SEWARD, Neb. – Whether contributing significantly on the court, or setting an example off it, the Concordia University, Nebraska Volleyball senior class has played a major role in maintaining the program’s elite status. On senior day Saturday (Oct. 3), the second-ranked Bulldogs celebrated by turning away 14th-ranked Morningside, 25-22, 25-19, 20-25, 25-18, inside Friedrich Arena. The result kept Concordia unbeaten in league play at the halfway marker of the conference season.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad succeeded with its typical balance while moving to 17-2 overall. The Bulldogs’ 11th straight victory also pushed Boldt to 199 wins during his Concordia tenure.
“Obviously, in sets three and four, we had to continue to be a gritty team,” Boldt said. “We called a timeout there when we were down 14-10 (in the fourth set), and out of that, we stayed together. We kind of flipped our mentality. We're very joyful at times, but then we get back locked in on competing. That's where we got, and I think as the course of the match went on, that's where we got better. We got locked back in with each other, together, and we got back on the same page.”
These Bulldogs have shown they won’t flinch in the midst of turbulence. Concordia found itself in a 6-1 hole in the opening set before turning the tables and seizing a 12-8 lead. Offensively, the Bulldogs clicked in the first two frames, hitting .321 and .250, respectively, in taking the 2-0 advantage. On the road, Morningside showed its own mettle by bouncing back to win the third set before mounting a 14-10 lead in the fourth.
That’s when Concordia buckled down. The loudest crowd pop came on the Bulldogs’ 18th point of the fourth set when senior Lanie Brott sprung above the net to deny Miyah Whitehead. The momentum-building play was part of an 8-0 Concordia run that featured Shandy Fa’ali’i at the service line. Brott also emerged with a kill for the 19th point of the set. Moments later, the Bulldog bench emptied onto the court when Layne Baker’s attack landed for match point.
Brott (Lincoln Pius X alum) is a senior who has seen her role increase in 2026. Said Brott, “We're really just thankful, all four of us seniors, for this opportunity. It's obviously our last season, so it's now or never. We played with a lot of emotion tonight. No matter what the score was, so I was proud of us.”
The seniors honored prior to first serve were Lanie Brott, Ava Greene, Bella Hedke and Maddie Paulsen. Each of them will have unique stories to tell when they graduate and move on from Concordia. The senior class has been instrumental in crafting a unique culture within the 2026 team.
Said Boldt, “Starting in the spring, they've been a team that wants to be together with everyone. That's kind of a team motto that they've adopted for this year. ‘We go together’ is a motto of ours. No one person is above the team, and I think they've really evolved through their years to really understand that the program is above everybody. That's what they want everybody to understand. I think they have turned into amazing Bulldogs.”
In service, Clara Evert’s sinking missiles were too hot for Morningside to handle. Evert peppered the floorboards with six of Concordia’s 10 aces. Other statistical leaders included Fa’ali’i and Makenna Starkey in kills (13), Fa’ali’i and Brott in digs (12), Ella Brueggemann in assists (24) and Starkey in blocks (four). The Bulldogs owned team advantages over the Mustangs (17-4, 6-2 GPAC) in hitting percentage, .186 to 101, kills, 50-46, aces, 10-2, and blocks, 14-4.
Morningside was coming off a five-set win at No. 15 Midland on Friday night. The Mustangs got a match-high 17 kills from star Sidda Hagedorn on Saturday.
The Bulldogs will play Friday-Saturday again next week (Oct. 9-10) while hitting the road for a pair of conference matches. Concordia is slated to take on Waldorf (11-6, 3-5 GPAC) in Forest City, Iowa, at 7:30 p.m. CT on Friday before heading to Orange City, Iowa, for a showdown with No. 3 Northwestern (18-1, 8-0 GPAC) at 3 p.m. on Saturday. The Bulldogs and Red Raiders have met in each of the past three GPAC Championship Matches.