (42) and Gabi Nordaker in blocks (11). The results meant that Concordia earned season sweeps of both the Lancers and Broncos. The Bulldogs have won 10-straight meetings with rival Hastings. On the season, Concordia is 8-1 at home and is 8-0 in true road matches.
· Both Becca Gebhardt and Gabi Nordaker hold down spots within the top five on program all-time lists. Nordaker recently moved up a rung to No. 4 on the program’s all-time kills list with 1,354 (surpassing Paige Getz, 1,331). The Millard West High School alum also sits No. 3 in blocks with 557. Meanwhile, Gebhardt continues to rank fifth in school history for career digs with 1,543. She’s moving closer to No. 4 Jocelyn Garcia (1,594). Additionally, Ashley Keck has run her career kill total to 865, good for 15th most in school history.
· At 13-1 in GPAC play, the 2024 Bulldogs need one more win to equal a program record for conference wins in a season. That standard was set in 2023 by the Concordia squad that went 14-2 and shared the GPAC regular season title. Since the start of the 2022 season, the Boldts have led the program to a combined conference mark of 39-7. The Bulldogs have also enjoyed success in the postseason having reached the GPAC tournament final in three-consecutive years heading into 2024. At 20-2 overall (.909), this ’24 Concordia team is on track to challenge the ’23 team (25-4 record, .862 win percentage) for the highest winning percentage in school history.
· The month of October has been a fruitful one for Concordia, which has won all eight matches while up against conference foes. In October, the Bulldogs have outhit their opponents, .243 to .108, and have outnumbered them in kills, 428-329. Ashley Keck has been the team’s leading attacker in the month with 105 kills and a .246 hitting percentage from the outside. Meanwhile, Gabi Nordaker has accumulated 38 blocks in October.
· Concordia’s statistical leaders by category include Ashley Keck in kills (263), Gabi Nordaker in hitting percentage (.354) and blocks (99), Savannah Shelburne in assists (502) and aces (25) and Becca Gebhardt in digs (328). Bulldogs who rank among the top five of the GPAC in key statistical categories are Keck in kills per set (3.40), Nordaker in blocks per set (1.27) and hitting percentage (.354) and Shelburne in assists per set (6.20).
The opponent
Doane announced RanDee Ochinero as the program’s new head coach in January 2024. Most recently, Ochinero served as an assistant coach at Rocky Mountain College (Mont.) and was part of teams that qualified for the national tournament in 2022 and 2023. The Tigers own league wins over Briar Cliff (three sets), Waldorf (four sets) and Dakota Wesleyan (five sets). This past week, Ochinero’s squad was defeated in straight sets by both Hastings and No. 18 Midland. Doane is in the process of building a foundation coming off an 8-19 (6-10 GPAC) campaign in 2023. The Tigers returned Honorable Mention All-GPAC right side Taylor Sluka. Kayden Schumacher leads the team with 229 kills this season. As a team, Doane is hitting .113 while its opponents are hitting .193. Concordia has won five straight and 12 of the past 13 meetings in the series with the Tigers. The matchup in Crete on Sept. 25 was won by the Bulldogs, 25-16, 25-21, 25-10.
Next week
The regular season will conclude on Tuesday, Nov. 5 with a trip to No. 18 Midland. The Bulldogs will then ready themselves for postseason play, which gets started with the GPAC quarterfinals on Saturday, Nov. 9. Concordia will host a match on that date.