SEWARD, Neb. – The stretch run of the conference season is in full swing within the rugged GPAC. The 17th-ranked Concordia University volleyball team has positioned itself right in the thick of things among the top teams in the league. After two wins on the road last week, head coach Ben Boldt’s squad have returned home and will host No. 8 Jamestown on Thursday and Dakota Wesleyan in a rare Sunday matinee. Sunday will also be senior day for the program.
This Week
Thursday, Oct. 31 vs. (8) Jamestown (22-4, 10-2 GPAC), 7:30 p.m.
--Live Webcast/Stats
Sunday, Nov. 3 vs. Dakota Wesleyan (19-9, 4-9 GPAC), 3 p.m.
--Live Webcast/Stats
The win streak hung in the balance this past Friday in a nail-biter at Briar Cliff. The Bulldogs trailed 9-6 in the fifth set before rallying with the help of a late offensive surge from senior middle blocker Emmie Noyd. She swatted kills for three of the team’s five points. Kara Stark ended the night with a kill of her own for match point. Camryn Opfer (19 kills, .405), Stark (16 kills, .278) and Noyd (15 kills, .343) each had big nights on the attack to help rescue Concordia. The very next day the Bulldogs took care of Mount Marty in straight sets to move their win streak to six.
Junior setter Tara Callahan has certainly played a large role in Concordia outhitting its opponents, .244 to .140, this season. After notching 88 assists last week, Callahan collected the GPAC Setter of the Week honor for the fourth time this season. With Callahan’s help, five Bulldogs have accumulated 145 or more kills this season: Noyd (296), Opfer (221), Stark (194), Kalee Wiltfong (185) and Arleigh Costello (145). From a team perspective, Concordia has bumped last season’s figures of 12.37 kills per set and a .201 hitting percentage to 13.66 kills per set and a .244 hitting percentage. On the national leaderboard, the Bulldogs rank 11th in kills per set and 12th in hitting percentage.
Noyd headlines a senior class that also includes Kaylie Dengel, Jenna Eller, Katie Funk, Harlie Himmelberg, Kaci Hohenthaner and Raymi Marquardt. Noyd is a two-time second team All-GPAC choice who stands a strong chance of raking in a large number of postseason awards. Dengel, Hohenthaner and Marquardt are important contributors on the court while Eller, Funk and Himmelberg have served the team off the court during this season. Over the past three seasons, the senior class has helped the program improve its win totals from nine in 2017 to 15 in 2018 to 21 so far in 2019.
Jamestown has been a strong addition to GPAC volleyball. The Jimmies have lost to only one team within conference play – No. 1 Northwestern (twice). In back-to-back evening at home over the weekend, Jamestown saved off Doane in five sets before cruising past Hastings in straight sets. Senior Britta Knudson stands out from a statistical standpoint. He sports national rankings of 12th in blocks per set (1.23) and 13th in hitting percentage (.348). Last season Jamestown defeated Concordia in straight sets in North Dakota.
Dakota Wesleyan’s current standing of tied for ninth place in the GPAC is evidence of the strength of the conference. The Tigers are 10-0 outside of league play and boast one of the nation’s most prolific outside hitters in Rebecca Frick. Among NAIA players, Frick ranks fifth in kills per set (4.66). On average, Frick gets more than 13 attack attempts per set (.259 hitting percentage). Dakota Wesleyan is still working on getting over the hump against the GPAC’s top programs. Within the GPAC, the Tigers have defeated Mount Marty (twice), Briar Cliff and Hastings.
The Bulldogs will close the regular season next Wednesday (Nov. 6) with a road trip to top-ranked Northwestern. The GPAC tournament will begin with the quarterfinals on Saturday, Nov. 9.