SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The Concordia University Volleyball team got the confidence boost it needed during an extended stay in Sioux City, Iowa. The Bulldogs ramped up their serve game on Saturday (Oct. 16) while taking care of Morningside, 25-14, 25-22, 25-19, inside the Rosen Verdoorn Sports Center. Concordia outhit the Mustangs, .256 to .076, and got a match high 13 kills from Erica Heinzerling.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad also defeated Briar Cliff in straight sets on Friday night. The Bulldogs moved to 11-9 overall (6-6 GPAC) and boosted their GPAC positioning (currently tied for fifth place).
“We had a better serving game – our mentality was better back there,” Boldt said. “We set up our defense for better touches on the ball. We played well today and that was fun to see. It’s nice to be rewarded with a first down, but really we were most focused on playing well. I thought we played better today than we did yesterday. The mentality was great, the focus was great and their competitive nature was really good today.”
Chalk up Heinzerling’s fifth match in a row with at least 13 kills. Gabi Nordaker also enjoyed a fine day while putting up 10 kills (.429 hitting percentage) and four blocks. Camryn Opfer filled the stat sheet with nine kills, 11 digs, four aces and three blocks. Setter Tara Callahan racked up 34 assists while spreading the ball around. Five Concordia players had at least five kills. In the back row, Rebecca Gebhardt chipped in with 14 digs and two aces.
In Friday’s win at Briar Cliff, the Bulldogs sizzled on the attack (.352 hitting percentage), but they had only two aces to 12 service errors. Those numbers were turned around in a big way on Saturday as Concordia dropped in 10 aces compared to seven errors. On the other side of the net, Morningside (10-17, 1-11 GPAC) was led by the eight kills from Emmerson Smith. Concordia owned advantages of 45-26 in kills and 7-5 in blocks.
By set, the Bulldogs posted 17, 13 and 15 kills, respectively. The Mustangs gave Concordia a run for its money in the second set. With a slight 23-22 lead, the Bulldogs came through thanks to a kill by Opfer and the collaboration on a block from Opfer and Nordaker.
Both the Chargers and Mustangs struggled to contain Heinzerling on the outside. Said Boldt, “Erica had a really good weekend. She took great swings, she managed the game and played like a senior. There were times when there was an out-of-system ball when needed to throw up to her and never once did she take an errant swing. I just thought she had a really good weekend.”
Only four games remain on the regular season slate. In next week’s action, Concordia will host No. 1 Jamestown (22-0, 11-0 GPAC) on Oct. 22 and No. 15 Dakota Wesleyan (20-5, 9-3 GPAC) on Oct. 23. The Bulldogs have yet to see either opponent so far this season.