VIDEO: Opfer's kill provides match point at CSM
OMAHA, Neb. – The national ranking in front of the opponent just doesn’t mean a thing right now to the Concordia University Volleyball team. The Bulldogs have paddled their way to the GPAC tournament final for the first time since 2015. Concordia confirmed its reservation by claiming a second NAIA fifth-ranked victim in a row. In Wednesday (Nov. 10)’s GPAC semifinal played in the cozy and steamy Lied Fitness Center, the 19th-ranked Bulldogs used a strong block and a whole lot of grit to edge No. 5 College of Saint Mary, 25-20, 22-25, 25-15, 27-29, 15-13.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s white hot squad has bounced the GPAC’s Nos. 2 and 3 seeds from the conference tournament field. Concordia (16-10) has also locked up an automatic berth to the national tournament, where it will appear for a third-straight season.
“It was a really hard-fought defensive battle for sure,” Boldt said. “You look at the hitting percentages and they’re both under .200. We blocked a great game tonight. Defensively, that was a barnburner. I was happy with our team and how we stay composed. We started the fifth set down 0-4 and we could have mailed it in. I was really happy with how they fought.”
Considering both regular season meetings with the Flames went to five sets, the close nature of Wednesday’s clash should not have come as a surprise. The difference now is that the Bulldogs are supremely confident in their ability to triumph over adversity. Concordia faced its share of it after failing to put the match away in the fourth set and then going down 4-0 in the fifth. The Bulldogs responded with an 8-1 run and eventually celebrated match point on Camryn Opfer’s 12th kill of the night.
If it wasn’t clear by before, it is now – Gabi Nordaker is a star in the middle. She had a hand in 12 of the team’s 21 blocks (compared to nine blocks for CSM) and came away with a hard-earned match high of 17 kills. This was one of those evenings where it was a chore to find the floor on the attack. Concordia wound up outhitting the Flames, .162 to .109. As evidence of how tight it was, both teams registered exactly eight kills and five errors in the fifth set.
The Bulldogs led, 13-9, in the fifth and stuck with it after CSM closed within a point (14-13). Opfer’s kill then set off another five-set celebration.
“Very high emotions,” said Nordaker of that moment. “Half of us were crying out there, but we have worked so hard. We wanted that so bad. We lost to them twice in the regular season in five sets. It was our time to win and we really wanted it … We worked hard this entire season on blocking. We were going to take away those angles and know that the defense behind me was going to pick up the balls that I couldn’t get. There’s a lot of trust.”
There were plenty of contributors to the win – 14 different Bulldogs saw action. Carly Rodaway (10 kills) joined Nordaker and Opfer in double figures in kills. Tara Callahan piled up 34 assists, 10 digs and three blocks while Bree Burtwistle chipped in 19 assists, 15 digs and three aces. In addition, Erica Heinzerling (seven blocks), Arleigh Costello and Kalee Wiltfong each posted six or more kills. In the back row, Rebecca Gebhardt put up 14 digs and Kennedy VanScoy dropped in two aces.
Seeded second in the GPAC, College of Saint Mary (25-5) has lost only once since Sept. 29. The Flames were led by the 12 kills from Rosa Reed-Bouley. No single CSM player had a hitting percentage better than .219. Standout libero Rachel Cushing was credited with a match high 25 digs.
Things have really come together for Boldt’s squad. Said the fourth-year head coach, “A lot of gritty performances there. Gabi led us in kills again. We were trying to get her the ball as much as we could. They were serving well so it was kind of tough to get it to our middles there for a little bit. Super, super gritty. We set up our defense to defend their right side and I think we did a really good job with that. I’m just happy with our execution.”
Concordia will now be tasked with trying to put the first blemish on top-ranked Jamestown’s record. The Jimmies moved to 30-0 this season after toppling No. 13 Dakota Wesleyan in straight sets on Wednesday. Jamestown won in Seward, 25-19, 25-21, 25-21, on Oct. 22. The Bulldogs have won five-consecutive matches since then. Saturday’s Concordia-Jamestown GPAC final is slated to get underway at 7 p.m. CT in North Dakota.