Coach Ben Boldt insists that the team’s national ranking has never come up in conversation in practice or official team meetings. It will be harder to avoid even casual mention in light of the announcement made on Wednesday (Sept. 27) by the NAIA. The Concordia University Volleyball team claimed the NAIA’s No. 1 national ranking in marking another first in the program’s history. The Bulldogs collected 20 of 21 first-place votes in climbing up a spot from their previous position at No. 2.
Inside the Concordia locker room, nothing changes no matter what national ranking is attached to the team’s name. The focus on mentality over outside noise helps explain the year-over-year excellence achieved by the Bulldogs under the direction of Ben and Angie Boldt.
Said Ben Boldt earlier this month, “I get the sense that this team is a focused team. I get the sense that they’re never satisfied. They want some more. It’s a long season, but each one of those steps is another place to build as we climb up the mountain.”
In many ways, the team’s record of 13-0 (6-0 GPAC) is no surprise to anyone who has followed the program closely. Concordia has reached the final site of the national tournament in four straight seasons and returned each of its six All-GPAC honorees from 2022. That group includes All-Americans Bree Burtwistle and Camryn Opfer, two stars who opted in on fifth seasons of collegiate volleyball. In other words, expectations soared through the roof heading into the fall of 2023.
So far, the expectations have been met. The Bulldogs have not yet had to go to a fifth set and have beaten five teams with national rankings at the time matches were contested: No. 6 Park University (Mo.), No. 9 College of Saint Mary, No. 9 Midland, No. 11 MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.) and No. 24 Hastings. Not only is Concordia one of only three unbeaten teams remaining in NAIA volleyball, it stands out as one of the nation's most exciting teams to watch, as evidenced by its NAIA rankings of first in kills per set (14.61) and second in hitting percentage (.300).
The Bulldogs believe they have the right combination of togetherness, talent and teamwork to make this season something uniquely special. They’ve called this their ‘Jordan Year’ (with the year 2023 aligning with Michael Jordan’s No. 23) and have aspired to level up while staying true to who they are and what they value: love, trust, hard work and sacrifice. This is going to sound a tad bit cheesy, but the players truly feel it.
Said All-American middle blocker Gabi Nordaker after a recent win, “We’re just really connected. We are together like 24/7. The love is there.” Added sophomore outside hitter Ashley Keck, “We’re really good at locking into the game and being with each other. We pick each other up for sure. Someone might struggle, but we help one another. We’re a family. That’s what families do. We love each other.”
Just prior to the start of the season, Burtwistle remarked, “This team is something special. It’s something I’ve never been part of. We’re just so connected and our chemistry’s there. I think that helps with so many people coming back. It’s so special. I don’t know how else to explain it.”
To be sure, the job is not finished, not by a long shot. No matter the opponent, no matter the circumstances, the program has had a way about it of not getting ahead of itself. Ten matches remain on the GPAC regular season grind, meaning no time to celebrate. The ultimate goals remain achievements yet to be unlocked.
“We’re confident out there,” Boldt said. “We’re trying not to be overconfident. When we come into every day, we have a mentality that this is what we need to do. That’s been good. We need to continue to do that. It’s been a standing goal for us to win a GPAC championship. Whether we win or lose it, we’re not going to live and die based on that. We want to make sure we have that GPAC championship mentality every single day. We’ve been saying that ever since Angie and I got here. It’s how we’ve approached every day.”
Every student-athlete who’s played a role in the program’s rise has her own unique story. Opfer initially committed to NCAA Division II Washburn University before reconsidering and becoming a five-year mainstay and one of the program’s all-time greats. Nordaker had hopes of going NCAA D-I before realizing she could play big-time volleyball in the NAIA. Burtwistle spent a year at Midland before transferring and becoming one of the NAIA’s best setters. The 2022 GPAC Freshman of the Year, Keck has ‘leveled up’ in her own right in becoming a star (and “dynamic attacker” as Boldt put it) in 2023. Dependable right side Carly Rodaway transferred in after one year at Fort Hays State while libero Becca Gebhardt was thrown into the fire as a freshman and has grown tremendously over time. The list goes on.
This team certainly isn’t about one or two players. The resulting box scores from the majority of Concordia matches showcase Concordia’s impressive balance. There are five main attackers who each have at least 86 kills this season: Keck (145), Nordaker (119), Opfer (113), Rodaway (88) and Maddie Paulsen (86). The freshman Paulsen has stepped nicely into the playing time void left by the departures of Morgan Nibbe and Kalee Wiltfong from last season’s team. On a team loaded with experience, Paulsen is one of the few underclassmen making a big impact.
When this team is playing at or near its top level, it will be incredibly difficult to beat. These Bulldogs are well-rounded, balanced, powerful, close-knit and smart. Says Boldt, “I think our decision making is really good. We haven’t made a whole lot of errors, like unforced errors. I don’t think there have been errors where there’s been a lack of focus. I’ve been really proud of our mental game. We have to continue that and continue to get better at that. We’re going to put them in challenging situations and see how they respond. Mentally, we’ve been pretty strong this year.”
Boldt mentioned on a recent Bulldog Coaches Show that he believes his team can always get better at blocking and says his team has the potential to be more physical at the net. That might be knit picking for a squad with no real glaring weaknesses.
For now, the No. 1 ranking is nice recognition of where Concordia stands at this moment in time. The Bulldogs vow not to be fixated on any rankings. They mean very little once the ball is served on game days. As Boldt says, “We’re going to get everybody’s best shot. Great teams are able to focus and refocus.”