SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Concordia University Volleyball is NAIA National Quarterfinal bound for the first time in program history. The Bulldogs played a cleaner match on Wednesday (April 28) as opposed to Tuesday and have emerged as the champions of Pool G at the national tournament. A day after narrowly getting past Lindsey Wilson College (Ky.) in five sets, Concordia toppled seventh-ranked Marian University (Ind.), 25-19, 22-25, 25-19, 25-22, inside the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa.
The defending national champion Knights entered the day leading the nation in kills per set, but Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad was up to the task at the net. The Bulldogs (18-4) have again reached new heights after having advanced to the national round of 16 a season ago.
“We played better than we did yesterday,” Boldt said. “I really liked our focus in warmups. We missed our first two serves – which is a sign that you’re not very focused – but I don’t think that phased us at all. We kept it one point at a time and here’s where we ended up. That’s about how it happened for me.”
The attack for Concordia looked smoother on Wednesday. Camryn Opfer bombed away for 19 kills from the outside in a special national tournament performance that also included 10 digs. Not only that, Kara Stark hit .314 and produced 14 kills. Setter Tara Callahan racked up 49 assists while facilitating an offense that beat Marian at its own game.
That’s not to say this was easy. The Knights took the second set and weren’t far off from forcing a fifth. The Bulldogs were able to contain star Skyler Van Note (14 kills) to some degree, but they had few answers for Jai-Lyn Norwood in the middle. She collected 19 kills while hitting .486. Marian fell behind 18-13 in the fourth set before rallying to get within 23-22. An attack error and a kill by Gabi Nordaker put the finishing touches on the Bulldog victory.
The celebration was on for Concordia and a large contingent of fans wearing Bulldog blue. The accomplishment is still sinking in for Kara Stark. Said the native of Frisco, Texas, “That was one of my favorite moments ever. I can’t even process it right now. That was so fun. We knew we could do it and had it in us, so it wasn’t a surprise, but getting there is really cool after a hard-fought game yesterday. I just want to hug them all forever.”
The Bulldogs took the 2-1 set advantage after going off for 19 kills and a .386 hitting percentage in the third. Opfer (seven) and Kara Stark (six) combined to put away 13 kills in that set. After a monster performance on Tuesday, Nordaker added nine kills and seven blocks in the latest victory. Double digit dig totals were turned in by Marissa Hoerman (19), Callahan (16) and Opfer. In again making the most of increased playing time, Shelby Stark (younger sister of Kara) chipped in with seven kills and six blocks.
As a team, Concordia held statistical advantages in hitting percentage (.253 to .172), kills (59-56), blocks (12-7) and aces (2-1). Callahan and Erin Johnson notched an ace apiece.
Due to scheduling oddities caused by COVID-19, the Bulldogs played a rather light nonconference slate. However, it’s clear that the GPAC prepared them for success at the national tournament. Five GPAC squads have advanced to play in the national quarterfinals on Thursday.
Said Boldt, “We talk about that stuff as a staff how the GPAC prepares you for the national tournament. They expect the results once we get to the national tournament. That expectation has shown up. It’s nice to see that competition and level of volleyball. If you want to play volleyball at a high level, come to the GPAC. It’s great, competitive volleyball.”
A spot in the semifinals will be at stake when Concordia and conference foe Dordt go to battle at 5 p.m. CT on Thursday from the Tyson. The two sides met once during the regular season with the Bulldogs winning in straight sets way back on Oct. 2. The eight-team bracket can be viewed HERE.