Head Coach: Ben Boldt (58-25, 4th year)
2020 Record: 18-5 overall; 12-3 GPAC (3rd); advanced to national quarterfinals.
Key Returners: S Tara Callahan; RS Arleigh Costello; MB Gabi Nordaker; OH Camryn Opfer; OH Kalee Wiltfong.
Key Losses: DS Marissa Hoerman; DS Erin Johnson; DS Tristin Mason; OH Kara Stark.
2020 NAIA All-America: Tara Callahan (Honorable Mention).
2020 GPAC All-Conference: Tara Callahan (First Team); Camryn Opfer (Second Team); Gabi Nordaker (Second Team); Arleigh Costello (Honorable Mention); Marissa Hoerman (Honorable Mention).
Outlook
It may feel like the most recent Concordia Volleyball season just ended, because it did. The ascending Bulldogs played meaningful matches into late April as part of an out-of-the-ordinary 2020-21 season. The campaign concluded in the NAIA national quarterfinals and with a final NAIA ranking of No. 8. The lofty poll position represented the highest ranking in program history – until this preseason (currently ranked seventh). Now heading into year four leading the program, Head Coach Ben Boldt presides over an outfit that has garnered lofty expectations on the inside and outside of the locker room.
The dynamics of COVID-19 altered the landscape back in the spring, a time when Concordia would normally be focused on individual skill development. The breaking up of the status quo impacted each of the teams that made deep runs in the postseason. Now is the time to lay the groundwork for another potential extended stay in Sioux City.
Says Boldt, “For us, it’s about leaving your fear behind you. Our players know this, but ‘Show Yourself’ is from a song in the movie ‘Frozen 2.’ The character Elsa has dealt with a lot of fear in her past but is someone who has a lot of power inside of her. She gets to this moment where she’s going to show who she is. I really felt like our team did a great job embracing that (in the spring). We’re talking a whole lot about being fearless in the big moments this year. That’s the message that we’re giving to our team.”
The motto of “Show Yourself” spills into this preseason for a Bulldog squad returning plenty of firepower from last season’s group that went 18-5 overall and placed third in the GPAC. Four of the five 2020 All-GPAC honorees return to the 2021 roster: Tara Callahan (first team), Gabi Nordaker (second team), Camryn Opfer (second team) and Arleigh Costello (honorable mention). Callahan will be taking advantage of an opportunity to play a fifth season of college volleyball.
Now a graduate student and a native of Brady, Neb., Callahan has been an instrumental figure in the program’s rise. She experienced the 9-19 campaign of 2017 and the steady climb up the ladder that has occurred since then. At setter, Callahan has earned back-to-back honorable mention All-America awards and is one of those performers that has no fear in big moments.
“Tara’s thought process through the whole thing has been, ‘I’m not done playing,’” Boldt said. “When the ruling first came out that you were able to use your ‘COVID year’ for the next year, we presented that to our players and allowed them to think through it how it fits into their life, and it fit for Tara. That was something that really worked out for her career path. The thing that stood out when she said she wanted to do this is, ‘I’m not done playing. If I can play, I want to play.’ Obviously she’s been a cornerstone of what we’ve been here for a long time. She’s looking to set an example for the next group coming up.”
The trick for Boldt and the coaching staff is to figure out the right mix to deploy. A transfer from Midland, Bree Burtwistle could factor into the equation as a second setter, which would allow for some creativity in how Callahan’s talents are put to use. Of course it would be wise to set the ball to Opfer, who is a do-it-all player who rarely comes off the court. The Seward High School product sizzled during the spring portion of last season and was named to the NAIA National Championship All-Tournament Team. Opfer smashed 238 kills for the season and was one of five Bulldogs with 162 or more kills. The others were Kara Stark (229), Nordaker (218), Kalee Wiltfong (175) and Costello (162).
Naturally, there’s a belief that this can be another special year – emphasis on belief. Says Costello, “A lot of hard work and just belief in ourselves (is what elevated the program). We always knew it was possible, but we also never expected it. I think we’ve always been humble and put our heads down and went to work, and the results came from that. And the mental side we’ve really worked on this last year with Doc (Larry) Widman. We’ve worked on the mental side to get connected, push ourselves and play for each other.”
There always seems to be at least one big impact newcomer, like last season when Nordaker burst onto the scene early on and won an NAIA National Player of the Week award. Nordaker is a candidate to have a big-time second year. Among her shining moments last season, Nordaker slammed 25 kills and had five blocks in the national tournament win over Lindsey Wilson (Ky.).
Boldt has said there is “open competition” at every spot. That seems especially true in the back row, which will move on without four-year libero Marissa Hoerman, who was about as good as any defensive specialist in the GPAC. How the Bulldogs retool in that area could have a lot to say with how far this upcoming journey goes. Not to worry too much, Opfer is also a key contributor in this department.
Healthy competition for time on the court is a good thing. As alluded to, Boldt will have plenty of options on the attack. Said Boldt, “I think they’re going to continue to grow and continue to get pushed from players who weren’t here last year. We’re making the best evaluations that we can. We’re placing some focus on out-of-system attacking. Philosophically we’re talking about how often we’re in-system as a team when it’s a perfect pass – or out-of-system when it’s not a perfect pass. When we get in that position in a match, we can be fearless and be the woman in the big moment. They’re coming along and taking good swings. We’re taking it one day at a time.”
It’s an approach that has served Concordia well. Speaking of serving, that facet of the game, along with passing, are stressed repeatedly by the Boldts. Ben and Angie have a lot of confidence in this group to do those things well. That confidence is communicated with the players.
Says Costello, “They’ve had the must unwavering confidence in me as I’ve grown through the program. I came in not knowing how to do a lot of things, and they’ve been steady in the way they have given me feedback and shifted my mindset to understand it’s not about me. The things that are happening are a process. Doing the reps in practice and transferring those to a game is awesome. We know we’re doing something that is working towards something greater.”
Over the past few years, so many new boxes have been checked off for a program that is still relatively new to this whole status as a top 10 team in the nation. The competition within the GPAC will be fierce as usual, but the challenge of contending for a GPAC title will always be a significant motivator.
“As soon as we got here as a coaching staff, we set a goal to win the conference,” Boldt said. “I took that from our time at Nebraska. That was probably a bigger goal than the national championship because it’s a longer, drawn-out process of the effort it takes and the standards it takes to win a conference championship. In this conference, it’s going to take the best out of you in order to compete for it. We’re not going to live and die on whether we win a conference championship, but we do want to have that level of effort every day and hold ourselves to that standard. When you do that, you prepare yourself for a national championship. That’s a driver behind what we do every day. GPAC championship level effort – that’s what we talk about quite a bit.”
First serve of the 2021 season is slated for 7:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday, Aug. 25 when Mount Marty will visit Friedrich Arena.