SEWARD, Neb. – After two road outings last week, the sixth-ranked Concordia University Volleyball team is looking forward to a pair of weekend home matches. The red-hot Bulldogs will welcome Briar Cliff (Friday) and Morningside (Saturday) to Friedrich Arena. Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad is 4-0 at home this season and carries an overall mark of 14-1 (5-1 GPAC). As a highlight of the weekend, Concordia will celebrate six seniors prior to Saturday’s match.
This Week
Friday, Sept. 30 vs. Briar Cliff (5-10, 0-4 GPAC), 7:30 p.m.
--Live Webcast/Stats
Saturday, Oct. 1 vs. Morningside (6-13, 2-4 GPAC), 3 p.m.
--Live Webcast/Stats
By the numbers
· The Bulldogs are on the rise in the national rankings. At No. 6 in the poll released on Wednesday, Concordia has equaled the program’s highest ever national ranking. In the national polls this season, the Bulldogs have gone from No. 11 in the preseason to No. 10 on Aug. 31 to No. 8 on Sept. 14 to a current position of sixth. Boldt’s program has appeared inside the NAIA top 25 in 21 of the past 23 polls. Concordia is aiming to finish a season ranked in the top 15 for the fourth year row. The Bulldogs garnered final postseason national rankings of 14th in 2019, eighth in 2020 and sixth in 2021. Other GPAC teams ranked in this week’s NAIA top 25 are No. 2 Jamestown, No. 3 Midland, No. 7 Northwestern, No. 12 Dordt, No. 15 Dakota Wesleyan and No. 18 College of Saint Mary.
· The ratings jump comes on the heels of a smoldering stretch of play by the Bulldogs. Since the season’s lone loss (a five-setter at Midland in which Concordia led 12-9 in the fifth), Boldt’s bunch has won 12 straight sets with its opponents reaching the 20s in only four of those sets. Over the past four matches, the Bulldogs have turned in respective hitting percentages of .314, .380, .314 and .345. That stretch has included wins over Doane, then No. 13 College of Saint Mary, Mount Marty and then No. 14 Dordt.
· It’s become a real chore for opponents trying to match Concordia’s firepower. On the NAIA national leaderboards, the Bulldogs rank second in hitting percentage (.282) and third in kills per set (14.19). Concordia also now boasts five hitters with at least 100 kills this season: Gabi Nordaker (174), Camryn Opfer (150), Carly Rodaway (134), Ashley Keck (133) and Kalee Wiltfong (102). All five of those players average at least 2.0 kills per set. While feeding the attack, Burtwistle is averaging 11.37 assists per set, third most in the nation. On Sept. 20, Burtwistle was recognized as the GPAC and NAIA National Setter of the Week.
· Nordaker has established herself as one of the best middles in all of the NAIA. A rare feat for her position, the Millard West High School product leads the team in kills and is hitting an eye-popping .407. That figure ranks her at No. 2 in the nation behind only Ryan Czerniak (.430) of Taylor University (Ind.). A 2021 First Team All-GPAC honoree, Nordaker appears primed to earn All-America honors this season. In her collegiate career, Nordaker has tallied 739 kills and 275 blocks in 69 matches.
· The senior class (in terms of academics) includes Bree Burtwistle, Bree Green, Mary Nibbe, Camryn Opfer, Kennedy VanScoy and Kalee Wiltfong. The seniors who got here in 2019 have helped the program to a four-year record of 76-26 with three national tournament appearances, including two that have resulted in advancements to the NAIA quarterfinals. Prior to their arrival, the program had made only one all-time national tournament appearance. Most prominent among the seniors statistically, Opfer has pushed her career totals to 1,098 kills, 1,116 digs, 147 blocks and 54 aces in 102 matches. Another major four-year contributor, Wiltfong has tallied 703 kills and 246 blocks in 97 career matches.
The opponents
Briar Cliff has dropped seven of its last eight matches, including Monday’s straight sets defeat at Dakota State University. The Chargers’ run through GPAC play has included losses to Morningside, then No. 16 Dakota Wesleyan, No. 7 Northwestern and Hastings. Head Coach Lindsey Weatherford’s squad returns two Honorable Mention All-GPAC performers in middle blocker Toria Andre and libero Tannah Heath. Outside hitter Chloe Johnson leads the team with 144 kills. Briar Cliff has been outhit by its opponents, .201 to .144.
Morningside has a challenging Nebraska road swing this weekend as it will first play No. 3 Midland on Friday night. The Mustangs enter this week with two GPAC wins to their credit – Briar Cliff (three sets) and Doane (four sets). They also earned a win over Avila University (Mo.) this past weekend. Returning Honorable Mention All-GPAC outside hitter Sydney Marlow paces the team with an average of 4.1 kills per set. As a team, Morningside is hitting .172 while its opponents are hitting .189.
Next week
It will be another Friday-Saturday configuration as the Bulldogs will be headed north to play No. 4 Jamestown on Oct. 7 and No. 18 Dakota Wesleyan on Oct. 8.