SIOUX CITY, Iowa – There were no real secrets between the fourth-ranked Concordia University Volleyball team and GPAC rival Hastings as they met on the national stage on Wednesday (Nov. 30) afternoon. The Broncos threatened to force a fifth set before the Bulldogs rattled off five of the final six points in the fourth. Concordia won the NAIA National Championship Pool Play clash, 25-19, 23-25, 25-13, 25-21, inside the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa.
Head Coach Ben Boldt has brought an experienced battle-tested group to the national tournament final site. The victory on Wednesday marked the program’s 10th all-time at the national tournament and moved the 2022 team to 25-5 overall.
“I thought Hastings played really well,” Boldt said. “The other two times we played them, we jumped on them early and they made some errors. They did a really good job adjusting. The challenge the very first match of the tournament is always – how are we going to play when the lights come on? It’s good to get in there and have the feel of the tournament. I think we got better as the match went on.”
A strong showing of supporting family members were on hand, but the Bulldogs had to pull energy from within themselves in the middle of a weekday. Gabi Nordaker and company met the challenge. A year after a 13-block performance versus No. 2 Viterbo (Wis.) at the national tournament, Nordaker posted 16 kills and four blocks versus Hastings. She hit .441 from the middle, a fruitful spot for Concordia. Fifth-year senior Morgan Nibbe put away point Nos. 24 and 25 of the fourth set with kills as a compliment to Nordaker.
The attack for the Bulldogs operated near its peak in the third set when they hit .457 with 17 kills to just one error. Hastings (20-14) absorbed that blow and made it a fight in the fourth set. It was 20-20 after a Concordia service error. A combined block by Nibbe and Bree Burtwistle followed and the Bulldogs were on their way. They were able to overcome 15 kills apiece from Broncos Peyton Roper and Marlee Taylor.
“We were having a tough time getting touches on their outsides,” Boldt said. “We couldn’t quite set up our block in the right spot. They were making really good shots. It was a game of trying to figure out where they were going to hit. Down the stretch in those games that we won, we made plays. We made things happen, especially at the net with our block. If you’re going to win games, you have to make plays.”
A two-time NAIA National Championship All-Tournament selection, Camryn Opfer is used to making those big plays. She powered down 13 kills and added 24 digs, two blocks and an ace in the win over Hastings. Besides Nordaker and Opfer, three other Bulldogs notched at least nine kills: Carly Rodaway (11), Ashley Keck (nine) and Nibbe (nine). Burtwistle racked up 58 assists, 11 digs and two aces. In the back row, Rebecca Gebhardt (27 digs) and Lexie Kreizel (14 digs) played instrumental roles. Kreizel dropped in four aces.
The aim for Concordia is to advance beyond pool play for a fourth straight year. Said Nordaker, “Having such an experienced team, we were able to come in here and we knew the set up. We knew how to have that communication in the big moments. We know it’s a big stage and we know how to perform here.”
Hastings escaped the opening round with a five-set win over Texas Wesleyan University. The Broncos won the NAIA national title as recently as 2016. They were outhit by the Bulldogs, .241 to .214. Concordia owned a wide advantage in aces, 10-1, and slim ones in kills, 61-60, and blocks, 7-5, while both teams had exactly 102 digs.
The Bulldogs will return to Court 2 at the Tyson Events Center on Friday for a matchup with No. 13 Park University (Mo.) (27-5). First serve is set for 1 p.m. CT. Concordia and Park have not met since the 2008 season when the Bulldogs came away with a victory in five sets. The Pirates will take on Hastings on Thursday before going head-to-head with Concordia.