SIOUX CITY, Iowa – While advancing to the NAIA national quarterfinals, the 2020-21 Concordia University Volleyball team broke new ground for the program. Dreams of contending for a national title ended on Thursday (April 29) evening as the 10th-ranked Bulldogs were bounced from the tournament by GPAC foe and 16th-ranked Dordt, 25-23, 25-18, 25-21. The lengthy front row of the Defenders made the difference in the clash of conference combatants.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad had advanced past national tournament pool play with wins the previous two days over Lindsey Wilson College (Ky.) and No. 7 Marian University (Ind.). Concordia finished the season at 18-5 overall and will almost certainly be ranked in the top 10 of the final coaches’ poll. This just wasn’t its night.
“They served and passed really well. It was tough to get them out of system,” Boldt said. “They were able to take advantage of their middle attack pretty often. For us that was kind of the tough spot. Their outsides took really good swings. No. 25 (Alli) Timmermans played a lot better than when we played them in the fall. She’s a different player right now. The margins are slim when it gets to this point.”
The tide turned on Thursday after the Bulldogs built a 23-18 advantage in the first set. Concordia appeared on the verge of nailing down the first set when Camryn Opfer hammered a kill for point No. 23. However, Dordt (18-6) regrouped with a stunning 7-0 flurry spurred by the likes of Timmermans and Brenna Krommendyk. At times it felt like the 6-foot-1 Krommendyk was an impenetrable force. She posted three solo blocks (five assisted blocks) and was in on eight of the team’s 11 blocks.
Both sides featured balanced attacks. The Bulldogs put away more kills (42-40), but also made more mistakes (23 attack errors and eight service errors). In her final collegiate match, Kara Stark paced Concordia with 11 kills. It was also the swan song for four-year libero Marissa Hoerman, who was again all over the place. She registered a match high 21 digs and finished with 1,437 digs for her career. Another senior in setter Tara Callahan racked up 37 assists on Thursday (3,659 for career).
Those veterans will reserve a spot in program lore as contributors to something special. Concordia proceeded to the national round of 16 in 2019 and then to the quarterfinals in an awkward two-part 2020-21 season that was constantly threatened by the COVID-19 pandemic. By all measures and circumstances, this was a unique, but rewarding journey.
“Each journey is different,” Boldt said. “I told them that the journey we went on all season is what we get to take with us moving forward. I thank our seniors that had their last go-round. They set a great example and a great foundation moving forward. For the returners, there’s no greater motivator than losing in a tight set. I think they’re going to feel that and learn from it."
In the quarterfinal defeat, five Bulldogs chipped in six or more kills: Kara Stark (11), Opfer (eight), Gabi Nordaker (seven), Kalee Wiltfong (seven) and Shelby Stark (six). The younger Stark appears to have a bright future after jumping into the lineup this week at the national tournament. Also noteworthy, Hoerman produced two aces and Callahan (13) and Tristin Mason (10) notched double figures in digs.
Concordia had won at Dordt in straight sets way back on Oct. 2. The Defenders have amped up their game at the national tournament. They outhit the Bulldogs on Thursday, .274 to .157. Concordia and Dordt were two of the five GPAC squads that reached the national quarterfinals.
Considering the momentum built up within the program, the Bulldogs aren’t going anywhere. There’s plenty of reason for optimism looking ahead to the fall. Said Boldt, “Our players work hard and they do it the right way. They don’t complain. This is one of the best teams that we’ve ever had. We throw something at them and they’re like, ‘Bring it on, Coach.’ To say where we’re at as a program, it’s a nationally relevant program. It’s a result of all the hard work that our team has put in … This is what you sign up for when you sign up for Bulldog Volleyball.”