SEWARD, Neb. – This is what you play for. Two road matches of significance in terms of both driving distance and GPAC standings await the sixth-ranked Concordia University Volleyball team. The Bulldogs are preparing to take on No. 2 Jamestown on Friday night before meeting No. 15 Dakota Wesleyan on Saturday afternoon. Halfway through the GPAC regular season schedule, Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad sports an overall record of 16-1 (7-1 GPAC). Concordia resides in a tie for second place in the league while currently looking up at the Jimmies (6-0).
This Week
Friday, Oct. 7 at No. 2 Jamestown (18-1, 6-0 GPAC), 7:30 p.m.
--Live Webcast/Stats | Location: Newman Arena (Jamestown, N.D.)
Saturday, Oct. 8 at No. 15 Dakota Wesleyan (13-4, 5-3 GPAC), 3 p.m.
--Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Fosness Arena (Mitchell, S.D.)
By the numbers
· It’s spooky season and this Bulldog attack is Freddy Krueger-like terrifying. Thanks to last week’s hot hitting, Concordia has moved to No. 1 in the NAIA in hitting percentage at a clip of .296. Only one other team is even close – Marian University (.283). The rest of the top five includes Missouri Baptist University (.251), Midway College (.249) and Kansas Wesleyan University (.249). Each of the Bulldogs’ most prominent attackers are hitting at least .245: Gabi Nordaker (.403), Kalee Wiltfong (.378), Carly Rodaway (.267), Ashley Keck (.249) and Camryn Opfer (.245). Nordaker ranks No. 2 nationally in terms of individual hitting percentage.
· The loss at Midland on Sept. 7 seemed to inspire Concordia to reach a higher level. Since that defeat in five sets, the Bulldogs have won six matches in a row (without dropping a set) and have hit .366 during that stretch. The middles have been particularly effective over the win streak as Nordaker has hit .523 with 63 kills and Wiltfong has hit .487 with 43 kills. Named NAIA National Setter of the Week on Sept. 20, Bree Burtwistle has averaged 12.78 assists per set during the win streak, which has included triumphs over two ranked foes in then No. 13 College of Saint Mary and No. 14 Dordt.
· Nordaker is enjoying a monster season that should put her in serious consideration for All-America honors (along with at least a couple of her teammates). The Millard West High School alum has been on a tear. Her respective hitting percentages over the last seven matches are .382, .556, .545, .632, .647, .412 and .313. Impressively, Nordaker leads the team in kills from her spot in the middle at 189 for the season. She’s pushed her career totals to 754 kills and 280 blocks in 71 matches. Nordaker garnered second team all-conference honors in 2020 before moving up to the first team in 2021.
· The 7-1 GPAC record equals the conference mark the 2020 Bulldogs had after eight conference matches in the unique COVID-19 affected season. The 2015 and 2020 Concordia squads share the school record for most conference wins in a season with 12. The program is aiming to win the conference regular season championship for the first time since the first year of the GPAC, 2000. Under the direction of Ben and Angie Boldt, the 2019 and 2020 squads both placed third in the regular season while the 2021 team was the conference tournament runner up.
· Members of the team will tell you that the gaudy hitting percentages are about more than just the hitters that finish off the point. Concordia’s back row has taken a large step forward from a year ago as the likes of Rebecca Gebhardt and Lexie Kreizel have gotten more comfortable. Gebhardt immediately jumped into the libero role last season as a freshman. The Norfolk, Neb., native is the team leader with 264 digs (4.55 per set) on the year. Consistency on the first touch has helped Burtwistle dial up the correct teammate on the attack. Of course, Opfer is also heavily involved from a defensive perspective.
The opponents
Jamestown is a powerhouse program both within the GPAC and nationally. Since joining the GPAC beginning with the 2018 season, the Jimmies have recorded respective conference regular season place finishes of fifth, second, first and first. Head Coach Jon Hegerle led the ’21 team to an impressive 16-0 GPAC league mark. The 2021 Jamestown team went undefeated (35-0) all the way up until its national semifinal loss to Park University (Mo.). The current Jimmie team has two returning First Team All-GPAC players in right side Kalli Hegerle and outside hitter Anna Holen. Hegerle paces the team with 185 kills and is hitting .298. As a team, Jamestown is outhitting its opponents, .245 to .095, for the season. That hitting percentage ranks No. 9 nationally.
Dakota Wesleyan has made a massive leap forward in recent years as Head Coach Lindsay Wilber has taken the program to new heights. The 2021 Tiger team reached the national tournament, marking the program’s first appearance at nationals since 1990. The biggest star for DWU is junior middle blocker Ady Dwight, who has accumulated 305 kills (4.62 per set) while hitting .368 this season. She’s also totaled 69 blocks. The season profile for the Tigers includes two nonconference wins over top 25 foes, then No. 20 Columbia College (Mo.) and then No. 13 Montana Tech. DWU has also beaten then No. 8 Northwestern and then No. 13 College of Saint Mary within GPAC play.
Next week
The Bulldogs will play just one match next week – Saturday, Oct. 15 versus No. 7 Northwestern. Concordia is 6-0 at home this season.