MITCHELL, S.D. – In a matchup of teams ranked in the NAIA top 15, the Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball team made it a lopsided affair. A 12-4 advantage in the blocking department did the trick as the second-ranked Bulldogs won at No. 12 Dakota Wesleyan, 25-22, 25-17, 25-18, in Mitchell, S.D., on Saturday (Sept. 26). In the middle, Bella Hedke and Makenna Starkey contributed to six blocks apiece as the host Tigers hit just .058 for the afternoon.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad remained an unblemished 6-0 in league play (15-2) while knocking off an opponent it also saw in pool play at the 2025 national tournament. Boldt had little to complain about after the latest victory.
“We were pretty clean today,” Boldt said. “Our blocking was great. I thought we did a great job with our responsibilities and taking away the shots that Dakota Wesleyan was hitting. So, yeah, we were locked in … I felt like we were in control. Good serving, good defense.”
A transfer from Wayne State College, Hedke added the exclamation mark by swatting a kill for match point at the Christen Family Athletic Center. Hedke notched nine of those on a day when she and her fellow front row teammates stymied Dakota Wesleyan. In addition to the six denials apiece from Hedke and Starkey, Laynee Baker (four), Shandy Fa’ali’i (three) and Maddie Paulsen (three) also pitched in on the block.
Dakota Wesleyan (13-5, 2-4 GPAC) failed to hit better than .118 in any single set. In closing out the match, the Tigers struggled to the tune of seven kills and 10 errors in the third frame. Concordia effectively neutralized DWU despite it possessing the reigning GPAC Setter of the Year and an all-conference outside in Evy Knoblock. She mustered seven kills on 35 swings.
Offensively, setters Myla Emery (21 assists) and Ella Brueggemann (16 assists) made use of the Bulldogs’ array of attacking options. Fa’ali’i led all players with 11 kills on 30 swings. Five of her teammates also posted at least five kills: Hedke (nine), Starkey (seven), Samantha Kimbell (six), Baker (five) and Paulsen (five). Ella Brueggemann added two aces (and nine digs) and Fa’ali’i paced the back row with 16 digs.
Concordia really hit its stride in the second set while tying together all facets of the game. It owned additional statistical advantages in kills, 43-30, digs, 62-50, and aces, 4-0. The visitors hit .224 for the match.
Said Boldt, “They both (Hedke and Starkey) had really good games. I thought Bella maybe wasn't hitting the best after the first set, but we went to her right away in the second set, and she did really well today. We just found ways to get the ball to them in transition. I thought getting the ball to them really opened up stuff for everybody else. But our middles were great today.”
The series win streak versus DWU moved to nine. The Bulldogs also picked up their third win this season over an NAIA top 25 opponent. Boldt has led the program to a 6-0 start in conference play for the second year in a row and for the third time in four years.
The Bulldogs will be back inside Friedrich Arena for a pair of weekend (Oct. 2-3) matchups with the league’s Sioux City inhabitants. Concordia will host Briar Cliff (10-7, 1-5 GPAC) at 7:30 p.m. CT on Friday before welcoming No. 14 Morningside (16-3, 5-1 GPAC) to Seward for a 3 p.m. clash on Saturday.