SEWARD, Neb. – The Concordia University volleyball program will open up its 2019 season inside Walz Arena on Aug. 21. That match will be the first of 27 during the regular season slate announced on Friday (Feb. 1). The junior varsity schedule is also available. The new campaign will mark Ben Boldt’s second as head coach of the Bulldogs, who went 15-12 overall in 2018.
The 2019 schedule will feature 16 GPAC clashes in addition to three weekend events, including the annual Bulldog Bash (Aug. 30-31). Concordia will spend the first weekend of the season at the Red Raider Classic in Orange City, Iowa. It will also take part in the Baker Invitational in Baldwin City, Kan., Sept. 6-7. While the schedules for each of those invites have yet to be finalized, Benedictine College (Kan.), Bethany College (Kan.) and Waldorf University (Iowa) have committed to compete at the Bulldog Bash.
Boldt’s squad will play a total of 12 times inside Walz Arena, where the Bulldogs went 9-4 this past season. The team will be at home on Saturday, Sept. 28 versus College of Saint Mary as part of the homecoming festivities on campus. Defending GPAC regular season and tournament champion Dordt will be in town on Saturday, Oct. 19 as one of several marquee dates on the schedule. Inside conference play, Concordia will play the following teams twice: College of Saint Mary, Hastings, Doane, Midland and Morningside.
The schedule will be plenty challenging considering the strength of the GPAC. Massey Ratings ranked the Bulldogs’ 2018 slate as the 18th most difficult in the entire NAIA. Five GPAC squads were ranked in the NAIA’s 2018 postseason top 25: No. 4 Midland, No. 7 Dordt, No. 10 Hastings, No. 12 Northwestern and No. 18 Jamestown. Morningside also received votes.
Many of the most prominent Bulldogs from the 2018 team will be back in 2019. Among the returnees, two-time second team All-GPAC performer Emmie Noyd is the most heralded. On the flip side, kills leader Jenna Habegger has used up her eligibility.
Concordia ended the 2018 regular season with wins in two of its last three outings with the loss during that stretch coming in five sets at Midland. The push at the end allowed the Bulldogs to sneak into the GPAC tournament as the No. 8 seed. For a detailed recap of last season, click HERE.
All home varsity matches are streamed live via the Concordia Sports Network. 104.9 Max Country serves as the radio home of Concordia volleyball.