2005 - Volleyball schedule/results

24-11 Overall, 9-7 GPAC

AUGUST
Aug. 20	Alumni Scrimmage	Seward, Neb.	3:00
Aug. 23	York College	York, Neb.	W 3-0
Houghton College Classic:
Aug. 27	vs. Malone College	Houghton, N.Y.	W 3-0
Aug. 27	vs. Houghton College	Houghton, N.Y.	W 3-0
Aug. 28	vs. Roberts Wesleyan	Houghton, N.Y.	W 3-0
Aug. 31	Doane College*	Seward, Neb.	W 3-1
SEPTEMBER
Concordia Invitational:
Sept. 2	vs. York College	Seward, Neb.	W 3-0
Sept. 2	vs. Concordia Mequon	Seward, Neb.	W 3-0
Sept. 3	vs. Concordia River Forest	Seward, Neb.	W 3-0
Sept. 3	vs. Concordia Ann Arbor	Seward, Neb.	W 3-0
Sept. 6	Nebraska Wesleyan*	Seward, Neb.	W 3-2
Jinx Jamboree:
Sept. 9	vs. Southwestern College	Winfield, Kan.	W 3-0
Sept. 9	vs. Central Christian	Winfield, Kan.	W 3-0
Sept. 10	vs. Hutson-Tillotson	Winfield, Kan.	W 3-0
Sept. 10	vs. Park University	Winfield, Kan.	W 3-1
Sept. 13	Dana College*	Seward, Neb.	W 3-2
Bronco Invitational:
Sept. 16	vs. St. Xavier University	Hastings, Neb.	W 3-1
Sept. 16	vs. University of St. Mary	Hastings, Neb.	W 3-0
Sept. 17	vs. Culver-Stockton	Hastings, Neb.	W 3-1
Sept. 17	vs. National American	Hastings, Neb.	L 3-0
Sept. 21	Hastings College*	Seward, Neb.	L 3-1
Sept. 27	Wayne State	Wayne, Neb.	L 3-0
Sept. 30	Dakota Wesleyan*	Seward, Neb.	W 3-0
OCTOBER
Oct. 1	Sioux Falls*	Seward, Neb.	W 3-1
Oct. 4	Doane College*	Crete, Neb.	L 3-1
Oct. 7	Morningside*	Sioux City, Iowa	L 3-1
Oct. 8	Briar Cliff*	Sioux City, Iowa	L 3-2
Oct. 12	Nebraska Wesleyan*	Lincoln, Neb.	L 3-0
Oct. 15	Northwestern College*	Seward, Neb.	W 3-2
Oct. 19	Midland Lutheran*	Fremont, Neb.	W 3-2
Oct. 21	Mount Marty*	Seward, Neb.	W 3-0
Oct. 25	Dana College*	Blair, Neb.	W 3-0
Oct. 28	Dordt College*	Sioux Center, Iowa	L 3-0
NOVEMBER
Nov. 2	Hastings*	Hastings, Neb.	L 3-0
GPAC Tournament:
Nov. 5	vs. Hastings	Hastings, Neb.	L 3-1
NAIA Regionals:
Nov. 17	vs. National American	Rapid City, S.D.	L 3-0

2005 - Volleyball roster

No.	Name	Pos.	Ht.	Yr.	Hometown
1	Laura Albertson	RS	5-9	So.	Colorado Springs, Colo.
2	Karin Krieger	S	5-9	Sr.	Phoenix, Ariz.
3	Katie Werner	MB	6-2	So.	Syracuse, Neb.
4	Gail Endorf	MB	5-10	Sr.	Daykin, Neb.
5	Lisa Onnen	MB	5-9	So.	Davenport, Neb.
6	Natalie Koopman-Meyers	OH	6-0	Jr.	Scribner, Neb.
7	Jessica Otte	DS	5-7	Sr.	Denver, Colo.
8	Sarah Cooper	OH	5-10	Sr.	Hampton, Neb.
9	Megan Hathaway	OH	5-9	Jr.	Phoenix, Ariz.
10	Ashley Smith	OH	5-8	Fr.	Denver, Colo.
11	Leah Elmshauser	OH	5-9	Fr.	Aurora, Colo.
12	Melissa Burger	RS	5-10	Sr.	Kearney, Neb.
13	Jaelle Rodenbeck	OH	5-9	Fr.	Fort Wayne, Ind.
14	Abby Schuldheisz	DS	5-7	Fr.	Portland, Ore.
15	Melanie Busse	DS	5-6	Jr.	Shickley, Neb.
17	Courtney Rosendahl	DS	5-3	Sr.	Columbus, Neb.
18	Tasha Osten	RS	5-10	Sr.	Columbus, Neb.
19	Christina Lark	RS	5-7	Jr.	St. Paul, Minn.
20	Ashley Myers	S	5-2	Fr.	Eddyville, Neb.
21	Janell Parry	OH	6-0	So.	Morganville, Kan.
22	Jene' Bertels	MB	5-11	Fr.	Glen Carbon, Ill.
23	Jodi Vakoc	MB	5-11	Sr.	Verdigre, Neb.
25	Katie Kluge	S	5-6	So.	Rochester, Minn.

2005 - Coaching staff

Head coach: Rachel Miller

Bulldog Volleyball opens with a win

23 AUG 2005

The Bulldogs starting the season of on a good note, sweeping York College 30-23, 30-17, 30-15 on Tuesday night. It was the first game of the season for both teams. It was also the first collegiate win for first-year head coach Rachel Miller.

The Bulldogs will travel to New York on Friday and compete in the Houghton College Tournament on Saturday. It is believed that this is the first time an team from Concordia has competed in the state of New York.

The Bulldogs first home contest is scheduled for Aug. 31 against Doane at 7:30 p.m.

Volleyball gets win at Houghton College Tourney

27-28 AUG 2005

The Bulldog volleyball team picked up their second win of the season as they defeated Malone College 3-0 (-16, -21, -26) at the Houghton College Tourney.

"We came out strong in the first game," said head coach Rachel Miller. "After a long travel day it is always a concern if the energy will be there, and it was against Malone."

The contest was the first of three that Concordia is scheduled to play today. They are back in action at 2:00 p.m. against host school Houghton College. The Bulldogs wrap things up at 4:00 p.m. as they take on Roberts Wesleyan.

Bulldog Volleyball claims tourney championship

The Bulldog volleyball team improved to a 4-0 in route to the championship at the Houghton College Quad-Match Tournament on Saturday. The Bulldogs finished with a perfect 3-0 record on the day. Malone College (Ohio) finished second with a 2-1 mark, Roberts Wesleyan College (N.Y.) was third with a record of 1-2, while the host Highlanders went winless in their three matches of the day.

Katie Werner was named MVP of the tournament and was joined on the all-tournament team by fellow teammates Natalie Koopman and Jaelle Rodenbeck. The Bulldogs next action is their home opener on Wednesday night as they take on Doane College. Junior Varsity serves it up at 6:00 p.m., with varsity action slated for 7:30 p.m. Complete results from the tournament are listed below.

RESULTS
Roberts Wesleyan (N.Y.) def. Houghton, 3-1
(30-27, 30-26, 28-30, 30-20)
Concordia (Neb.) def. Malone (Ohio), 3-0
(30-16, 30-21, 30-26)

Concordia def. Houghton, 3-0
(30-21, 30-14, 30-23)
Malone def. Roberts Wesleyan, 3-0
(30-25, 30-21, 32-30)

Concordia def. Roberts Wesleyan, 3-0
(30-27, 30-13, 30-21)
Malone def. Houghton, 3-0
(30-27, 30-17, 30-18)

ALL-TOURNAMENT
Katie Werner, Concordia (MVP)
Megan Penman, Roberts Wesleyan
Natalie Koopman, Concordia
Jaelle Rodenbeck, Concordia
Racquel O’Hara, Malone

Bulldogs defeat Doane in home opener

31 AUG 2005

The seniors on the Bulldog volleyball team did something on Wednesday night that they had not done in three years. Beat the Doane Tigers. Concordia (5-0 overall, 1-0 GPAC) beat the Tigers (2-4 overall, 0-1 GPAC) 3-1 (30-23, 25-30, 30-25, 30-20) for their first GPAC win.

Jaelle Rodenbeck led the Bulldogs offensive attack with 20 kills. She was one of four Concordia players to reach double figures in kills. Katie Werner added 17 kills to go along with ten each for Natalie Koopman and Jodi Vakoc. Karin Krieger dished out 48 assists during the four sets.

Defensively Koopman tallied 24 digs, while Rodenbeck added 21. The 6-2 Werner proved to be a force at the net once again as she finished with 6 solo blocks and 2 block assists.

The Bulldogs host the Concordia Invitational Tournament on Friday and Saturday. A complete schedule can be found by clicking on the link above.

Round two. Same result.

2 SEP 2005

In the opening match of the Concordia Invitational Tournament the Bulldogs defeated York College in straight sets (30-13, 30-11, 30-18). The Bulldogs are now 6-0 on the season.

Concordia's offensive attack, led by Katie Werner in the middle, was too much for the Panthers of York. In the second set the Panthers bolted to a 3-0 lead before the Bulldogs rattled off 13 unanswered points.

CIT continues with games starting at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday and continue until 5:00 p.m. The Bulldogs are in action at 11 and 5.

Bulldog volleyball eyes title

3 SEP 2005

With three wins under their belt at the Concordia Invitational Tournament (CIT) the Bulldogs can wrap up a second consecutive CIT title with a win over Concordia-Ann Arbor in the final match of the day.

On Friday night the Bulldogs defeated Concordia-Mequon 3-0. Mequon gave the Bulldogs all they could handle in the first set before falling 30-26. Concordia-Nebraska cruised in the next two sets winning 30-17, 30-15. Jodi Vakoc led the Bulldogs with 12 kills. Karin Krieger had 41 assists in the contest.

Against Cocordia-River Forest on Saturday morning Rachel Miller's squad got out to a fast start, winning the first set 30-14. The Bulldogs eventually won in straight sets, 3-0. Katie Werner was in double figures with kills at 11 and hit .579 for the match. She also had two solo blocks and three block assists.

Two for two, Bulldogs capture second title of the year

3 SEP 2005

In her first year at the helm, Head Coach Rachel Miller has guided the Bulldogs to a pair of tournament titles and a 9-0 start.

The Bulldogs picked up the CIT title on Saturday defeating Concordia-Ann Arbor in the final game of the day 3-0. The win put the Bulldogs at 4-0 for the tourney and dropped the Cardinals of Ann Arbor to 3-1.

As a team in the final match the Bulldogs had 43 kills. Katie Werner had nine kills, Natalie Koopman eight and Jaelle Rodenbeck had six. Rodenbeck also added four service aces. Karin Krieger was efficient in her setting, dishing out 21 assists in the match. Defensively the Bulldogs had four different individuals reach double digits in digs.

Jaelle Rodenbeck and Katie Werner each were named to the CIT all-tournament team.

The Bulldogs are back in action on Tuesday as they take on Nebraska Wesleyan in Seward. Junior varsity first serve is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. with varsity action to follow.

Bulldogs rally for victory over NWU

6 SEP 2005

Volleyball fans got their money's worth and then some Tuesday night at the Dog House as Concordia defeated Nebraska Wesleyan University 3-2. The Bulldogs are now 10-0 on the year.

It looked as if it might be a quick night as the Bulldogs started with a 30-15 win. But the Prairie Wolves won the second set 30-26, holding off a late Concordia rally. It was all Wolves in the third set as the Bulldogs had some difficulty with NWU's serves. Down 2-1 Concordia was faced with a must-win situation. Until that point the Bulldogs had only lost two sets the entire season.

With an increased energy level and sense of urgency, a 30-25 victory forced a fifth set.

In the final set the Bulldogs bolted to a 8-2 lead. NWU, however, wouldn't go quietly and pulled to within one before Concordia finished the match, winning 15-10.

Jaelle Rodenbeck led the Bulldogs with a game high 19 kills. She also added 26 digs for the Dogs. Katie Werner hit an impressive .400, finishing with 14 kills. Werner controlled the net with three solo and eight block assists on the night. Karin Krieger turned in another consistent performance with 46 assists and 21 digs.

Concordia is back in action this weekend as they travel to the Jinx Jamboree in Winfield, Kan.

Volleyball perfect at Jinx Jamboree

9-10 SEP 2005

Concordia traveled to Winfield, Kan., the home of Southwestern College for the Jinx Jamboree on Friday and Saturday. In Friday’s contests the Bulldogs defeated Southwestern 3-0 (30-9, 30-11, 30-24) and Central Christian College 3-0 (30-14, 30-19, 30-17).

Against Southwestern eight different Bulldogs registered kills with Rodenbeck leading the way with six. Melanie Busse, playing the libero position had 16 digs. In the Central Christian match-up three Bulldogs reached double digits in kills. Natalie Koopman pounded out 13 kills, Rodenbeck 12 and Werner 10. Werner hit an impressive .643. As a team Concordia had 51 kills. Krieger once again ran the show for Concordia with 42 set assists.

The success continued on Saturday as the Bulldogs blanked Huston-Tillotson 3-0 (30-17, 30-16, 30-21). Rodenbeck again led the offensive attack for the Dogs, hammering out 12 kills. Sarah Cooper pitched in with nine kills and Jodi Vakoc added eight kills. Werner, at 6-2, made her presence known, recording five solo and one block assist.

In the final match of the Jinx Jamboree for the Bulldogs, Park University took the first set 30-22. Concordia took care of business after that, taking the next three for the 3-1 victory. It turned out to be the Katie Werner show, as she had 21 kills on 39 attempts (.410) and five solo blocks in the match. Rodenbeck and Vakoc also chipped in with 16 and 12 kills respectively. Krieger had 20 digs to go along with three service aces and 54 set assists.

The Bulldogs take on Dana at home on Tuesday before traveling to Hastings for the Bronco Invitational on Friday and Saturday. The Bronco Invite will feature three of the top six teams in NAIA Region III, including No. 1 National American. The Bulldogs were ranked sixth in the most recent Region III ranking.

Volleyball overcomes first set loss for 3-2 win

13 SEP 2005

The Dana Vikings gave the Bulldogs all they could handle Tuesday night at the Dog House as Concordia picked up the 3-2 victory. With the win the Bulldogs remain perfect, improving to 15-0 overall and 3-0 in the GPAC.

In the first set neither team could get much offense going as they traded points. Eventually the Vikings widened the gap enough to pick up a 30-28 win. It was the first time this season that the Dogs dropped an opening set. In fact, coming into the game Concordia was 42-2 in overall sets.

Concordia bounced back in game two, getting the edge 30-22. "I thought we came out more relaxed in the second game," said Head Coach Rachel Miller. "We were much better on serve receive."

Concordia dominated the third set, cruising to a 30-14 win. Katie Werner led the charge, getting five blocks in the third game alone. "We controlled the ball during that third set," added Miller. "We had a couple of players that had some great serving runs. I knew that they (Dana) wouldn't go easy in the fourth."

That was exactly the case as Dana came out aggressively attacking, putting the Bulldogs on their heels early. Concordia never overcame the fast start, dropping the fourth set 30-27.

The Bulldogs turned the tables in the deciding set, using a run of their own early on, getting the 15-10 win.

"Dana is an improved team this year," added Miller. "They came out more aggressively than we anticipated, putting us in some chaotic situations."

Statistically Jaelle Rodenbeck (above; file photo) was tops in the kill category for the Bulldogs with 14 while Natalie Koopman had 13. Jodi Vakoc and Werner dominated the net, notching 11 and 12 blocks respectively. Defensively three Bulldogs had 20 digs or more: Jess Otte had 28, Koopman 24 and Rodenbeck 20.

The Bulldogs compete in their final tournament of the season this weekend as they travel down the interstate for the Bronco Invite. Concordia should see a good level of competition as they have to battle with NAIA's fourth ranked National American on Saturday.

Win streak comes to end

17 SEP 2005

The Bulldog volleyball team saw their 18 game winning streak come to and end Saturday afternoon, losing 3-0 to National American at the Bronco Invitational. National American is ranked No. 2 in the NAIA polls.

Despite the loss, Concordia did go 3-1 during the two day tournament. Katie Werner was named to the all-tournament team once again for Concordia. Werner made the all-tournament team at every tournament The Bulldogs competed in. The Bronco Invite was the last tournament the squad will compete in this year. The Bulldogs now move onto the heart of their conference schedule, taking on Hastings at home on Wednesday.

"It was a good preview of how we need to play when we meet Hastings," Head Coach Rachel Miller said of playing National American. "Although we continued to win (during the tournament), there were times we had a lot of lapses in intensity and made a lot of mental mistakes, which resulted in points for the other team. We won't be able to do that in GPAC play."

Currently Concordia is undefeated in GPAC play at 3-0. Two of the Bulldogs three GPAC victories went five sets.

No. 18 Hastings too much for Bulldogs

21 SEP 2005

Hastings jumped up four spots in the latest NAIA rankings and came into Seward with a No. 18 ranking. The Broncos height proved to be too much for the Bulldogs to overcome, as they fell 3-1 (30-23, 28-30, 30-25, 30-15).

In the first set Concordia stayed within striking distance but never could take the lead as Hastings pulled away with some solid serving. The Broncos jump servers proved to be a thorn in the Bulldogs side throughout the night.

Concordia used a late rally in the second set to overcome a 28-22 deficit for the win. Jaelle Rodenbeck served the last six points, including an ace on the set-winner.

The third set went back and forth early on, with Concordia taking a 12-10 advantage. After a timeout the Broncos opened up a seven point lead that proved to big for the Bulldogs rally from.

In the fourth and final game the Bulldogs struggled on the attack and never seemed to find a rhythm, getting only 11 kills while committing 13 errors. On the night the Bulldogs had to battle against the 6-3 and 6-2 middles of the Broncos. As a team Hastings had 15 blocks in the match.

Concordia was led by Natalie Koopman with 15 kills and Rodenbeck with 13 kills. Five different Bulldogs reached double digits in digs, including Rodenbeck with 18, Jessica Otte with 16, Courtney Rosendahl with 15, 14 for Koopman and 12 for Karin Krieger.

Next up for the Bulldogs is NCAA Divison II Wayne State. Concordia is scheduled to take on the Wildcats on Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 7:00 p.m. in Wayne, Neb.

Winning ways return

30 SEP 2005

With an improved defensive effort the Bulldogs stopped a three match losing streak defeating Dakota Wesleyan 3-0 at "Dog House" on Friday night.

"In Tuesday's loss to Wayne State we struggled defensively," said Head Coach Rachel Miller. "On Wednesday we worked specifically on defense. Tonight (Friday) I was pleased with our play defensively."

The improved effort on defense showed in Concordia's stats. As a team the Bulldogs had 13 blocks and 49 digs. Sophomore middle Katie Werner dominated the net, getting three solo blocks and five block assists against the much shorter DWU Tigers. Jessica Otte, Concordia's libero, led the team with 19 digs. Natalie Koopman also had double digits in digs with 13.

Jaelle Rodenbeck led the Bulldog's offensive onslaught, knotching 10 kills on the night. Werner did her part as well, hitting .381 with 9 kills and only one error. Karin Krieger and Courtney Rosendahl were dangerous from the serving stripe, each finishing with four aces.

The Bulldogs, who received votes in the most recent NAIA poll, improve to 19-3 overall on the year while the Tigers fall to 6-13.

Concordia is back in action Saturday Oct. 1 as they host the University of Sioux Falls in a junior varsity/varsity doubleheader. First serve for the JV match is set for 1:30 p.m., with varsity to follow at 3:00 p.m

Dogs reach 20

1 OCT 2005

After getting off to a rough start on Saturday against the University of Sioux Falls, the Bulldog volleyball team turned things around for a 3-1 victory. Concordia is now 20-3 overall and 5-1 in the GPAC. This is the first time since the 2000 season that the Bulldogs had 20 or more wins. The 2000 squad finished 24-14.

The Bulldogs dropped the opening set 28-30 despite controlling the majority of the set. Concordia committed 10 attack errors in the first set, the most they had in any set. Concordia dominated the next two sets, but the Cougars put up a fight in the fourth set before falling 31-29.

Sophomore Katie Werner was impressive offensively, with an attacking percentage of .600 and 15 kills. The most impressive part of Werner's performance was that she did not commit an attacking error on the night.

"We had tremendous success with Katie attacking," said Head Coach Rachel Miller. "We definitely need to get her (Katie) the ball more. Especially when she is having the kind of night like she did tonight."

Werner was one of four Bulldogs to reach double figures in kills. Jaelle Rodenbeck found the floor 15 times. Tasha Osten and Natalie Koopman each had 10 kills as well. Koopman also led Concordia with 16 digs.

Karin Krieger dished out 52 assists on the afternoon, and added four service aces. Courtney Rosendahl and Natalie Koopman also had success on serve, notching three aces each.

The next match for the Bulldog is on Tuesday as they travel to Crete, Neb., to take on the Doane Tigers. In the first meeting of the season the Bulldogs defeated the Tigers 3-1. Tuesday's match is the first of four games on the road for Concordia.

Sioux City not kind to Bulldogs

7-8 OCT 2005

The Bulldog volleyball team dropped a pair of matches in Sioux City, Iowa over the weekend. On Friday Concordia lost 3-1 against the Morningside Mustangs and on Saturday dropped a five-set battle with Briar Cliff 3-2. Saturday night's loss was the third straight for the Bulldogs.

Concordia falls to 20-6 overall and 5-4 in the GPAC. With seven matches left in the regular season the Bulldogs are currently seventh in the GPAC standings.

Concordia continues their string of road games as they travel to Lincoln, Neb., to take on Nebraska Wesleyan on Oct. 12 at 7:30 p.m. In an earlier meeting of the two teams this season the Bulldogs came out on top in five games.

Volleyball puts breaks on skid

15 OCT 2005

The Bulldogs picked up a five set win (29-31, 30-24, 30-27, 14-30, 15-11) over Northwestern on "Parent's Day" at the Dog House in Seward on Saturday, putting an end to a three game slide for Concordia. The Red Raiders came into the game 8-2 in the GPAC and in third place in the standings.

With the win Concordia improves to 21-7 overall and 6-5 in the GPAC. Currently the Bulldogs sit in seventh place in the GPAC standings. The top eight teams in the conference qualify for the GPAC tournament.

In Saturday's victory Head Coach Rachel Miller credited the Bulldog defense, serving and some shake-ups on offense for the the win.

"The defense as a whole really played well," said Miller. We were scrappy and didn't let lot of balls drop. Jaelle (Rodenbeck) did a great job in the libero position."

Rodenbeck had 28 digs, playing the libero spot for the first time this season. Rodenbeck’s move was one of the new twists in Concordia's attack. Sarah Cooper also saw more action in the front row, were she notched 12 kills on the afternoon.

According to Coach Miller, the aggressive serving of the Bulldogs helped to take Northwestern out of thier game. Concordia had sick aces during the five sets.

Katie Werner led the Bulldog offensive attack with 18 kills and an impressive .438 hitting percentage. Natalie Koopman added 15 kills to go along with Cooper's 12.

"It was good see the Katie have solid game," said Miller. "Cooper also stepped up her play, she really attacked the ball with confidence."

Concordia has five games remaining in the regular season including contests against conference leading Dordt and second place Hastings. Next up for the Bulldogs is Midland Lutheran on October 21 in Fremont, Neb. JV action is slated for a 6:00 p.m. start with the varsity game to follow at 7:30 p.m.

Volleyball starts Homecoming weekend with win

21 OCT 2005

The Bulldog volleyball team picked up a straight set win (-24, -12, 32-30) over Mount Marty College on Friday night. Eight Seniors were recognized for their achievements in front of 400 fans at the "Dog House" before the match.

Concordia improved to 23-7 (8-5 GPAC) with the win while the Lancers of Mount Marty fell to 10-17 (3-9 GPAC). The victory puts the Bulldogs at sixth in the conference standing with three regular season games remaining.

Sophomore Katie Werner led the Bulldog attack against Mount Marty, pounding out nine kills to go along with five blocks. The first two sets were never in doubt, as Concordia jumped out to early leads, but Mount Marty wouldn't go easy in the third set, pushing the Bulldogs to 32.

Senior Jessica Otte stepped up in the third set with some solid serving, launching one of her three service aces on the night in the Bulldogs come from behind win. As a team Concordia had seven aces in the match.

Another senior, Sarah Cooper, continued to have success after moving into the starting line-up the last three contests. On Friday she had eight kills, three blocks and three digs. Jaelle Rodenbeck, now handling the libero duties, paced the Bulldogs in digs, notching 16.

Concordia will be on the road for their final three regular season games as they travel to Dana, Dordt and Hastings. Of those three, both Dordt and Hastings are ranked in the NAIA Top 25. The next action for the Bulldogs comes on Oct. 25, next Tuesday, in Blair as they take on Dana. First serve is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Bulldogs split matches, ready for Hastings

25 & 28 OCT 2005

The Bulldogs experienced “both sides of the coin” this past week as they made quick work of the Dana Vikings on Tuesday night defeating them 3-0 (37-35, 30-24, 30-25) before falling to seventh ranked Dordt College in three (30-10, 30-14. 30-13) on Friday night.

After the pair of matches Concordia is now 24-8 overall (9-6 GPAC). Against Dana neither team were prepared to loose in the first set, as both teams made some spectacular kills to prolong the set. Eventually the Bulldogs prevailed, 37-35.

"The team remained confident and aggressive to finish the first set, said head coach Rachel Miller. "That helped accomplish one of our goals - to finish in 3 games."

The next two games proved to be more conventional as the Bulldogs won 30-24, 30-25. On the night Concordia won the battle of the serves with 10 ace serves compared to eight for Dana.

"Both teams served the ball well," added Miller. Karin (Krieger) did a great job, as all four of her aces came in a run during the second set to give us a comfortable lead."

Katie Werner had another stellar night attacking the ball, notching 12 kills on 19 attempts with no errors. In addition she was a force defensively with eight blocks on the night.

The Dordt Defenders showed why they are the seventh ranked team in the nation, making quick work of the Bulldogs on Friday night. Dordt, fresh off a three set loss to Wayne State College came out firing on all cylinders, pounding out 47 kills. The Defenders also had eleven ace serves in the match, compared to only two for Concordia.

“We made a lot of unforced errors and we weren’t able to maintain control of the serve” said Head Coach Rachel Miller. “We are putting that game behind us and looking forward to Wednesday’s match at Hastings.”

Werner and Koopman led the Bulldogs with seven and six kills respectively.

Concordia closes out the regular season Wednesday, Nov. 2, at Hastings College. First serve is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Hastings betters Bulldogs again

5 NOV 2005

The third time was not the charm for the Bulldogs as the 19th ranked Hastings Broncos prevailed in the first round of the GPAC Tournament 3-1 (30-23, 23-30, 30-20, 30-27) on Saturday night. It was the second time this week that the Broncos got the best of the Bulldogs as they won regular season finale Wednesday night, sweeping the Bulldogs in straight sets, 30-16, 30-15, 30-22.

“We looked like a different team on Saturday,” said Head Coach Rachel Miller. “We came out and played aggressive which was something that we didn’t do on Wednesday.”

On Wednesday night the Bulldogs struggled to find a rhythm in any facet of their game. They finished the night with just 24 kills as a team and seven serve receive errors.

"Hastings took us out of our game," said Miller. "Rather than playing our style, we tried to play around theirs."

Celeste Bauer led the Broncos with 15 kills and 14 digs. In addition, she seemed to be the thorn in the Bulldogs side from the service stripe, serving 29 times in the match, including two runs of six or more points in a row.

Katie Werner paced Concordia with 11 kills and four blocks. Both Jessica Otte and Courtney Rosendahl had double-digits in digs with 10.

With the losses the Bulldogs are 24-10 (9-7 GPAC) on the season. There is still a possibility that Concordia will qualify for the NAIA Regional Tournament. The winners of the Dakota Athletic Conference (DAC) and the GPAC tournaments each get automatic bids. After that the next top six rated teams in the final ranking on Nov. 14th receive bids. In the last rating the Bulldogs were 8th. If they keep that spot or move up the should receive a bid as long Dickinson state wins the DAC .

Bulldogs off to Rapid City for regionals

The Concordia volleyball team will be the eight seed in the 2005 NAIA Region III Volleyball Championships. The Bulldogs will play top seed and host school, National American, in the first round on Thursday, November 17 at 8:00 p.m.

The eight team single-elimination tournament will be played at South Dakota Tech in Rapid City, South Dakota.

As of last week National American is ranked second in the NAIA, while Dickinson State is ranked fifth. Dordt is sixth with Hastings is tied for 20th in the latest NAIA National Volleyball Poll. This regional is undoubtedly one of the toughest in the NAIA.

The winner is guaranteed an automatic berth in the NAIA National Volleyball Tournament November 30 – December 3 in San Diego, California, at Point Loma Nazarene University. This region may be allotted extra National Tournament berths by the NAIA, the details on extra berths will be released from the NAIA National Office later this week.

Volleyball finishes season

17 NOV 2005

The Bulldogs wrapped up the 2005 campaign on Thursday night at the NAIA Region III Tournament in Rapid City, S.D. Concordia was defeated in three sets (30-22, 30-14, 32-30) by the top seedin the tourney, and second ranked team in the nation, National American.

Under first year Head Coach Rachel Miller the Bulldogs compiled a record of 24-11 overall (9-7 GPAC) and started the season with school best 18 straight wins.

Four earn NAIA Scholar-Athlete status

The Bulldog volleyball team had four players named 2005 NAIA-Daktronics All-America Scholar-Athletes.

The Scholar-Athletes were released from the NAIA headquarters in Olathe, Kan.

In order to be recognized as a NAIA Daktronics Scholar-Athlete, individuals must carry a cumulative GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale and be a junior or above in academic standing. Those receiving the honor were:

Karin Krieger, Phoenix, Ariz., Senior
Jessica Otte, Denver, Colo., Senior
Courtney Rosendahl, Columbus, Neb., Senior
Jodi Vakoc, Verdigre, Neb., Senior

Otte, Rosendahl, and Vakoc are all repeat selections, having earned the honor in 2004.

On the court the 2005 Bulldogs open the season with a record-setting 18 straight wins. It was the best start for the Concordia volleyball program since they went 14-0 in 1996.

For the 2005-06 athletic season the Bulldogs now have 20 NAIA Daktronics All-America Scholar-Athletes.