Opening Round Game Program (PDF)
SEWARD, Neb. – The Concordia University Volleyball program is preparing to host one of 24 matches that make up the 2021 NAIA Volleyball National Championship Opening Round. Ranked 19th in the most recent NAIA coaches’ poll, the Bulldogs will welcome Ave Maria University (Fla.) to Friedrich Arena for a 1 p.m. CT first serve on Saturday. Both teams earned automatic bids to the national tournament thanks to their conference tournament runs. This will mark the fourth all-time national tournament appearance (third in a row) for Concordia and the first-ever for Ave Maria.
Game Info – NAIA National Championship Opening Round
(19) Concordia (16-11) vs. Ave Maria (22-7)
Saturday, Nov. 20 | 1 p.m. CT
Friedrich Arena | Seward, Neb.
Live Webcast/Stats | 104.9 Max Country
--Admission: $8 for adults/senior citizens, $5 for college/high school students and youth; only those with NAIA passes are admitted free of charge.
--Buy advance tickets via https://www.cune.edu/athletics/tickets.
Fan protocols: Based on NAIA regulations for indoor national championship events, all fans in attendance are required to wear face coverings. Spectators should self-screen prior to attending the event. Those experiencing symptoms associated with COVID-19 should refrain from attending the match.
By the numbers
· Through 27 matches this season, the Bulldogs are averaging 13.56 kills, 15.88 digs, 2.02 blocks and 1.44 service aces per set while hitting .241. Their opponents are hitting .186. Nationally, Concordia ranks 15th in kills per set, 17th in hitting percentage and 38th in blocks per set. In addition, the résumé for the Bulldogs includes wins over six teams that have qualified for the national tournament: College of Saint Mary, Dakota Wesleyan, Midland, Montana Tech, Northwestern and Ottawa University (Kan.). In total, 16 of the team’s 27 matches this season were played against teams that qualified for the national tournament. According to Massey Ratings, the Bulldogs have gone up against the most challenging schedule in the entire NAIA.
· Concordia will enter the 2021 event with an all-time record of 5-4 at the national tournament. That mark covers previous national appearances in 2015, 2019 and 2020. The ’15 squad fell at home in the opening round while both the ’19 and ’20 teams advanced to play at the national championship final site. The 2019 season concluded in the national round of 16 while the 2020 team extended the season into the quarterfinals, a first in program history. Below are the results of each of the nine national tournament matches the Bulldogs have played in.
o 11/21/15 – vs. Olivet Nazarene | L, 0-3 (Opening Round)
o 12/3/19 vs. (19) Montana Tech | W, 3-1 (Pool Play)
o 12/4/19 vs. Saint Mary (Kan.) | W, 3-0 (Pool Play)
o 12/5/19 vs. (3) Indiana Wesleyan | L, 2-3 (Pool Play)
o 12/6/19 vs. (4) Missouri Baptist | L, 0-3 (Round of 16)
o 4/17/21 at Xavier (La.) | W, 3-1 (Opening Round)
o 4/27/21 vs. Lindsey Wilson | W, 3-2 (Pool Play)
o 4/28/21 vs. (7) Marian | W, 3-1 (Pool Play)
o 4/29/21 vs. (16) Dordt | L, 0-3 (Quarterfinals)
· All-conference awards were announced by the GPAC on Tuesday. The following Bulldogs were honored: Gabi Nordaker (first team), Camryn Opfer (first team), Tara Callahan (second team), Erica Heinzerling (honorable mention) and Carly Rodaway (honorable mention). Callahan has now earned five career All-GPAC awards having been recognized as a first team selection in 2019 and 2020 and an honorable mention choice in 2017 and 2018. Meanwhile, Opfer is a three-time All-GPAC award winner and Nordaker garnered all-conference mention for the second year in a row.
· Concordia’s statistical leaders this season are Camryn Opfer in kills (335) and digs (321), Tara Callahan in assists (1,016), Gabi Nordaker in hitting percentage (.361) and blocks (99) and Kennedy VanScoy in aces (28). Callahan has pushed her career assist total to 4,675. Meanwhile, Opfer’s 889 career kills rank as the most among active Bulldogs (and are the 13th most in school history). Four other Concordia hitters have at least 125 kills in 2021: Nordaker (304), Erica Heinzerling (236), Carly Rodaway (149) and Kalee Wiltfong (126). Arleigh Costello is nearing 100 kills with 91.
· Heading into the national tournament, Ben Boldt owns a record of 74-36 overall in four seasons as head coach of the Bulldogs. His respective year-by-year records have been 15-12, 25-8, 18-5 and 16-11. Concordia is hoping to finish a season nationally ranked for the third year in a row. Under Boldt, the Bulldogs turned in final national rankings of 14th in 2019 and eighth in 2020. Earlier this season, Concordia appeared at No. 6 in the NAIA national poll, marking the highest ranking in program history.
The opponent
Ave Maria University is making the journey to Seward, all the way from Ave Maria, Fla., a trip covering roughly 1,700 miles. The Gyrenes will appear at the national tournament for the first time in program history. Nationally, Ave Maria ranks 16th in hitting percentage (.241) and 19th in kills per set (13.35). The balanced attack for Head Coach Sonya Leszcyzynski features four hitters with at least 220 kills this season: Madelyn Haut (288), Rita Campos (287), Cabriella Bouterse (230) and Abigail Costlow (220). The Gyrenes use one setter in Lily Witkoski, who averages 9.98 assists per set. Defensively, Ave Maria has limited its opponents to a .160 hitting percentage. Haut has notched 92 blocks (0.96/set) in the middle while Victoria Schein paces the team with an average of 4.67 digs per set. The Gyrenes will enter the national tournament having won 11-straight matches.
NAIA Volleyball National Championship Opening Round
All opening round matches are being contested at campus sites on Saturday. The winners of the 24 opening round matches will advance to the national championship final site, the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa. Action at the final site will run from Nov. 30 – Dec. 4. For further details, check out the homepage for NAIA volleyball HERE.
2021 NAIA Opening Round matches – Nov. 20
McPherson (Kan.) at Jamestown (N.D.)
IU South Bend (Ind.) at Viterbo (Wis.)
Blue Mountain (Miss.) at Missouri Baptist
Midway (Ky.) at Park (Mo.)
Florida College at Providence (Mont.)
Florida National at College of St. Mary (Neb.)
Bryan (Tenn.) at Marian (Ind.)
Park Gilbert (Ariz.) at Corban (Ore.)
Edward Waters (Fla.) at Bellevue (Neb.)
Cornerstone (Mich.) at Midland (Neb.)
Columbia International (S.C.) at Eastern Oregon
Life (Ga.) at Xavier (La.)
Saint Xavier (Ill.) at Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.)
SAGU (Texas) at Central Methodist (Mo.)
Texas Wesleyan at Columbia (Mo.)
Ave Maria (Fla.) at Concordia (Neb.)
Madonna (Mich.) at Indiana Wesleyan
Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) at Ottawa (Ariz.)
Bushnell (Ore.) at Montana Tech
IU Kokomo (Ind.) at Northwestern (Iowa)
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) at Ottawa (Kan.)
Dakota State (S.D.) at Grand View (Iowa)
Bethel (Ind.) at Dordt (Iowa)
Westmont (Calif.) at Oregon Tech