2018 Volleyball Schedule/Results
15-12 overall | 5-11 GPAC | Season Stats | Roster
| Date | Opponent | Location | Result | Record |
| Aug. 21 | York College | Seward, Neb. | W, 3-0 | 1-0 |
| Aug. 24 | Waldorf University | Orange City, Iowa | W, 3-0 | 2-0 |
| Aug. 24 | Baker University | Orange City, Iowa | W, 3-0 | 3-0 |
| Aug. 25 | MidAmerica Nazarene University | Orange City, Iowa | W, 3-0 | 4-0 |
| Aug. 29 | Kansas Wesleyan University | Seward, Neb. | W, 3-0 | 5-0 |
| Aug. 31 | Bethany College | Seward, Neb. | W, 3-0 | 6-0 |
| Sept. 1 | Valley City State University | Seward, Neb. | W, 3-0 | 7-0 |
| Sept. 1 | Benedictine College | Seward, Neb. | W, 3-0 | 8-0 |
| Sept. 4 | *College of Saint Mary | Seward, Neb. | W, 3-2 | 9-0, 1-0 |
| Sept. 7 | *Mount Marty College | Seward, Neb. | W, 3-0 | 10-0, 2-0 |
| Sept. 8 | McPherson College | Hastings, Neb. | W, 3-1 | 11-0 |
| Setp. 8 | Kansas Wesleyan University | Hastings, Neb. | W, 3-1 | 12-0 |
| Sept. 11 | *(8) Midland University | Seward, Neb. | L, 1-3 | 12-1, 2-1 |
| Sept. 13 | *Morningside College | Sioux City, Iowa | L, 1-3 | 12-2, 2-2 |
| Sept. 18 | *Doane University | Seward, Neb. | L, 1-3 | 12-3, 2-3 |
| Sept. 20 | *(13) Hastings College | Hastings, Neb. | L, 1-3 | 12-4, 2-4 |
| Sept. 22 | *(15) Northwestern College | Seward, Neb. | L, 0-3 | 12-5, 2-5 |
| Sept. 28 | *University of Jamestown | Jamestown, N.D. | L, 0-3 | 12-6, 2-6 |
| Sept. 29 | *Dakota Wesleyn University | Mitchell, S.D. | L, 1-3 | 12-7, 2-7 |
| Oct. 5 | *Briar Cliff University | Seward, Neb. | W, 3-1 | 13-7, 3-7 |
| Oct. 10 | *(14) Hastings College | Seward, Neb. | L, 0-3 | 13-8, 3-8 |
| Oct. 13 | *(8) Dordt College | Sioux Center, Iowa | L, 0-3 | 13-9, 3-9 |
| Oct. 17 | *College of Saint Mary | Omaha, Neb. | L, 0-3 | 13-10, 3-10 |
| Oct. 24 | *Morningside College | Seward, Neb. | W, 3-1 | 14-10, 4-10 |
| Oct. 27 | *(12) Midland University | Fremont, Neb. | L, 2-3 | 14-11, 4-11 |
| Oct. 31 | *Doane University | Crete, Neb. | W, 3-0 | 15-11, 5-11 |
| Nov. 3 | (5) Dordt College (GPAC Quarterfinals) | Sioux Center, Iowa | L, 0-3 | 15-12 |
2018 Roster
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| 1 | Jenna Eller | DS | 5-7 | Jr. | David City, Neb. | Aquinas HS |
| 2 | Harlie Himmelberg | DS | 5-3 | Jr. | Lawrence, Neb. | Lawrence-Nelson HS |
| 3 | Tristin Mason | DS | 5-6 | So. | Hampton, Neb. | Hampton HS |
| 4 | Tara Callahan | S/RS | 6-1 | So. | Brady, Neb. | Brady HS |
| 5 | Lauren Cope | OH/RS | 5-10 | Jr. | Lincoln, Neb. | Lincoln Southwest HS |
| 6 | Kaci Hohenthaner | S | 5-7 | Jr. | Council Bluffs, Iowa | Lewis Central HS / Iowa Western CC |
| 7 | Alex La Plant | OH | 5-10 | Jr. | Cypress, Texas | Cypress Ranch HS |
| 8 | Emmie Noyd | MB | 6-2 | Jr. | Shelby, Neb. | Shelby-Rising City HS |
| 9 | Kaylie Dengel | DS | 5-8 | Jr. | Bellevue, Neb. | Bellevue East HS |
| 10 | Allison Echtenkamp | MB | 5-9 | So. | Wayne, Neb. | Wayne HS |
| 11 | Jadeyn Stutzman | DS | 5-3 | Fr. | Grand Island, Neb. | Grand Island Northwest HS |
| 12 | Marissa Hoerman | DS | 5-7 | So. | Evergreen, Colo. | Evergreen HS |
| 13 | Arleigh Costello | RS | 5-11 | Fr. | Gothenburg, Neb. | Gothenburg HS |
| 14 | Allison Klipp | DS | 5-8 | So. | Tobias, Neb. | Meridian HS |
| 15 | Kelsey Baarck | OH/RS | 5-10 | Sr. | Frankenmuth, Mich. | Frankenmuth HS / Mott CC |
| 16 | Morgan James | DS | 5-7 | Fr. | Bellevue, Neb. | Bellevue West HS |
| 17 | Anna Lund | MB | 6-0 | So. | Rochester, Minn. | Century HS |
| 18 | Kayla Ernstmeyer | MB | 5-9 | Fr. | Lincoln, Neb. | Lincoln Lutheran HS |
| 19 | Morgan Nibbe | MB | 6-1 | Fr. | Red Cloud, Neb. | Red Cloud HS |
| 20 | Brooke Baugh | OH/RS | 6-0 | So. | Friend, Neb. | Friend HS |
| 21 | Erica Heinzerling | OH/RS | 5-11 | Fr. | Ankeny, Iowa | Centennial HS |
| 22 | Erin Johnson | DS | 5-4 | Fr. | Daykin, Neb. | Meridian HS |
| 23 | Maggie Durbin | OH/RS | 5-10 | So. | Omaha, Neb. | Millard West HS |
| 25 | Jenna Habegger | OH | 6-1 | Sr. | Pawnee City, Neb. | Pawnee City HS |
| 27 | Kara Stark | OH/RS | 6-2 | So. | Frisco, Texas | Prince of Peace Christian HS |
| 29 | Raymi Marquardt | DS | 5-5 | Jr. | Lincoln, Neb. | Lincoln Lutheran HS / U. of Nebraska |
| 30 | Hannah Beethe | OH | 5-8 | Fr. | Exeter, Neb. | Exeter-Milligan HS |
| 31 | Ally Glaser | S | 5-9 | Fr. | LaVista, Neb. | Papillion-LaVista HS |
| Emma Brand | MGR | 5-9 | Jr. | Springfield, Mo. | Glendale HS | |
| Katie Funk | MGR | 5-5 | Jr. | Clearwater, Neb. | Clearwater-Orchard HS | |
| Kelsey Higgins | MGR | 5-11 | Sr. | Valentine, Neb. | Sandhills/Thedford | |
| Madison Horne | MGR | 5-6 | Sr. | Exeter, Neb. | Exeter-Milligan HS | |
| Annie Schmidt | MGR | 5-11 | Sr. | Rifle, Colo. | Rifle HS |
STAFF
Ben Boldt, Head Coach (1st Year)
Angie Boldt, Assistant Coach
Abby Saehler, Graduate Assistant Coach
Volleyball releases 25-match 2018 regular-season slate
Apr. 3, 2018
SEWARD, Neb. – Both varsity and junior varsity schedules for the 2018 Concordia University volleyball season have been announced. The official start of Ben Boldt’s head coaching tenure is set for Aug. 21 when York College will visit Walz Arena. The nonconference tilt with York will mark the first of 25 regular-season matches.
Boldt and company are underway in their spring practice season. The Bulldogs will make their first public appearance of the spring on Wednesday, April 11 with a pair of home matches in the evening (6:30/8:30 p.m.). A native of Hickman, Neb., Boldt was officially named head volleyball coach on Dec. 19, 2017. His staff includes Abby Pollart, Ben’s wife Angie Boldt and graduate assistant coach Abby Saehler.
Thirteen home matches make up this fall’s slate. The home portion of the schedule includes what has become an annual event, the Bulldog Bash (Aug. 31-Sept. 1). Over the two-day bash, Concordia will play three times inside Walz Arena. Conference play will get underway Sept. 4 with College of Saint Mary visiting Seward. Eight of 16 GPAC matches will put the Bulldogs up against teams that finished 2017 inside the national rankings. The group includes the GPAC’s newest member Jamestown, rated No. 15 in the 2017 postseason poll.
Besides the GPAC opener, Concordia will host additional Nebraska conference rivals in Midland (Sept. 11), Doane (Sept. 18) and Hastings (Oct. 10) throughout the fall. The defending conference regular-season champions are Dordt, Hastings and Northwestern, which all tied for first place.
The Bulldogs completed last season with an overall record of 9-19. Returning players who garnered all-conference selections in 2017 are Emmie Noyd (second team), Tara Callahan (honorable mention) and Alex La Plant (honorable mention).
Dates for the GPAC tournament are Nov. 3 for the quarterfinals, Nov. 7 for the semifinals and Nov. 10 for the championship. The opening round of the NAIA national tournament is set for Nov. 17 with action at the national championships final site in Sioux City, Iowa, beginning Nov. 27.
Tempo emphasized during transitional spring
Apr. 26, 2018
With precious few weeks to get accustomed to a new head coach, members of the Concordia University volleyball team have gone about the spring semester like a DVR with three arrows pointing to the right. While head coach Ben Boldt has put an emphasis on urgency, he won’t be reinventing the wheel. “Volleyball is volleyball,” says Boldt.
There’s been a lot of volleyball this spring for 17 Bulldogs who have been actively involved in workouts and practices. Boldt and his staff spent three weeks focusing on individual skills prior to spring break. The six weeks after spring break included roughly 30 official team practices and two play dates.
Boldt and a staff that includes Abby Pollart, Ben’s wife Angie and graduate assistant Abby Saehler now know a great deal more about the 2018 squad. Many positives emerged from the spring.
“We’re thinking about processes,” Boldt said. “I don’t want to base how I feel about the spring scrimmages on wins and losses, but we did pretty well this spring. They really came in and performed well. They communicated well. They embraced what it was that we were trying to accomplish. I thought blocking-wise we did pretty well. That’s one of the things that’s going to determine how good we can be – our play at the net. I thought we came away from the spring as a better blocking team than when we started.”
It’s been an eventful time for Ben Boldt, who was officially named head coach on Dec. 20. He and Angie then welcomed their second child, Addison Marie, into the world on April 6. It adds another variable to the balancing act for Boldt, but he appears unfazed. It simply means the Bulldog family keeps growing.
Growth is what the spring is all about, whether an established program or one coming off a season that fell below expectations. Boldt is talking about tempo and pace in everything that his team does. What does that really mean in volleyball? It can be as simple as sprinting to the water fountain during a break in practice.
“I don’t know that the techniques are all that different,” Boldt said. “I think maybe the pace at which we do it may be a little bit different. We’re trying to get them fast back to serve, get them fast back to serve receive and get them fast within the rally and to be ready for everything. We’re getting them to match the pace of what’s happening.”
The process is still young enough that Boldt is a bit hesitant to single many players out. However, sophomore-to-be Tara Callahan impressed with her ability to handle a heavy workload this semester. Naturally, the setter is going to be looked to for leadership. An honorable mention All-GPAC choice as a freshman, the 6-foot-1 native of Brady, Neb., is a big part of the present and the future.
Callahan handled essentially every setting opportunity in spring matches against College of Saint Mary, Central Community College, Nebraska Wesleyan, Northwest Missouri State and Peru State.
“People will come out naturally (as leaders),” Boldt said. “We did have an injury which forced Tara to be our only setter for all of spring. Every time the ball’s on our side of the court she’s touching it so she kind of evolved into that person for us this spring. We’ll see what happens in the future, but I thought Tara did a really nice job.”
Each of the team’s three all-conference honorees – Callahan, Alex La Plant (honorable mention) and Emmie Noyd (second team) – are back from this past fall. Next year’s senior class will feature players with varsity experience such as Kelsey Baarck, Jenna Habegger and Madison Horne.
Boldt liked what he saw from many of the aforementioned names, and he’s going to keep pushing. He’s not complaining at all about the effort or energy he saw this spring, but he’ll expect his team to be at another level when fall camp rolls around. It’s unclear at this moment what to expect this fall in terms of on-the-court success, but the coaching staff is expecting this team to strive to be in better shape than its opponents.
“I’m happy with where we’re at today,” Boldt said. “One of the lasting messages I gave them after our scrimmages was that we did a great job working to get here, but we can’t be satisfied. In a sense, I was satisfied with the spring, but not yet satisfied as far as where we need to go. We always want to create that sense within our team of not being satisfied, even when we win the GPAC championship. We can always expect more out of ourselves.”
Boldt certainly will expect a lot of himself – so too will John Cook, head coach of national champion University of Nebraska. In a statement at the time of Boldt’s hiring, Cook wrote, “It is a great day for volleyball in this state. Their (Ben and Angie) goal has been to be in Nebraska and they will now create another nationally ranked NAIA team in Nebraska.”
Says Ben of his return to Nebraska, “It’s been awesome. It’s been everything that we thought it was going to be. In conversations we’ve had with people, a lot of them have met my family in one sense or another. You talk about seven degrees of separation. We have a lot of connections with the people we’re recruiting and playing against. It’s been really nice.”
As a way of embracing the new surroundings, Ben has opened up his family to the team. The Bulldogs have been introduced to Addison and her older brother Brady. Says Ben, “I think it’s great for them to have a role model in Angie who can be working, be a coach and also be a mom. For them to see that I think is very important. They have done a great job of welcoming us into the Bulldog family.”
Heading into the summer, there’s a fascination about how the program will mesh together with the help of some of the newest members of the Bulldog family. Boldt is preaching fitter, faster, stronger while increasing the tempo and the urgency. Concordia volleyball aspires to come at you fast, just as the 2018 season surely will.
Bulldog volleyball lands AVCA award for 19th-straight year
Jul. 18, 2018
SEWARD, Neb. – A program that produced the third highest total of NAIA Scholar-Athletes in 2017-18 picked up further honors on Monday (July 16), courtesy of its work in the classroom. The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) recognized the Concordia University volleyball squad with the 2017-18 AVCA Team Academic Award. The program has earned this honor for the 19th year in a row.
Bulldog volleyball has the longest active streak of consecutive AVCA Team Academic Awards among all NAIA schools (next closest has 14 consecutive). The 19-straight AVCA awards ranks in a tie for the longest active streak among collegiate programs of all levels. NCAA Division I Indiana State University has also garnered the award each of the last 19 years.
The award, which was initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, honors collegiate and high school volleyball teams that displayed excellence in the classroom during the school year by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team grade-point average on a 4.0 scale or a 4.10 cumulative team GPA on a 5.0 scale.
This past season, nine Bulldogs collected NAIA Scholar-Athlete accolades: Kaylyn Beiermann, Annie Friesen, Jenna Habegger, Kelsey Higgins, Madison Horne, Courtney Jurgens, Alaina Ruszkowski, Annie Schmidt and Maddie Shafer.
Volleyball lands at No. 8 in GPAC preseason rating
Aug. 9, 2018
GPAC preseason volleyball poll
SEWARD, Neb. – A Concordia University volleyball program with new leadership has been pegged to finish eighth in the GPAC, according to the conference’s preseason coaches’ poll released on Thursday (Aug. 9). The Bulldogs received 50 points in the poll. GPAC volleyball is now 12 members strong with Jamestown officially joining the conference on July 1.
Everything will be new for head coach Ben Boldt, who is joined by wife Angie Boldt. Concordia has hit the reset button following last season’s 9-19 campaign. The Bulldogs return all-conference players in Tara Callahan, Alex La Plant and Emmie Noyd. The latter blossomed as a sophomore in 2017 on her way to second team All-GPAC accolades. Noyd and company hope to return the program to the levels it reached in 2015 (national tournament appearance) and perhaps beyond. The Boldts have preached the moniker “champs before champs” throughout the offseason.
Players officially reported for camp on Thursday (Aug. 9). Practice begins Friday as the Bulldogs prepare for their opener on Tuesday, Aug. 21 when York College makes a visit to Walz Arena for a 7 p.m. CT first serve.
2018 GPAC Preseason Volleyball Coaches’ Poll
*First-place votes in parentheses
1. Dordt – 120 (10)
2. Northwestern – 110 (2)
3. Hastings – 98
4. Midland – 96
5. Doane – 70
6. Jamestown – 67
7. Morningside – 64
8. Concordia – 50
9. Briar Cliff – 42
10. College of Saint Mary – 31
11. Dakota Wesleyan – 26
12. Mount Marty – 18
Season preview: 2018 Concordia volleyball
Aug. 14, 2018
Head coach: Ben Boldt (1st year)
2017 Record: 9-19 overall; 3-13 GPAC (T-8th)
Key Returners: S/RS Tara Callahan; DS Jenna Eller; DS Marissa Hoerman; OH Alex LaPlant; MB Anna Lund; MB Emmie Noyd
Key Losses: M Annie Friesen; DS Jocelyn Garcia
2017 GPAC All-Conference: Emmie Noyd (second team); Tara Callahan (honorable mention); Alex La Plant (honorable mention)
Outlook
It’s a fascinating new world for the Concordia University volleyball program, now headed by a husband-wife coaching duo mentored by the University of Nebraska’s John Cook. Head coach Ben Boldt and assistant Angie Boldt are tasked with reinvigorating a program that was unable to build upon a national tournament appearance in 2015. As evidenced by their eighth-place slotting in the GPAC preseason poll, the Bulldogs have not generated lofty expectations from outsiders.
That’s not a concern with those inside the locker room. “Champs b4 champs” has become a moniker used by the coaching staff and players. It’s really about keeping a championship mindset and mentality.
“That’s right where we’re going with the process,” Ben Boldt said. “That’s what our focus is. We have high goals of what we want to attain but our focus is on that process. As we go through, you can just tell that idea is permeating through the team. The love, the trust, hard work and sacrifice that we’re preaching to them is just really showing through on the court and off the court. That culture is coming around. As coaches we have to stay out of the way. We have to let them do their thing. We have to guide them where we want to go. It’s happening. There’s a lot of hard work happening.”
The 2018 squad reported to campus on Aug. 9 for the start of preseason camp, a grind that’s meant to have the players ready for the demands of life in the GPAC. As it stands, Concordia has just one week before officially opening up the season in front of its home fans. And still a lot of questions remain.
Boldt spent much of his preseason interview talking about what has been accomplished so far in terms of implementing championship processes – and very little of it discussing specific personnel. One can only imagine that middle Emmie Noyd, a second team All-GPAC choice in 2017, will again be an integral building block. Setter Tara Callahan and outside hitter Alex La Plant are the other holdovers with All-GPAC accolades, but the entire picture won’t become complete until the lights come on.
Says Boldt, “I really want to see how we can first-contact the ball, how well we pass, how well we serve and how well we play defense. If we can do that at a high level then we’re going to be in a lot of matches. Beyond that we have to figure out what system we want to run. We’re not exactly sure just yet. We have some players that could allow us to go in a one-setter offense or a two-setter offense. That’s what we’re getting into now. We’ll figure that stuff out and we’ll be ready to roll.”
In the opening few days of preseason camp, Boldt has given equal opportunity to each of his players to show they deserve a role on the varsity. That’s going to soon change as the staff starts making decisions on which players will be awarded starring roles. There are plenty of other returners with experience beyond Callahan, La Plant and Noyd. Consider many others in the mix, such as Kelsey Baarck, Jenna Eller, Jenna Habegger, Marissa Hoerman, Anna Lund and more. Plus, there are the newcomers.
Noyd (.300 career hitting percentage) is a proven performer in the middle and Callahan has shown plenty of promise. In a home tilt with Northwestern last season, Callahan put up 33 assists, 12 kills and 11 digs in perhaps the signature effort of her freshman campaign. Meanwhile, La Plant’s 480 career kills are tops among current team members.
The early indications are positive. Practices are upbeat and energetic. The atmosphere is healthy. Says Noyd, “It’s actually been awesome. We met them right after Christmas break when we came back. It started right off the bat with spring training. We worked our butts off the whole spring season with 6 a.m. sprints and stuff. Not only were we getting close to the coaches, but with us girls you could feel a bond with the work that we went through. The Boldts have brought that family aspect to our team. That’s pretty cool too.”
Two transfers joined the program in the offseason. Defensive specialist Raymi Marquardt returns to Concordia after beginning her career in Seward before briefly landing elsewhere. Additionally, Iowa Western Community College transfer Kaci Hohenthaner will push for time at setter. Among the freshmen, Morgan Nibbe may be the most decorated. She was named the 2017 Nebraska Class D-2 Player of the Year. The list goes on.
There are a lot of names for precious few spots. Throw in the coaching change factor and the Bulldogs have the feel of a wild card in 2018. It’s difficult to know exactly what to expect. Boldt is not about to make any predictions in regards to on-court success in year one. The goal is work towards building a champion. It doesn’t happen overnight, but Concordia is fixated on the right things: controlling the controllables.
Success will follow. Champs before champs.
“It’s a mentality on the court and off the court,” Boldt said. “What we want to do is instill a championship mentality in these teams. You see teams at the end of the year that win national championships. They’re not talking about winning national championships. They’re talking about being a champion every day from training camp all the way through to the end of the season. That’s the mentality that we want to instill: champs before champs.”
Noyd is taking a cue from her head coach when talking about disregarding preseason rankings. It’s white noise that clouds a picture that is become clearer and clearer.
Says Noyd, “With the polls I try not to think about it, especially the past seasons and how we had a tough time with wins and losses. I try not to think about it. Everything has been so good and we haven’t even started the practices yet. We’ve had talent in the past. Now we’re trying to put it all together and have success on the court. It’s going to be fun to watch this season.”
The Boldt era is slated to begin next Tuesday (Aug. 21) when Concordia welcomes York College to Walz Arena for a 7 p.m. CT first serve. Max Country (104.9) will again serve as the radio home of Bulldog volleyball. Frank Greene will have the call for the season opener.
Bulldogs ready for four matches in season's opening week
Aug. 20, 2018
SEWARD, Neb. – The first week of classes coincides with the opening week of the 2018 season for the Concordia University volleyball program. New head coach Ben Boldt is set to make his Bulldog debut on Tuesday when the program welcomes York College to Walz Arena. Concordia will also venture to Orange City, Iowa, for a trio of weekend matches against additional nonconference foes.
The Concordia Sports Network will debut an improved webcast alongside radio coverage provided by 104.9 Max Country on Tuesday. For live coverage from Orange City, check out Northwestern’s Stretch Internet portal.
This week
- Tuesday vs. York College, 7 p.m. CT
- Friday vs. Waldorf University, 2:30 p.m. CT (Orange City, Iowa)
- Friday vs. Baker University, 8:30 p.m. CT (Orange City, Iowa)
- Saturday vs. MidAmerica Nazarene University, 11 a.m. CT (Orange City, Iowa)
Both squads will be breaking in new head coaches on Tuesday night. York is now led by Crystal Nething, who replaced Erin Freeman. Thus, there are plenty of unknowns on both sides. Some Bulldog fans got an sneak peek at Boldt’s group at last week’s blue-white intrasquad match. At least to open things up, junior Kaci Hohenthaner figures to quarterback Concordia at the setter position. In terms of sheer number of kills, the leading returner attackers are Alex La Plant (247 kills in 2017), Jenna Habegger (219) and Emmie Noyd (176). Now a sophomore, Marissa Hoerman totaled 224 digs in her rookie campaign.
The Bulldogs checked in at No. 8 in the GPAC preseason coaches’ poll, exactly where they finished in 2017. York slotted in at 12th out of 13 teams in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference poll. The Panthers went 6-29 in 2017. Respective 2017 records for the rest of this week’s opponents were 5-27 for Waldorf, 13-19 for Baker and 24-10 for MidAmerica Nazarene. Waldorf is a member of the North Star Athletic Association while Baker and MidAmerica Nazarene both reside in the Heart of America Athletic Conference. Each of this week’s opponents are also still waiting to begin their seasons as of the start of the week.
Two of this week’s contests will be rematches of 2017 clashes. Concordia fell in straight sets to Baker in last year’s season opener. Not long after, the Bulldogs toppled York in four sets. In that victory over the Panthers, La Plant sizzled with 15 kills on 27 swings while Habegger added 11 on 18 attacks.
Concordia will have an extended stay at home next week when it hosts Kansas Wesleyan University on Aug. 29 before staging the Bulldog Bash (Aug. 31 – Sept. 1). Next week’s schedule also features four Bulldog matches.
Bulldogs make quick work of Panthers to open new era
Aug. 21, 2018
SEWARD, Neb. – As far as coaching debuts go, this introduction went about as well as anyone wearing navy blue could have hoped. Head coach Ben Boldt opened up his tenure leading the Concordia University volleyball program by watching his team spray bullets all over the opposition’s side of the court. The end result on Tuesday night (Aug. 21) was a 25-14, 25-11, 25-10, victory over visiting York College.
If you wanted to get real cheesy, you might say the Bulldogs struck the Panthers with a ‘Boldt’ of lightning. We’ll just stick to the facts. Concordia outhit York, .400 to .000, and made it a fairly comfortable night for Ben and wife Angie Boldt, the team’s new top assistant.
“I didn’t know exactly what was going to happen when we put somebody on the other side of the net,” Boldt said. “To be honest, I think those first couple of points, I don’t think our team did either. As the match went on we started to find our groove a little bit there.”
Boldt sprinkled in some familiar faces along with some new ones like setter Kaci Hohenthaner, a transfer from Iowa Western Community College. Though it was her first match working with new teammates, Hohenthaner seemed to have a good feel for how to involve an array of attackers. She dished out 34 assists and aided her squad in a kill advantage of 41-16.
Junior Emmie Noyd led the attack with 10 kills on 16 swings. She was followed closely behind by senior Jenna Habegger (nine kills, 12 attempts), freshman Arleigh Costello (eight kills, 14 attempts) and junior Alex La Plant (seven kills, 15 attempts). The attack especially sizzled in the second set when it hit a preposterous .619. Habegger floored five of her kills during that splurge. The Pawnee City, Neb., native didn’t seem to mind the move from right side to outside hitter.
“It felt super good tonight,” Habegger said. “Since I switched to the right side last year to the outside this year it’s been a little bit of an adjustment. Coach Ben and Angie have been super helpful with what to do. I felt pretty good about tonight. I’m excited for the rest of the season.”
In a match that breezed by in 65 minutes, a nice crowd of students were treated to emphatic kills to slam shut each of the three sets. The impressive rookie Costello did the honors in the first set, then passed the torch to fellow freshman Morgan Nibbe before Noyd closed the night out with her 10th and final kill.
Defensively, Noyd was in on all five of the team’s blocks. When the 6-foot-2 middle wasn’t cleaning up at the net, the back row typically picked up the slack. York (0-1) knocked down only four kills in the dominant third set. Four Bulldogs each chipped in team highs of seven digs: Jenna Eller (team best three aces), Harlie Himmelberg, Hohenthaner and Marissa Hoerman.
On the opposite end, York got four kills apiece from Shiloh Lively and Tori Schindler. The Panthers, 6-29 overall in 2017, also have a new head coach in Crystal Nething.
All in all, it was a good start for Boldt and the Bulldogs. Said Boldt, “My message to them afterwards was it’s a process and we’ll be a different team at the end of the season than we are right now. We took a step today in terms of being able to play somebody else. As the match went on today, some of the things we talked to our players about improved, like our serving.”
Next up on the schedule is this weekend’s Red Raider Classic in Orange City, Iowa. Concordia will play twice on Friday (2:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.) and once on Saturday (11 a.m.). The opponents, in order, will be Waldorf University (Iowa), Baker University (Kan.) and MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.).
Habegger, Bulldogs sweep the day at Red Raider Classic
Aug. 24, 2018
ORANGE CITY, Iowa – The Concordia University volleyball team has passed each of its tests so far. While playing away from home for the first time in 2018, the Bulldogs won in straight sets over both Waldorf University (Iowa) and Baker University (Kan.) at the Red Raider Classic in Orange City, Iowa, on Friday (Aug. 24). Concordia topped Waldorf, 25-19, 25-20, 25-22, and Baker, 26-24, 25-18, 25-17.
First-year head coach Ben Boldt’s squad has won its first nine sets of the season in the process of moving to 3-0. It’s the program’s first 3-0 start to a season since 2015. It’s also worth noting that Baker defeated the Bulldogs in straight sets inside Walz Arena almost exactly a year ago.
Afterwards, Boldt assessed both positives and shortcomings from another early season measuring stick. Said Boldt, “Our reading people on the other side of the net needs to get better, especially defensively. I’d like to see some better blocking numbers. Our digging numbers are all right, but blocking-wise we need to get better. I thought our serving was pretty good. We got them out of system a lot and didn’t have too many service errors. That was a bright spot in my head. Jenna Habegger did a really good job managing games and I was really proud of the way she played.”
A senior from Pawnee City, Neb., Habegger has looked comfortable at outside hitter after playing on the right side for most of her career prior. Over the season’s first three matches, Habegger has totaled 34 kills while hitting a sizzling .414. She put up a combined 25 kills on Friday, including 12 versus Waldorf and 13 versus Baker.
Habegger was part of a cast of characters that helped the Bulldogs rally in the opening set in the night cap against the Wildcats of Baldwin City, Kan. Concordia somehow outlasted Baker in that first set despite 17 Wildcat kills. The work of sophomore Marissa Hoerman in the back row certainly helped the cause. She wound up with 15 digs in the victory.
“Our offense was good, but we let them have 17 kills in the set,” Boldt said. “They were hitting the ball really hard. It was tough to stop them so we had to make some adjustments. It was nice to see us get a gritty win.”
Junior Alex La Plant enjoyed a nice second match in tandem with Habegger. La Plant floored 12 kills on her 27 swings in helping put away Baker. Also on the attack, freshman Arleigh Costello chipped in seven kills in Friday’s opener, which got underway at 2:30 p.m. central time. That attack was again facilitated by setter Kaci Hohenthaner, who has 82 assists over the season’s first three outings.
Boldt also made mention of sophomore Kara Stark, who celebrated a birthday by swatting three kills versus Waldorf. A couple of them came late in sets to help stamp out a potential Warrior rally.
So far, Habegger’s emergence has been the biggest story. Said Boldt, “You can throw a high ball up to her and not worry that she’s going to make an error. With a lot of players, you can throw a high ball and you don’t know where it’s going. She’s getting kills in system and keeping them in play when it’s out of system. She’s doing what we’re asking her to do in terms of managing the game.”
On paper, the weekend’s biggest test will come Saturday. Concordia and MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.) will go head-to-head at 11 a.m. in Orange City. The Pioneers went 24-10 overall in 2017. For live stats of Saturday’s match, click this LINK at game time.
Concordia emerges from Red Raider Classic still unbeaten
Aug. 25, 2018
ORANGE CITY, Iowa – Through four matches, the Concordia University volleyball team has been perfect. After a nip-and-tuck opening set on Saturday (Aug. 25) morning, the Bulldogs dominated the second set in the process of taking care of MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.), 26-24, 25-13, 25-20, in Orange City, Iowa. The victory capped a 3-0 stay on the campus of Northwestern College.
First-year head coach Ben Boldt’s squad also claimed wins over Waldorf University (Iowa) and Baker University (Kan.) on Friday. Concordia has moved to 4-0 on the young season.
“We made a big run towards the end there and before you know it we’re up by about three points going into the 20s,” Boldt said of Saturday’s third set. “It was fun to see us go through some adversity and then come back up and finish off the match. It was a really good win. I felt good about it. We earned our points. They didn’t give us the match.”
With the return of Tara Callahan on Saturday, the Boldts made an adjustment. Kaci Hohenthaner served as the back row setter and Callahan facilitated from the front row. The hope is take advantage of Callahan’s diverse skillset. In her first match of 2018 she put up 15 assists and had a hand in four of the team’s nine blocks. Said Boldt, “We got our system rolling pretty good in the second set.”
That second set saw the emergence of freshman Morgan Nibbe. She pummeled four of her seven kills during that stretch in which the Bulldogs hit a sweltering .400. On the other side of the net, MidAmerica Nazarene went through some offensive struggles, racking up 11 of its 24 attack errors on the day.
As smoothly as the second set went, the first and third sets were just the opposite. The Pioneers had a set point opportunity in the opening set and then jumped out to a 13-4 advantage in the third. Off to a nice start in her senior campaign, Jenna Habegger floored points 25 and 26 of the first set. Defensively, Marissa Hoerman dug in with seven of her match high 14 digs coming in the final set, helping provide a chance for a comeback. Habegger eventually ended the weekend run with her team high 12th kill of the match.
While it’s still early, the 2018 Bulldogs have already done an exceptional job of putting behind the frustrations felt by the 2017 Bulldogs.
Said Boldt, “Our team as a whole is having a lot of fun. When we’re down, our bench mob is the loudest cheering team. They’re in and they’re engaged. They kind of willed us back into this. I was really, really happy with not only how the players on the court responded but also how the entire team responded to adversity.”
Freshman Arleigh Costello continues to succeed on the right side. She hammered nine kills on 14 swings. Junior Alex La Plant also chipped in seven kills. The setting duo of Callahan and Hohenthaner (18 assists) combined for 33 assists. They aided Concordia in outhitting MidAmerica Nazarene, .218 to .093.
The Pioneers, a member of the Heart of America Athletic Conference, got a team best 10 kills from Maria Ayzaguer. MidAmerica Nazarene (1-4) lost each of its four weekend matches against GPAC opponents.
Concordia’s next six matches will all take place inside Walz Arena, where it opened the season with a dominant win over York College. The string of home contests begins on Wednesday (Aug. 29) when Kansas Wesleyan University (3-1) makes a visit to Seward. First serve is set for 7 p.m. CT.
4-0 Bulldogs prepare for home cooking
Aug. 28, 2018
SEWARD, Neb. – Now 4-0 without succumbing in a single set so far this season, the Concordia University volleyball team will get cozy within its home digs this week. The Bulldogs will begin a string of six-straight home matches when action gets underway at 7 p.m. CT on Wednesday when Kansas Wesleyan University will serves as the opponent. Head coach Ben Boldt’s squad will then play three times inside Walz Arena as part of this weekend’s Bulldog Bash.
This week
Wednesday, Aug. 29 vs. Kansas Wesleyan, 7 p.m.
Bulldog Bash
Friday, Aug. 31 | Bethany vs. Valley City State, 3 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 31 | Benedictine vs. Valley City State, 5 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 31 | Concordia vs. Bethany, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 1 | Concordia vs. Valley City State, 11 a.m.
Saturday, Sept. 1 | Benedictine vs. St. Mary, 1 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 1 | St. Mary vs. Valley City State, 3 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 1 | Concordia vs. Benedictine, 5 p.m.
Each of the eight matches listed above will be streamed live via the Concordia Sports Network. Wednesday’s match will also have radio coverage provided by 104.9 Max Country, the radio home of Bulldog athletics.
Concordia has gotten out to its first 4-0 start since the 2015 national tournament squad opened up at 6-0. Boldt’s bunch has stayed unbeaten by using an attack that has ranked as one of the nation’s most efficient thus far. The Bulldogs are hitting .271 (11th best among NAIA teams) while being spurred by breakthrough senior Jenna Habegger, who leads the team with 46 kills and a .374 hitting percentage. Setters Tara Callahan and Kaci Hohenthaner have plenty of other options at their disposal. Freshman Arleigh Costello (29 kills, .345) has already turned some heads with her hard-hitting style and then there are dependable veterans Alex La Plant (30 kills, .247) and Emmie Noyd (23 kills, .283).
Concordia will go all the way until Sept. 13 without playing its first true road match. The Bulldogs did venture outside of Nebraska over the weekend for a trio of neutral contests in Orange City, Iowa, where they knocked off Waldorf University (Iowa), Baker University (Kan.) and MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.). The victory over Baker marked a complete reversal compared to last season’s result when the Wildcats stormed into Walz Arena and left with a straight-sets win in the 2017 season opener. The win over MidAmerica Nazarene may be the most impressive to date. The Pioneers have won at least 20 matches each season since 2010.
Two of this week’s opponents captured more than 20 wins last season: Kansas Wesleyan (26-10) and Benedictine (21-9). Collectively, Concordia’s next four foes are a combined 4-11 in 2018. The Bulldogs and Kansas Wesleyan already have two common opponents. The Coyotes fell in straight sets to MidAmerica Nazarene and defeated York College in four sets. Five teams, including Concordia, make up the field of teams in the third annual Bulldog Bash. The Bulldogs went 7-1 over the first two years of the event.
Concordia will open up conference play next week with home tilts versus College of Saint Mary on Sept. 4 and Mount Marty on Sept. 7. The Bulldogs will also play two nonconference foes at the Five Points Bank Classic hosted by Hastings on Sept. 8 (10 a.m. and 2 p.m.).
Bulldogs trip up Coyotes, move to 5-0
Aug. 29, 2018
SEWARD, Neb. – Lots of wins. Lots of Jenna Habegger kills. The good times roll on in the early going of the 2018 campaign for the Concordia University volleyball team. For the fifth-straight outing, the Bulldogs took care of their opponent in swift fashion. On Wednesday night (Aug. 29), Concordia took out Kansas Wesleyan, 25-19, 25-19, 25-14. The Coyotes (3-3) received votes in the NAIA preseason national poll.
Head coach Ben Boldt’s squad is perfect so far, winning each of its 15 sets in 2018. The Bulldogs are 5-0 with two of those victories coming at home.
“We’ve actually been working on starting fast. We did that today,” Boldt said. “Now we have to work on re-focusing. There were different times in the match where we’re laser focused and then we lose our focus.
“Today our effort was there – the focus was a little bit off. We need to be able to control what we can control, namely our communication. There were a couple hesitation balls on serve receive. We won the blocking game tonight, but I still think our blocking can get better.”
If Boldt sounded like a perfectionist, it’s because he knows what’s coming down the pipe when GPAC competition eventually gets underway. That’s not to say there isn’t a confident and positive vibe within the program. That seemed evident when Concordia jetted out to an 8-1 lead in the opening set. The Coyotes nearly came all the way back, getting within 20-18 before Tara Callahan snuck in a setter attack for what may have been the biggest kill all night. Suddenly, the Bulldogs snapped back into a groove, going on a 5-1 run to end the opening set.
Habegger and freshman Arleigh Costello have been a fun attacking duo to watch on the pins. Habegger again paced the team, this time swatting 13 kills on 28 swings (two errors). Habegger smoldered in the second set when she pelted seven kills while the team hit .424 over that stretch. During that same set, Costello was a perfect 4-for-4 in landing her attacks. The rookie from Gothenburg, Neb., has already proven herself as a lethal weapon.
“The start we’ve had is really, really great,” Costello said. “I love everybody on the team. We’re meshing really well with Ben and Angie and the new staff, so it’s really exciting to see that we’ve do so well so far. Hopefully we can continue it this weekend and on into GPAC play.”
For the second match in row, the Boldts again used both Callahan and Kaci Hohenthaner as setters, though never on the court at the same time. They combined for 33 assists. Hohenthaner even accounted for three of the team’s nine aces. There were times when Concordia left Kansas Wesleyan with no chance to defend, like Marissa Hoerman’s ace that ended the match.
Hoerman’s eight digs were second to Jenna Eller (nine) for the team lead. Sticking with the defensive theme, the Bulldogs out-blocked Kansas Wesleyan, 8-5. Freshman Morgan Nibbe was in on five of those eight blocks.
Kansas Wesleyan is coming off a 26-10 overall mark in 2017. The Coyotes got a team high eight kills from Shaelyn Martin. They were outhit, .295 to .067, and out-killed, 39-26.
Costello and her teammates seem to be on the same page as the coaching staff in terms of what needs improvement before a busy weekend. Said Costello, “As a team, our mental aspect and keeping that focus throughout out the entire match from beginning to end (is what needs improvement). Personally for me, it’s my blocking.”
Concordia will now host the Bulldog Bash this Friday and Saturday. The event will feature a total of seven matches with the Bulldogs playing three times. The schedule can be viewed HERE.
Bulldogs workmanlike in sixth-straight win
Aug. 31, 2018
SEWARD, Neb. – Head coach Ben Boldt and members of the Concordia University volleyball team will admit they’re not perfect, but the results have been so far in 2018. The Bulldogs rode out a few bumps in the road on Friday night (Aug. 31), but ultimately brushed aside visiting Bethany College (Kan.), 25-20, 25-14, 25-17, in the final match of day one at the Bulldog Bash.
Boldt and the program are hosting four other volleyball squads this weekend, including three from the state of Kansas and one from North Dakota. Concordia has checked the first of three boxes in the event and is now 6-0 without a set loss in the early going this season.
“They have good outsides and a really good setter,” Boldt said of Bethany. “Any time you go up against that, you’re going to be in a match. Their serve tonight gave us some fits.
“I thought our focus was pretty good today. We came out on fire again, which was good to see. We had a little bit of a lull in the middle of the first set. We re-focused and I thought that we kept that focus through the match.”
Boldt singled out the team’s passing as a weakness in this particular match, but no one could fault the effort of sophomore Marissa Hoerman in the back row. She piled up a career high 27 digs while helping limit the Swedes (0-7) to a .124 hitting percentage and only 28 kills. Harlie Himmelberg also helped clean up with 12 digs on an evening when the Bulldogs mustered just a pair of blocks.
Hoerman will be a key figure all season for Concordia. Her tenacity will especially come in handy when the Bulldogs go up against the GPAC’s heavy hitters.
“I’m playing a different position. I’m in the middle rather than left back,” Hoerman said. “It’s a little less hard digs and more running around and trying to cover stuff. Our system overall is kind of similar (to last year), it’s just learning to implement what Ben and Angie want in our system – same system, different expectation.”
On the attacking side of things, the Bulldogs have proven to be satisfied with spreading the ball around. Setters Tara Callahan (17 assists) and Kaci Hohenthaner (19 assists, nine digs, three aces) set the middle a lot on Friday. Emmie Noyd pounded a match high 11 kills on 27 swings. Other nice contributions were made by Jenna Habegger (eight kills, .286), Alex La Plant (8 kills) and Kelsey Baarck (six kills, .357).
“It was good to see a couple of things. We made an adjustment with our middles,” Boldt said. “Specifically Emmie, we keep running her on a slide attack where she goes off of one foot. This is the first year that she really runs that. We switched up the set. We went with a quicker set, still going off of one foot, but we made the adjustment there. She just ripped it. That was fun to see.”
The Bulldogs hit .264 with 44 kills on the night. Their attack got more efficient as the night wore on with their hitting percentages going from .217 to .278 to .308 from set to set. Junior Lauren Cope chipped in with a kill in the second set before having to depart with an injury. Sophomore Kara Stark also saw action. She swatted three kills on her six attempts.
The Bulldog Bash will continue on Saturday with Concordia taking on Valley City State University (N.D.) at 11 a.m. and then Benedictine College (Kan.) at 5 p.m.
Depth showcased in perfect run at Bulldog Bash
Sep. 1, 2018
SEWARD, Neb. – While remaining undefeated, the Concordia University volleyball team showed off the depth of its roster on a day when Lauren Cope and Emmie Noyd were sidelined. The Bulldogs were again perfect from a results standpoint, sweeping Valley City State University (N.D.), 25-13, 25-18, 25-22, and Benedictine College (Kan.), 25-22, 25-20, 14, out of Walz Arena as part of the two-day Bulldog Bash (Aug. 31-Sept. 1).
The run of consecutive set victories was put to the test in the opening set of Saturday’s evening match, but head coach Ben Boldt’s squad again pulled through. Concordia is 8-0 for the first time since the 2005 squad won its first 18 matches of the year.
The Bulldogs are a perfect 24-for-24 in sets won. You can’t do it any better, but Boldt is making sure his team stays grounded.
“When we have tempo to our passing and no confusion, it really helps our offense work a lot better,” Boldt said. “If we’re going to do the things that we want to do, we have to have a little more rhythm and tempo to our offense. We’re never perfect.”
Joked Boldt, “I’m not sitting there not thinking of anything for our practice plan. I know what we’re working on.”
The Bulldogs plan to have Noyd back for Tuesday’s GPAC opener. Without her, sophomore Allison Echtenkamp made her first ever appearances in varsity action and freshman Morgan Nibbe performed tremendously in the middle. Nibbe hit .357 versus Valley City State and then .625 against Benedictine while putting up a combined 18 kills and eight blocks on the day. Sophomore Kara Stark also saw extended action and pasted seven kills in the morning victory.
Those contributions made life easier for Boldt, who even limited this season’s leading attacker, Jenna Habegger, to one set of action versus Valley City State. Nibbe rose to the occasion on this particular day.
“At first I was a little worried about how I was going to do because I haven’t been super confident in matches so far,” Nibbe said. “I actually think that really helped me. It made me step up and be the middle that I need to be. I had no doubt that ‘Ech’ was going to come in and do great things for us. I know that Emmie needed rest because we’re going to come up and play some big GPAC teams. We need her for that.”
Nibbe and company looked sharp to open up play in the day’s opening match that got started at 11 a.m. The Bulldogs hit .345 and outclassed the visiting Vikings (2-6), who had nearly as many errors (29) as kills (30). They had trouble getting it past the Concordia front row, which racked up 10 blocks. Nibbe and sophomore Tara Callahan were both in on six of those denials. Valley City State got as close as one point down (23-22) late in the third set before the Bulldogs shut the door. Erica Heinzerling put down set point with a kill.
Concordia had a 13-7 lead in the first set versus Benedictine melt away. The Ravens (3-3) came back to take a 22-21 advantage before order was restored. The Bulldogs rattled off the final four points, including three that came via Benedictine attack errors. Concordia overcame 11 kills by Sara Rahmanzai and outhit the Ravens, .296 to .211.
Marissa Hoerman piled up 26 more digs on Saturday. Jenna Eller added four aces. Meanwhile, Habegger totaled 17 kills.
It’s hard not to be excited about this kind of start, but the Bulldogs will have to quickly refocus for the start of GPAC play next week. Said Nibbe, “I always come back to our process. You don’t look back or really look ahead. We’re right here in the now. You take every game step-by-step. You have to stick where you are and not get ahead of yourself.”
We’re going to look ahead at Tuesday (Sept. 4)’s tilt with College of Saint Mary (8-5). The Flames will be inside Walz Arena for a 7:30 p.m. CT first serve.
8-0 but not overconfident, Bulldogs look forward to GPAC play
Sep. 3, 2018
In between Saturday victories at this past weekend’s Bulldog Bash, members of the Concordia University volleyball team raced out to Bulldog Stadium. The wide grins worn on their faces told the story of what’s been an impressive start to the 2018 season. Seniors Kelsey Baarck and Jenna Habegger did the honors, ringing the massive bell that hangs from the north end zone brick archway.
The undefeated Bulldogs did not want to be left out of the #RingTheBell tradition that began with the football program and was also later adopted by the men’s and women’s soccer programs. The bell signaled yet another victory and helped drown out whatever frustrations may have lingered from a 9-19 campaign in 2017.
But make no mistake, the coaches and players know the biggest challenges lie ahead. Said Boldt, “There have been some moments in there that we have to clean up. Once we start getting into conference play, there are things that have to get shored up before we can compete with the best teams. It’s been nice to see our offense get rolling. Offensively, we’re executing pretty well. Defensively, we need to get better.”
Within the matches, sure, Concordia hasn’t been perfect. However, the results have been. The 8-0 Bulldogs have yet to drop a set. During the GPAC era (2000-present), the Bulldogs had never won eight matches in a row with each of the victories ending in straight sets, until now. When you break new ground, it’s fair to stop and enjoy the moment – even if it is only for a moment.
So far, Concordia has been able to overwhelm its nonconference schedule with superior offensive firepower. The likes of Habegger (84 kills, .333), Alex La Plant (52 kills, .212), Arleigh Costello (.337) and Emmie Noyd (39 kills, .295) and setters Tara Callahan and Kaci Hohenthaner have helped make the Bulldogs one of the NAIA’s most efficient attacks so far. As a team, they rank seventh nationally in hitting percentage (.279). They’re making fewer mistakes than a year ago and taking advantage of the ones made by their foes.
“Every single win has been different for us,” said sophomore defensive specialist Marissa Hoerman. “We’ve kind of been playing at the level of the team on the other side of the net. Like you saw tonight (Aug. 31 vs. Bethany College), there were some good plays and there were some bad plays. Every (match) has felt really different. I’m really looking forward to conference and keeping this going. If we can start with conference wins, it’ll be big.”
Hoerman and her teammates echo a lot of the things that Ben and assistant coach Angie Boldt are saying. The players are staying grounded while constantly being reminded about keeping the focus on the process. If anything, they are downplaying the 8-0 start because there’s an honest belief that the program is not yet where they want it to be.
At the same time, there’s obvious progress taking place for a program that did not record win No. 8 last season until Oct. 21. It’s a starting point for a squad that still has a fair amount of youth with sophomores like Callahan and Hoerman and freshmen Costello and Morgan Nibbe all playing key roles. So far, they have collectively exceeded expectations.
“The start we’ve had is really, really great,” Costello said after a recent match. “I love everybody on the team. We’re meshing really well with Ben and Angie and the new staff. It’s really exciting to see that we’ve done so well so far and hopefully we can continue it on into GPAC play.”
The Boldts have certainly made believers out of their new team. Said Habegger, “Coach Ben and Angie have made it pretty seamless. It was nice that we had them all spring so we kind of got to get used to what they want. Then I think preseason went pretty smoothly too. We’re super excited.”
Concordia will remain at home to kick off GPAC play. It draws College of Saint Mary (8-5, 0-0 GPAC) on Tuesday and Mount Marty (2-3, 0-0 GPAC) on Friday. Before the month is out, the Bulldogs will go through a stretch of six conference matches in a row against squads that were either ranked or receiving votes in the NAIA preseason coaches’ poll. That grueling run will tell us a lot about just how far Concordia has come since it struggled through conference play last season.
Said Nibbe, “I’m pretty confident going in. I know the competition is going to get tougher, but I’m really excited to get that feel of the GPAC and see what everyone’s talking about.”
Right now, people around campus are talking about Concordia volleyball and still trying to figure out what the 8-0 start means. Based on early results, the schedule has been undeniably favorable with five matches at home and three on a neutral court. The Bulldogs won’t face their first true road test until Sept. 13. Still, who would have predicted an 8-0 start?
“Honestly I didn’t exactly know what the competition level was going to be like,” Boldt said. “We’re really just focused on ourselves right now and trying to be a better team. We’re competing against ourselves every time out there. When we approach a match, one of our mentalities is that it’s a nameless, faceless object on the other side of the net. We don’t care who we’re playing. We’re trying to be our best every day.”
At the same time, it’s no crime to ring a giant bell and to have a little fun along the way. Through eight matches, this team has earned the right to feel good about itself. But when practice began on Monday (Sept. 3), it was time to refocus. GPAC play is here. Said Ben Boldt, “We have to continue to focus on fundamentals. We have to be able to stop people and adjust to what they do. We have to stay process-oriented.”
This week
- Tuesday, Sept. 4 vs. College of Saint Mary (8-5, 0-0 GPAC), 7:30 p.m.
- Friday, Sept. 7 vs. Mount Marty (2-3, 0-0 GPAC), 7:30 p.m.
- Saturday, Sept. 8 vs. McPherson (9-0), 10 a.m. (at Hastings)
- Saturday, Sept. 8 vs. Kansas Wesleyan (7-3), 2 p.m. (at Hastings)
Tuesday’s contest will have radio coverage on 104.9 Max Country. Both of this week’s home matches will be streamed live via the Concordia Sports Network. The contests on Saturday will be hosted by Hastings College as part of the Five Points Bank Classic. For live coverage of Saturday’s matches, check out the following link at game time: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/hastings/.
Noyd, Bulldogs outlast CSM in GPAC opener
Sep. 4, 2018
SEWARD, Neb. – The Concordia University volleyball team knew the wins would not come as easily once GPAC play arrived. It took just about everything the Bulldogs had offensively to stave off College of Saint Mary, 25-19, 24-26, 27-25, 23-25, 15-10, inside Walz Arena on Tuesday night (Sept. 4). Junior Emmie Noyd helped will the Bulldogs to victory with a big-time effort in the middle.
First-year head coach Ben Boldt’s squad remains unbeaten at 9-0 overall. For the first time this season Concordia finally dropped a set. It won its first 25 sets of 2018 before being pushed hard by the Flames.
“My thoughts right of the bat is, our offense is good, our defense needs to get better,” Boldt said. “Saint Mary hit the ball really hard, probably harder than any team we’ve played so far. When the ball starts getting hit harder it exposes the strengths of the block. It’s not something that we can’t necessarily handle, it’s just something that we need to think about and being mentally tough on.”
Every top team in the GPAC seems to have that one dominant hitter, if not a second one, that it can count on when it absolutely has to have the next point. Noyd was that player for the Bulldogs on this evening. The Shelby, Neb., native put away a match high 23 kills, including five in the final set. In that fifth game, Noyd pelted point Nos. 1, 2, 11, 12 and 14. Ultimately, match point came on an anticlimactic service error.
Had the serve cleared the net, Noyd would have been ready to deliver one more blow. She was in a groove.
“The coaches in timeout knew that the middles had to step up because they were setting the block well on the pins,” Noyd said. “We knew just knew we had to step up. It just started clicking with the setters.”
An improved College of Saint Mary (8-6, 0-1 GPAC) squad nearly overcame Noyd’s monster night on the strength of its own attack. Dani Carlson (20), Payton Robley (16) and Makenna Freeman (13) each registered double figure kills. Additionally, the Flames had five different players post 10 or more digs and were aided by 13 Concordia service errors.
College of Saint Mary will probably look back at the third set as the one that got away. The Flames led it 20-15 and had a service for set point on two occasions. Down 25-24, Noyd surfaced with a kill. That play was followed by an attack error and then a Morgan Nibbe block to put it away. It was one of many loud Walz moments on the evening.
“They can bring it,” Boldt said of College of Saint Mary. “It was fun to play against that. It was fun to be in that environment and have two-point sets. It allowed us to see what we were made of mentally.”
On the attack, Jenna Habegger added 15 kills (55 attempts) and Alex La Plant hammered 10 (25 swings). Kaci Hohenathaner (31 assists) and Tara Callahan (27 assists) again ran the offense. Blocking was even at eight apiece between the two sides. Concordia outhit the Flames, .291 to .194.
The run of six-straight home matches will conclude on Friday when the Bulldogs host Mount Marty (2-4, 0-1 GPAC) for a 7:30 p.m. CT first serve on Friday. The Lancers also opened up conference play on Tuesday and fell at home to 12th-ranked Dordt in straight sets. Mount Marty’s two wins outside of conference play came against Dickinson State University (N.D.) and Mayville State University (N.D.).
Bulldogs down Mount Marty, move to 10-0
Sep. 7, 2018
SEWARD, Neb. – The Concordia University volleyball team came into Friday (Sept. 7)’s match expecting to capitalize on its clear physical advantage over visiting Mount Marty College. The Bulldogs did just that in continuing to feature an efficient attack. Concordia retained its sparkling unbeaten record by handling the Lancers, 25-16, 25-20, 25-15, inside Walz Arena.
Friday’s victory completed a run of six-consecutive home matches within the friendly Walz atmosphere. First-year head coach Ben Boldt’s squad won all six, dropping just two sets total, and has moved to 10-0 overall and to 2-0 in conference play.
“It was sometimes great, sometimes not,” said Boldt of the latest triumph. “Overall, I was happy with how we finished the match. We were workmanlike so that was good. Defensively, we had nine blocks tonight. What we’re working on is cutting out the seams. We don’t want to be reaching and being weak outside of our body. We want to have our hands out in front of our body and be strong. We did a better job of not reaching. It’s a process.”
Tuesday’s star Emmie Noyd (match high eight kills) was hot again early with three kills right out of the gate in the opening set. The rest of the way Concordia balanced things out by feeding an array of options. The offensive attack did not dominate at all times (.206 hitting percentage), meaning the Bulldogs had to be a bit grittier defensively. Known for her offensive abilities, sophomore setter Tara Callahan is becoming more of a weapon as someone capable of stifling opposing attackers from the front row.
Callahan went on a blocking run during the second set that saw Concordia take full control of the match. It wound up being the ninth straight-sets win of the year for the Bulldogs. Callahan contributed 16 assists, four blocks and three kills.
“The focus tonight was definitely our pin blockers to work outside and move in with the block,” Callahan said. “We did pretty well, but we can definitely improve on that.”
Concordia held the Lancers (2-6, 0-3 GPAC) to below .100 hitting percentages in all three sets. Sophomore defensive specialist Marissa Hoerman again cleaned up in the back row with 17 digs. Four Bulldogs had at least four kills: Noyd, Jenna Habegger (eight), Arleigh Costello (five), Alex La Plant (four) and Morgan Nibbe (four). As the other cog in the setter rotation, Kaci Hohenthaner tossed up 12 assists and added seven digs.
Mount Marty, which has also suffered conference losses at the hands of nationally-ranked Dordt and Midland, got a team high eight kills from Elizabeth Watchorn (eight hitting errors). Maura Lysne registered 14 digs.
The Bulldogs continue a busy weekend on Saturday by playing twice at the Five Point Bank Classic hosted by Hastings College. Concordia will take on McPherson College (Kan.) (11-0) at 10 a.m. CT and then Kansas Wesleyan University (9-3) at 2 p.m. CT. Both matches can be streamed live via Hastings’ Stretch Internet portal.
The morning match will feature two undefeated squads, both with the nickname Bulldogs.
Said Boldt of McPherson, which is receiving votes nationally, “They have good setters, they have good middles, they have good outsides so they’re pretty balanced. They’re going to keep us in a spot where we need to be balanced and solid defensively. I think our offense is going to come to play and I think our defense will too.”
Undefeated run carries through season's third week
Sep. 8, 2018
HASTINGS, Neb. – The confidence is growing by the minute for the Concordia University volleyball program. In a Saturday morning (Sept. 8) battle between two undefeated teams nicknamed the Bulldogs, the squad that calls Seward home got the upper hand over McPherson College (Kan.), 25-17, 25-23, 21-25, 25-19, in action that took place at the Five Points Bank Classic hosted by Hastings College. To cap the weekend, the Bulldogs then defeated Kansas Wesleyan University, 25-20, 21-25, 25-16, 25-23.
If outsiders were going to pinpoint the first potential loss for first-year head coach Ben Boldt’s squad, they may have singled out the McPherson match. McPherson entered the day 11-0 and situated just outside the top 25 in this week’s NAIA national poll. When the dust settled on Saturday, it was Concordia walking away with a sparkling 12-0 record on the season.
“They’re a really balanced team. They can hit the ball hard from all positions,” Boldt said. “It was a good test for our defense. We played very focused and a really good game. I was excited about that. We dropped a set that we probably shouldn’t have. We grinded through it and got it back. It was probably my favorite win of the year so far, just from an execution standpoint and a defensive standpoint.”
To put that victory into even greater perspective, McPherson (12-1) followed up its loss to Concordia by beating 11th-ranked Hastings in five sets in an afternoon clash on Saturday. The morning performance was the start of a good day for senior Jenna Habegger who swatted a match high 17 kills while helping sink McPherson. In the back row, sophomore Marissa Hoerman racked up 32 digs. Emmie Noyd had 13 kills and six blocks. The Bulldogs outhit McPherson, .224 to .164.
In the afternoon, Concordia met up with a Kansas Wesleyan squad that it had beaten in straight sets at home back on Aug. 29. This time around, the Coyotes (9-5) nearly pushed the Bulldogs to a fifth set. However, a kill by freshman Arleigh Costello put it on ice. Costello was one of three Concordia hitters with double-digit kills in the second match. Her 12 kills equaled Habegger and were three behind Emmie Noyd (15) for a match high.
So far this season, offensive efficiency has not been an issue. On this particular day, Boldt liked the steps his team took from a defensive perspective. The Bulldogs posted 15 blocks over the day’s eight sets.
“I thought our block was looking a lot better, especially against McPherson,” Boldt said. “That was fun to see. It just looked better. It looked cleaner. We’re going to keep working on that. Offensively, we’re doing a good job of managing. That’s a strength for us. We’re going to keep working on defense.”
Hoerman added 20 more digs in the second match. Jenna Eller and Tristin Mason both dropped in three aces versus Kansas Wesleyan. The setter combo of Tara Callahan and Kaci Hohenthaner produced a collective total of 103 assists on the day.
The Bulldogs will get back to conference action on Tuesday (Sept. 11) when eighth-ranked Midland (10-2, 2-0 GPAC) visits Walz Arena for a match set for a 7:30 p.m. CT first serve. The contest will be another barometer for how far Concordia has come. In two meetings last season, the Bulldogs fell in straight sets and in four sets while up against the perennial national tournament qualifying Warriors.
Bulldogs put unblemished mark to the test vs. GPAC foes
Sep. 10, 2018
SEWARD, Neb. – Three weeks into the 2018 season, the surprising undefeated run has continued for the Concordia University volleyball team. Now comes the most marquee home match of the season to date. The Bulldogs will welcome eighth-ranked Midland (10-2, 2-0 GPAC), the GPAC’s highest rated team, to Walz Arena on Tuesday. Concordia also faces its first true road match of the season on Thursday when it makes a trip to Morningside (5-5, 0-1 GPAC).
This week
Tuesday, Sept. 11 vs. No. 8 Midland, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 13 at Morningside, 7:30 p.m.
Both of this week’s matches will be carried live by 104.9 Max Country. The Concordia Sports Network will also have live coverage of Tuesday’s home match.
Head coach Ben Boldt’s squad helped legitimize its sparkling record last week by earning four more wins. The victims were conference rivals College of Saint Mary and Mount Marty and Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference foes McPherson College (Kan.) and Kansas Wesleyan University. Considering records and rankings, the victory over McPherson (12-1) on Sept. 8 stood out as particularly noteworthy. McPherson entered the match unbeaten and later in the day upset 11th-ranked Hastings in five sets. McPherson and Kansas Wesleyan are the first and third rated teams, respectively, in the KCAC. The Bulldogs are one of seven remaining undefeated teams in NAIA volleyball.
Individually, junior Emmie Noyd shined last week in the middle. Over the four most recent wins, Noyd went for 59 kills and 14 blocks while hitting .336. Her 23 kills in the five-set win over College of Saint Mary represented a career high. From the back row, sophomore Marissa Hoerman enjoyed a big week of her own. She averaged 5.5 digs per set (88 total digs). Her 32 digs in the win over McPherson were a career best. Both have been key figures in allowing the Bulldogs to outhit their opponents, .260 to .125, this season. Concordia’s hitting percentage ranks 10th best nationally.
Midland is known for having impressive attacking teams of its own. The Bulldogs will have their hands full with senior middle Priscilla O’Dowd, who currently leads the nation in hitting percentage (.505). Head coach Paul Giesselmann, in his ninth season at Midland, returned both of his 2017 first team All-GPAC performers in O’Dowd and setter Jessica Peters. They are the headliners for a team that has won matches over then third-ranked Missouri Baptist University and then 23rd-ranked Ottawa University (Kan.). Both of the Warrior losses have come against foes ranked inside the top 10 nationally.
Morningside received votes nationally in the preseason following a national tournament qualification in 2017. The Mustangs fell in straight sets to Midland in their GPAC opener last week. Morningside employs a solid middle in Emma Gerber, the team’s leader in kills (117) and hitting percentage (.306). Fourth-year head coach Beth Donnelly has helped quickly lift up the program after it endured an 8-20 overall record in 2015.
It will be GPAC play the rest of the regular season for Concordia. Next week the Bulldogs will host No. 22 Doane on Tuesday, Sept. 18, play at No. 11 Hastings on Thursday, Sept. 20 and then host No. 16 Northwestern on Saturday, Sept. 22.
Hoerman, Noyd honored by GPAC after 4-0 week
Sep. 11, 2018
SEWARD, Neb. – Two key figures in the 12-0 start for the Concordia University volleyball team picked up well-earned recognition on Tuesday (Sept. 11). The conference tabbed junior Emmie Noyd the GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Volleyball Attacker of the Week and sophomore Marissa Hoerman the GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Volleyball Defender of the Week. They are the first Bulldogs this season to garner GPAC weekly awards.
Noyd and Hoerman were lauded for their work in the team’s wins last week over College of Saint Mary, Mount Marty, McPherson College (Kan.) and Kansas Wesleyan University. During that stretch, Noyd (Shelby, Neb.) starred in the middle, posting a combined 59 kills and 14 blocks in 16 sets of action. She put together one of the best performances of her career versus College of Saint Mary when she racked up a career high 23 kills and hit .600 for the match. She also floored 13 kills and six blocks in the victory over McPherson, a team rated No. 1 in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference. On the season, Noyd is hitting .319 with 98 kills and 35 blocks (34 sets).
A native of Evergreen, Colo., Hoerman is a scrapper in the back row. She elevated her production last week, going for 88 digs over 16 sets (5.5 per set) while the Bulldogs held each of their four opponents to hitting percentages below .200. Hoerman’s 32 digs in the win over McPherson represented a career high. On the season, Hoerman tops Concordia with 197 digs. She has passed serve receive at 96.3 percent clip and has added nine service aces.
Noyd, Hoerman and the rest of the Bulldogs have a much anticipated home showdown coming up tonight (Sept. 11) versus No. 8 Midland (10-2, 2-0 GPAC). First serve is set for 7:30 p.m. CT.
Bulldogs push No. 8 Midland, fall for first time
Sep. 11, 2018
SEWARD, Neb. – That second set was a treat for fans of the Concordia University volleyball team. There were some stunned looks on the other side of the net during a stretch of nine Bulldog points in a row. But battle-tested and eighth-ranked Midland responded by elevating its energy level. The Warriors eventually escaped Walz Arena with a 25-19, 15-25, 25-18, 30-28, after surviving a fourth set that could have gone either way.
This is a new feeling for first-year head coach Ben Boldt’s squad, which began the week still undefeated. Concordia is now 12-1 overall and 2-1 in conference play.
“We did a good job there of coming back and competing,” Boldt said. “But I think we left a lot of points on the table. There is a lot that we need to clean up. Overall, I told them, ‘Way to compete.’ It’s a journey. It’s a process. We’re not going to get there overnight. I was happy with their effort.”
The Bulldogs likely had Midland’s respect after that second set. Only one other time this season had the Warriors (11-2, 3-0 GPAC) dropped a set by a double-digit point spread. A narrow 13-11 Concordia lead in that set ballooned to a 22-11 advantage. Concordia point Nos. 15, 16 and 17 came on blocks that occurred on the first Midland attack of those rallies, with Jenna Habegger and Emmie Noyd doing the honors. Kaylie Dengel dropped in ace for the final point of the nine-point string.
Exactly what the Warriors didn’t want was happening – Walz was suddenly on fire and the underdog was believing that an upset was possible. Star Priscilla O’Dowd and Midland regrouped and stemmed the tide impressively in the third set.
Who knows how the night would have turned out had the Bulldogs made just one more play in that fourth set. Sure the Boldts see areas of the team’s game that could use some fine-tuning, but competitive fire wasn’t one of them. Down 20-13, Concordia inserted sophomore Kara Stark into the lineup, seemingly igniting a spark. She immediately put down a kill – and it was on. The Bulldogs rallied all the way back to take a 26-25 lead on Alex La Plant’s kill. Tense moment after tense moment ensued until Taylor Peterson’s kill landed for match point and silenced Walz, and the upset bid.
Boldt credited Midland with winning the serve and pass battle on this night. It’s also not easy to hang with Midland’s array of hitters. Though O’Dowd (11 kills on 25 swings) comes with the most acclaim, Sydney Morehouse (14 kills, .650) did the most damage on this night. The Warriors held advantages of 57-45 in kills, .219 to .188 in hitting percentage and 10-9 in blocks. Midland possesses a first team All-GPAC setter in Jessica Peters (45 assists).
The Bulldogs were led by eight kills apiece from Arleigh Costello, Habegger and Noyd (five blocks). Kaci Hohenthaner (21 assists) and Marissa Hoerman (17 digs) were also statistical leaders for Concordia.
In their final match of the week, the Bulldogs will play a true road match for the first time in 2018 (eight home, five neutral to this point). Bound for Sioux City, Iowa, on Thursday, Concordia will play at Morningside (6-5, 1-1 GPAC) in a match set for a 7:30 p.m. CT varsity first serve. 104.9 Max Country will again have coverage. The Mustangs defeated No. 22 Doane in straight sets on Tuesday.
Rally comes up short at Morningside
Sep. 13, 2018
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – For the first time this season, the Concordia University volleyball team went into hostile territory, more specifically the Rosen Verdoor Sports Center in Sioux City, Iowa. A slow start doomed the Bulldogs on this particular night. Host Morningside then held off the Concordia comeback effort, winning, 25-17, 25-15, 23-25, 25-23, on Thursday night (Sept. 13).
For the second-straight GPAC match, first-year head coach Ben Boldt’s squad narrowly missed out on forcing a fifth set. The Bulldogs (12-2, 2-2 GPAC) also fell in four at the hands of No. 8 Midland on Tuesday.
Said Boldt, “I didn’t think we were ready to compete right off the bat. I think we did a good job responding. That was encouraging to see, but you have to have your full attention on everybody in the GPAC. What I told them afterwards is, as long as we learn that lesson then this loss is fine. We fought, we made an adjustment and we were competing. Coming away it kind of feels like we left one out there. We need to learn and get better.”
Concordia seemed to feel a sense of urgency in the third set. During that stretch, senior Jenna Habegger pummeled five of her team high 14 kills. The Bulldogs even withstood a push from the Mustangs (7-5, 2-1 GPAC), who came back to tie the set after being down 17-13. Emmie Noyd ensured that the action would continue by flooring a kill for set point (assist Kaci Hohenthaner).
The fourth set was also anybody’s contest. It was tied 23-23 after Habegger’s final kill of the night. A kill by Krista Zenk and a Concordia attack error moved Morningside to the winner’s circle. Zenk (13 kills) was one of four Mustangs with double-digit kill totals. She joined Caitlin Makovicka (16), Emma Gerber (13) and Brittni Olson (12 kills, five blocks) in that category.
Those four, along with setter Callie Alberico (50 assists), had the Morningside offense humming in the first two sets. The Mustangs took control of the match by hitting .300 in the first set and .318 in the second. They ultimately outhit Concordia, .239 to .158, and held a 65-48 advantage in kills. The two sides were dead even in blocks (7-7).
“Reflecting on this, it’s a tough loss,” Boldt said. “We’re going to have good matches. We’re going to have bad matches. As long as we keep fighting, that’s what we’re preaching for them to do. Next week is going to be just as tough. I’m hoping this first round of the GPAC is eye opening for the young players and our team in general. Learning how to compete and get over the hump is going to be something that we’re going to get tested on every night.”
Noyd, named GPAC Attacker of the Week on Tuesday, enjoyed a solid night in the middle. She finished with 10 kills and four blocks while hitting .435. Sophomore Kara Stark saw extended playing time and chipped in eight kills on 31 attacks. Freshman Arleigh Costello also totaled eight kills. Tara Callahan (23 assists) and Hohenthaner (19 assists) combined for 42 assists. Reigning GPAC Defensive Player of the Week Marissa Hoerman added 26 digs.
The Bulldogs will be off this weekend. Their next match will be Tuesday, Sept. 18 when they host No. 22 Doane (7-7, 0-2 GPAC). The Tigers have suffered GPAC losses on the road against 11th-ranked Hastings and Morningside. Concordia hopes to snap a five-match series losing streak versus Doane.
Bulldogs prepping for challenging week in the GPAC
Sep. 17, 2018
SEWARD, Neb. – A challenging five-day stretch is on the immediate horizon for the Concordia University volleyball team. After having the weekend off, the Bulldogs will be back in action on Tuesday to host Doane. Concordia will also play nationally-ranked teams on Thursday and Saturday as the schedule continues to ramp up in difficulty level.
This week
Tuesday, Sept. 18 vs. No. 22 Doane (8-7, 1-1 GPAC)
Thursday, Sept. 20 at No. 11 Hastings (8-2, 3-0 GPAC)
Saturday, Sept. 22 vs. No. 16 Northwestern (11-4, 2-1 GPAC)
Both home matches this week will be streamed live via the Concordia Sports Network. Thursday’s match at Hastings can be viewed via Stretch Internet. The Tuesday and Thursday matches will be featured on 104.9 Max Country radio.
The last time out, first-year head coach Ben Boldt’s squad fell in four sets at Morningside. Just like the loss two days earlier to eighth-ranked Midland, Concordia dropped the fourth set by a two-point margin. Thus, the Bulldogs continue to seek a signature GPAC win over a ranked opponent. Based on the current polls, Concordia’s most impressive win remains its four-set triumph over McPherson College (Kan.) (14-1), a squad that continues to be rated as the No. 1 team in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference. The Bulldogs also own two victories over Kansas Wesleyan University, the KCAC’s third-ranked team.
The loss to Midland snapped a 12-match win streak to open up the season and was also Concordia’s first home defeat in eight matches at Walz Arena this season. Going back to last year, the Bulldogs are 11-2 over their last 13 home matches. The 12-0 start to this season marked the best unbeaten run for a Concordia team since it opened up at 18-0 in 2005 when it was led by then head coach Rachel Miller.
Despite last week’s results, the Bulldogs have won 38 of 48 sets played this season. Concordia has been paced on the attack by the likes of outside hitter Jenna Habegger (159 kills, .271) and middle Emmie Noyd (116 kills, .317). Sophomore Marissa Hoerman (4.88 digs per set), named GPAC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 11, continues to clean up in the back row. Tara Callahan (212 assists, 33 kills) and Kaci Hohenthaner (302 assists, 16 aces) provide a diverse set of skills at the setter position.
Situated at No. 8 in this week’s official GPAC ratings, Concordia comes in behind each of this week’s opponents – Doane (seventh), Hastings (third) and Northwestern (fourth). Doane picked up its first GPAC win of the season by holding off College of Saint Mary in five sets this past weekend. Hastings has yet to suffer a conference loss having beaten Doane, College of Saint Mary and Morningside. Northwestern has topped Briar Cliff and Jamestown and lost in four sets at Dordt. The Red Raiders again have a powerful attack. They rank seventh nationally in hitting percentage (.276). National champions in 2016, the Broncos currently rank ninth in the NAIA in blocks per set (2.42) behind one of the nation’s best blockers in Emily Lenners (1.37 blocks per set).
The Bulldogs will have some time off after the weekend. Next week’s schedule will have Concordia traveling to Jamestown for a match on Friday, Sept. 28. The next day the Bulldogs will be at Dakota Wesleyan.
Concordia struggles with Doane attack in four-set defeat
Sep. 18, 2018
SEWARD, Neb. – Head coach Ben Boldt has talked about his team now learning how to win in the rugged GPAC. It’s still a process. After taking the first set, the Concordia University volleyball team struggled to contain Doane’s attack the rest of the way. The visiting Tigers walked away from Walz Arena with a 21-25, 25-20, 25-22, 25-19, victory.
Boldt’s squad has dropped three conference matches in a row, all in four sets. The Bulldogs now stand at 12-3 overall and 2-3 in conference play.
“We came into this wanting to learn from the Morningside match,” Boldt said. “We need to compete better. Going into Thursday (at Hastings) we know we have to continue to keep our minds process-oriented and focusing on what we need to do. We need to embrace the mentality of being the woman. Go and be the woman. There were times during timeouts when I was looking into their eyes and I didn’t see the be-the-woman mentality. I want them to want the ball. We’re going to get that person the ball.”
Junior Alex La Plant seemed to be that person down the stretch of the first set. She floored kills for point Nos. 22, 23 and 24 in pushing Concordia into the lead. The Bulldogs had trailed 18-13 before going on a run of six points in a row. Doane hit .139 in the opening set, not necessarily foreshadowing what was to come.
Concordia notched a respectable 12 blocks, but that doesn’t come close to telling the entire story. The Tigers’ Madison VanHousen put an exclamation mark on her team’s victory by blistering six of her 18 kills in the fourth set that saw Doane (9-7, 2-2 GPAC) hit .378 with 19 kills. Prolific outside hitter Allison Kuenle added 20 kills and middle Alexis Dale pounded 14 kills while hitting .391. They were facilitated by setter Sarah Klobuchar (51 assists).
Those individuals helped the Tigers dictate the match through the final three sets. In the end, Doane outhit the Bulldogs, .243 to .121, and held advantages of 65-33 in kills and 69-51 in digs. The Tigers smashed 52 kills over the second, third and fourth sets. Their impressive play on the attack allowed them to overcome 18 service errors and 29 attack errors.
Concordia let a chance to take the upper hand in the third set slip away. The Bulldogs let it 21-15 and then watched Doane go on a 10-1 run to end the set. Concordia did not have the firepower on this night to keep up. It did not register double-digit kills in any of the final three sets.
Junior Emmie Noyd led the Bulldogs with 12 kills on .296 hitting. Noyd was also in on six blocks. Jenna Habegger added eight kills and La Plant posted seven. Jenna Eller topped the team with 15 digs.
A challenging week will continue on Thursday when the Bulldogs visit 13th-ranked Hastings (8-3, 3-1 GPAC) for a 7:30 p.m. CT match inside Lynn Farrell Arena. The Broncos, 2016 NAIA national champions, have defeated Concordia in each of the last six series meetings. They dropped their first conference match, in five sets, at No. 7 Midland on Tuesday.
Bulldogs fall in four in battle at 13th-ranked Hastings
Sep. 20, 2018
HASTINGS, Neb. – On most nights on the road in the GPAC, it’s going to take your absolute best to emerge with a victory. It seems as if the Concordia University volleyball team is getting closer to figuring out how to pull out one of those signature conference wins. A triumph at 2016 national champion Hastings on Thursday night (Sept. 20) would have raised some eyebrows, but the host Broncos were too much in a 25-21, 22-25, 25-22, 25-20 decision that unfolded inside Lynn Farrell Arena.
First-year head coach Ben Boldt’s squad has dropped four in a row, but progress can be measured in ways that go beyond wins and losses. Thursday’s performance marked a step forward for the Bulldogs (12-4, 2-4 GPAC), as compared to Tuesday’s home loss to Doane.
“I thought we played a better game than we did on Tuesday,” Boldt said. “We were competing. We blocked well. Our defense was decent. We made some good adjustments. We lost the serve and pass battle. They served tougher than we passed. I think that was the story of the game.”
Concordia put some pressure on Hastings (9-3, 4-1 GPAC) by taking the second set. During that stretch, the Bulldogs mustered their best work on the attack, hitting .387 with four kills coming from Jenna Habegger and another three delivered by Emmie Noyd. Sophomore Kara Stark ended the second set with a kill to end any hope the Broncos had of making Thursday’s match a quick one.
Concordia made the third set a nailbiter and trailed it by just one (23-22) late in the action. The Bulldogs also jumped out to a 7-2 advantage in the fourth set. That fourth set has been a tough hurdle so far in conference play. But up against a team that went 12-1 at home in 2017, Concordia is going to put this one into proper perspective.
“I was much happier with tonight’s performance,” Boldt said. “We have to refocus and get right back at Northwestern. For us, our belief is coming. Right now we’re in a tough stretch, but I like how we’re progressing as a team.”
Hastings entered the evening as one of the top 10 blocking teams in the nation (2.47 per set). The Bulldogs were even with the Broncos in blocks (9-9). Superior passing helped Hastings earn advantages of 57-44 in kills and .194 to .168 in hitting percentage. Lucy Skoch put down a match high 12 kills for the Victors. Claira Thede dropped in four of the nine Bronco aces.
Stark has factored more and more into the equation for Concordia of late. She had a career high 11 kills on Thursday. Noyd was the team’s most efficient attacker, hitting .474 with nine kills. Freshman Morgan Nibbe was in on five of the team’s nine blocks. Marissa Hoerman led the Bulldogs with 12 digs.
Another ranked conference opponent is coming up on Saturday when the Bulldogs will be back inside Walz Arena for homecoming Saturday. Concordia will welcome No. 15 Northwestern (13-4, 4-1 GPAC) to Seward for a 5 p.m. CT first serve. On Thursday, the Red Raiders protected their home court with a straight-sets win over Dakota Wesleyan.
Third-set firepower not enough in home loss to No. 15 Northwestern
Sep. 22, 2018
SEWARD, Neb. – A gauntlet of a week wrapped up on Saturday (Sept. 22) for the Concordia University volleyball program. The Bulldogs played three times in five days with two matches coming against GPAC opponents ranked inside the NAIA’s top 15. The learning process continued on homecoming with No. 15 Northwestern swooping into Walz Arena and leaving with a 25-23, 25-19, 28-26, victory.
After a 12-0 start, first-year head coach Ben Boldt’s squad has dropped five in a row while going up against competition from the NAIA’s toughest league. Concordia now stands at 12-5 overall and at 2-5 in GPAC play.
“We had 21 kills in that third set. That is what I want to see,” Boldt said. “Our blocking was good in those first two sets, but we weren’t killing the ball. It’s good to see us make the adjustment in that third set.
“Here’s what I told the team afterwards. ‘Here’s a hump. Here’s us. We need to get over the hump.’ Once we find that mentality, we’re going to be there. We’re just not there yet.”
Boldt went on to reference a tweet by former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz, who detailed the stages a team goes through on the road to becoming a champion. Concordia is still in the stage of learning how to win against the big dogs of the GPAC. The third set on Saturday may have been a start. The Bulldogs trailed it 24-20 at one point, but came back to tie, 25-25 and 26-26, before dropping another nailbiter of a set.
That third set featured an offensive clinic run by both squads. Concordia somehow lost it despite hitting .488 with 21 kills and no errors. The Red Raiders (14-4, 5-1 GPAC) met the challenge by hitting .396 with 23 kills and just four errors in the third set. During that stretch, senior outside hitter Lauryn Hilger went off with seven of her match high 17 kills.
Northwestern outhit the Bulldogs, .257 to .202, and out-killed them, 50-37. Concordia owned a 9-5 advantage in blocks. Individually, sophomore Kara Stark led the Bulldogs with 10 kills on 26 attempts. Emmie Noyd blasted seven kills and added three blocks while Jenna Eller topped the team with 10 digs. Concordia heated up in the third set by getting the ball more frequently to Noyd and Morgan Nibbe (seven kills, .308) in the middle.
Northwestern is a difficult team to handle. The Red Raiders entered the day with national rankings of third in kills per set (14.2) and sixth in hitting percentage (.286). Facilitated by setter Lacey Wacker (42 assists), Northwestern again got the upper hand on the attack. Josie Blankespoor chipped in 10 kills.
Though the Bulldogs ended the week with losses at No. 13 Hastings on Thursday and to No. 15 Northwestern on Saturday, they are getting closer. Said Boldt, “We were flat against Doane (on Tuesday). After that we made an adjustment in practice. Even though it was a gauntlet of a week, we went hard in practice. We’re learning how to take big swings in big moments.”
The Bulldogs will be idle for nearly a week now before returning to action on Friday, Sept. 28 with a road contest at Jamestown (12-3, 4-2 GPAC) as part of a journey to the Dakotas. Concordia will also play at Dakota Wesleyan (11-6, 1-5 GPAC) the following day. The Friday match is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. CT.
Bulldogs bound for weekend trip to Dakotas
Sep. 27, 2018
SEWARD, Neb. – Idle since last week’s match with 15th-ranked Northwestern, the Concordia University volleyball team is getting set for some quality time on the road. The Bulldogs will depart Thursday afternoon, destined for Jamestown, N.D., as part of a Dakota weekend swing. Conference play continues with matches at Jamestown on Friday night and at Dakota Wesleyan on Saturday afternoon.
This week
Friday, Sept. 28 at Jamestown (13-3, 4-2 GPAC), 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 29 at Dakota Wesleyan (11-7, 1-5 GPAC), 3 p.m.
Stretch Internet will be the host for live streams on both Friday and Saturday. Click the links below at game time in order to watch the matches live.
-Jamestown Stretch Internet portal
-Dakota Wesleyan Stretch Internet portal
First-year head coach Ben Boldt’s squad has dropped five in a row, including three against GPAC opponents currently ranked in the NAIA coaches’ top 25 poll. While Concordia (12-5, 2-5 GPAC) is looking for its first win since Sept. 8, there were positive signs in the third set of last week’s loss to the Red Raiders. During that stretch, the Bulldogs hit .488 with 21 kills and no errors in showing how dangerous their offensive attack can look against even the elite teams in the nation. Led by the likes of middle Emmie Noyd, Concordia ranks 20th nationally in hitting percentage (.230).
A native of Shelby, Neb., Noyd continues to be the team’s most reliable attacking option. During last week’s gauntlet that included three matches in five days (vs. Doane, at No. 13 Hastings, vs. No. 15 Northwestern), Noyd paced the Bulldogs with 28 combined kills while hitting .329. Noyd ranks 31st nationally with her season hitting percentage of .319. Noyd is also an important factor in an area that has been trending positively – the team’s blocking. Concordia has moved to 21st in the NAIA in blocks per set (2.20). Three regulars on the court average at least 0.5 blocks per set: Noyd (1.06), sophomore Tara Callahan (0.80) and freshman Morgan Nibbe (0.68).
A victory at Jamestown would give the Bulldogs something to build upon. The GPAC’s newest member is the conference’s No. 5 team, according to the most recent official GPAC rankings. The Jimmies were situated just outside the top 25 poll that was released on Sept. 18. Statistically, Jamestown has been a strong defensive team. It sports national rankings of 12th in blocks per set (2.44) and 29th in digs per set (17.77). Opposing teams have hit .135 against the Jimmies. Jamestown has one of the NAIA’s top five individuals in both digs per set (Julina Niemeier) and blocks per set (Britta Knudson).
Dakota Wesleyan got out to a 9-0 start to the season before running into Jamestown on Sept. 4 in what amounted to a four-set win for the Jimmies. The Tigers picked up their lone GPAC win so far by knocking off Mount Marty in straight sets on Sept. 13. Dakota Wesleyan outside hitter Rebecca Frick currently ranks second among GPAC players with an average of 4.5 kills per set. The Tigers rank 11th in the NAIA in digs per set (18.75).
Concordia also has a light week coming up with only a home match with Briar Cliff (Friday, Oct. 5) in the immediate future. After this weekend, just seven matches will remain on the regular-season schedule.
Concordia opens Dakota swing with loss at Jamestown
Sep. 28, 2018
JAMESTOWN, N.D. – One of these times, the Concordia University volleyball team is going to get one. It just wasn’t tonight. In the first Bulldog foray inside Newman Arena, the host proved too much. Situated just outside the NAIA top 25, Jamestown came away with the victory, 25-21, 25-17, 25-21, on Friday night (Sept. 28) in Jamestown, N.D., more than an eight-hour drive north of Seward.
First-year head coach Ben Boldt and his staff have preached the need to finish sets. Most disappointing on this particular outing was the inability to hold a 19-11 advantage in the third set. Concordia has slipped to 12-6 overall and to 2-6 in conference play.
“We got stuck in a side-out rotation in the third set and Jamestown didn’t make any errors,” Boldt said. “We were up in the third and couldn’t put it away. Give credit to Jamestown for playing a physical game at the net.”
The Jimmies (14-3, 5-2 GPAC) were just better on Friday night. Known as one of the nation’s top defensive teams, Jamestown had nine blocks to Concordia’s three. The Jimmies also had the most effective attacker in the match. Kennedy Conzemius floored 10 kills while hitting .357. As a team, Jamestown outhit the Bulldogs, .237 to .140.
Jenna Habegger and Emmie Noyd both slammed three kills during the third set that saw the Bulldogs get out to a quick 5-0 lead. They were seemingly in command after a Noyd kill and a Jimmie attack error made it 19-11. It was tough sledding the rest of the way. Jamestown put away seven kills spurred by setter Jackie Meiklejohn during the stretch run of the third set. It ended with a kill by Kori Buchanan.
Habegger and Noyd shared the team high with seven kills apiece. Kayle Dengel (13) and Marissa Hoerman (12) were neck and neck for most digs. Tara Callahan put up 19 assists while again splitting the setter role with Kaci Hohenthaner.
The Bulldogs made their way to Jamestown on Thursday as part of their weekend road trip. The team stopped at L’Amour Elementary in Jamestown to interact with local youth students prior to Friday’s first serve. The travel party will relocate to South Dakota tonight for the last leg of the journey.
The Dakota weekend swing will continue on Saturday when the Bulldogs will be at Dakota Wesleyan (11-8, 1-6 GPAC) in Mitchell, S.D. First serve is set for 3 p.m. CT. The Tigers were also in action on Friday night with the result being a straight-sets home loss to seventh-ranked Midland.
Baarck provides spark in defeat at DWU
Sep. 29, 2018
MITCHELL, S.D. – On the scoreboard, it did not go the way of Concordia University volleyball on the team’s weekend getaway to the Dakotas. After falling in straight sets at Jamestown on Friday, the Bulldogs returned to action Saturday (Sept. 29) at Dakota Wesleyan. Behind outside hitter Rebecca Frick, the host Tigers put Concordia away in four, 25-23, 24-26, 25-16, 25-18, in Mitchell, S.D.
Nothing has been easy in conference play for first-year head coach Ben Boldt’s squad. The Bulldogs have dropped seven in a row and now sport records of 12-7 overall and 2-7 in conference play.
“We are still trying to figure out a way to win,” Boldt said. “Our serving game needs to get a lot better. We had three aces to 10 errors. We need to be serving more aggressively, yet keeping the ball in play. That’s something we’re going to focus on moving forward. We out-dug them, so our defense was there. Our block was good at times and our offense was good at times. I really think the serve and pass game is what we need to keep focusing on.”
Senior Kelsey Baarck saw the most action of her season to date. She converted kills on 11 of her 22 attacks while providing a spark off the bench. She hit .409 in perhaps the best match of her career as a Bulldog. Baarck is in her second season at Concordia after transferring from Mott Community College.
“She came in and gave us a really nice spark,” Boldt said. “She really hit the ball hard tonight. I was proud of her. She brought some good life to the team.”
Dakota Wesleyan (12-8, 2-6 GPAC) was up to the task on the other side of the net. The Tigers were also hungry for a win having dropped their previous five matches. Frick pounded out 22 kills (57 attempts) and Emily Brunsing was in on 10 of the team’s 14 blocks (compared to six blocks for the Bulldogs). Spurred by setter Bridgett Knobbe (44 assists), Dakota Wesleyan hit a rock solid .295. Meanwhile, Concordia hit .184 though it actually had more kills than the Tigers (57-52).
Baarck was not the only Bulldog that lived it up from an attacking perspective. Senior Emmie Noyd drilled 18 kills while hitting .406. Additionally, sophomore Kara Stark went for 14 kills (.333) from the outside. Sophomore Tara Callahan (45 assists, nine digs) took the lion’s share of the setting opportunities. Alex La Plant paced the team with 14 digs and Noyd added four block assists.
Dakota Wesleyan also put three players in double figures under the kills column. In addition to Frick’s big afternoon, Chelsey Heeg chipped in 12 kills and Brunsing put up 10. The Tigers dropped in two service aces and had six service errors.
While Concordia will return home without a victory on the road trip, it made an impact upon many young students at L’Amour Elementary, where the team visited in Jamestown, N.D., on Friday.
“They were very welcoming to us,” Boldt said. “I think our players learn just as much as the elementary kids did. We were in a class that was teaching robotics to kids. That was one of the things we did. Creating relationships with the next generation is what that’s all about. Our players really engaged with them. It was a great experience for our team – and the elementary kids came to our match at Jamestown that night.”
The Bulldogs will now be idle until Friday (Oct. 5) when they welcome Briar Cliff (9-7, 3-4 GPAC) to Walz Arena for a 7:30 p.m. CT first serve. Concordia has gone 7-3 at home this season with all three defeats coming within conference play. In Saturday’s action, the Chargers went head-to-head with Morningside in a match that got started at 7 p.m.
Bulldogs welcome Briar Cliff for camper reunion night
Oct. 4, 2018
SEWARD, Neb. – In this week’s only action, the Concordia University volleyball team is getting set to play at home for the first time since Sept. 22. The Bulldogs will host Briar Cliff at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. First-year head coach Ben Boldt’s squad has been idle since last weekend’s trip to the Dakotas that resulted in losses at Jamestown and at Dakota Wesleyan.
The Friday match will be streamed live via the Concordia Sports Network with Frank Greene on the call. The program is offering free admission to any summer camp attendees who wear their Concordia volleyball camp shirt to the match. It has been dubbed Camper Reunion Night at Walz Arena.
Boldt has been pleased with the positivity in recent practices despite a seven-match skid. During that stretch, the Bulldogs have gone up against many of the conference’s top rated teams. The string of defeats means that it will be a battle for the final spots in the GPAC tournament. Concordia (12-7, 2-7 GPAC) is just behind three teams currently tied for eighth place: College of Saint Mary (2-6), Dakota Wesleyan (2-6) and Doane (2-6). The top eight amongst the 12 GPAC volleyball programs earn bids in the conference tournament.
Junior Emmie Noyd has continued to “be the woman,” as Boldt likes to put it. Noyd was named the Bulldog Athletic Association Athlete of the Month of September on Wednesday. She enters Friday’s match ranked 27th nationally with a hitting percentage of .323. She’s the leader for an offensive attack that ranks No. 28 in the NAIA in hitting percentage (.222). In terms of kills per set, Concordia’s top hitters are Jenna Habegger (3.11), Noyd (2.82), Arleigh Costello (1.95) and Alex La Plant (1.86).
Boldt believes improvement in the team’s serve and pass games will be a key factor in making a push down the stretch of the conference season. The little things could be the difference in getting the Bulldogs over the hump. Concordia is still finding its way when times get tight. It has dropped seven sets by three or fewer points during the current skid. There’s be glimpses of brilliance, as evidenced by the team’s win over McPherson College (Kan.), which is 19-1 and ranked 22nd in the NAIA poll.
Head coach Trevor Schirman’s Chargers (10-7, 4-4 GPAC) reside in seventh place in the conference standings. Last time out, Briar Cliff toppled its in-town rival Morningside, 25-22, 25-23, 25-16, on Sept. 29. Three days later the Mustangs upset No. 15 Northwestern. The Chargers are hitting only .186 as a team, but they have held their opponents to a .172 clip. In Briar Cliff’s win over Morningside, leading hitter Courtney Schafer pounced 15 kills and hit .536. Schafer has hit better than .500 in both of the team’s last two matches.
Looking ahead to next week, the Bulldogs will host No. 14 Hastings on Wednesday, Oct. 10 in what will be a pink out match for Concordia. Then on Saturday, Oct. 13, the Bulldogs will be at eighth-ranked Dordt as part of another challenging week in the GPAC.
Stark, Bulldogs return to win column
Oct. 5, 2018
SEWARD, Neb. – They needed this one. In terms of both confidence and GPAC tournament chances, the Concordia University volleyball team needed to return to the win column. Behind 15 kills from sophomore Kara Stark, the Bulldogs did just that. Playing at home for the first time in nearly two weeks, Concordia toppled visiting Briar Cliff, 26-24, 20-25, 25-19, 25-19, on Friday night (Oct. 5).
The victory put a halt to a seven-match losing streak for first-year head coach Ben Boldt’s squad, which has moved to 13-7 overall and to 3-7 in conference play.
“That was what we want out of our players in terms of fight and mentality,” Boldt said. “We’re getting there and let’s keep rolling. I didn’t come up with this – our team came up with this. It’s not October, it’s our-tober. That’s our mentality. We’re looking to create some momentum here. Let’s get after it. It’s our-tober.”
Stark got off to a hot start while playing a key role in the Bulldogs’ ability to come out on top in a first set that could have gone either way. Down 23-21 in the first set, the Bulldogs flashed some of that can-do mentality that Boldt has preached. Stark slammed six kills on eight swings in the opening set, which came to an end on a block by freshman Morgan Nibbe.
Blocking has become more of a strength for Concordia, which out-blocked the Chargers (10-8, 4-5 GPAC), 14-8. Three of those denials occurred during a fourth set that got a big ugly. The Bulldogs allowed Briar Cliff to come all the way back to tie things up (17-17) after racing out to a 7-1 advantage. When things got tight, the Bulldogs had a response on this particular night. Concordia finished the third set by rattling off the final six points and then closed out the match by taking eight of the last 10 points in the fourth set. A Nibbe kill provided match point.
While junior Emmie Noyd (eight kills, nine blocks) is typically the go-to when the Bulldogs need a big play, Stark has become one of the squad’s most reliable options. Her 15 kills for the night one-upped her previous career high that had been set the last time out at Dakota Wesleyan.
“It’s the support of my teammates and coaches,” Stark said of her rise in her second collegiate season. “We’re working on things that we need to do to get better every day in practice, things that we can execute. We’ve been working on hitting shots and everything, and that’s been really helpful. My teammates are really fun to play with.”
Senior Jenna Habegger chipped in 12 kills while hitting .229 for Concordia. Nibbe added seven kills and was in on five blocks. Sophomore Tara Callahan (21 assists) and junior Kaci Hohenthaner (20 assists) combined for 41 assists. Junior Kaylie Dengel dropped in three of the team’s four aces. It all added up to a victory that helps the Bulldogs (currently in eighth place) remain in the running for a top-eight conference finish required to qualify for the GPAC tournament.
Senior outside hitter Courtney Schafer has been hot for Briar Cliff. The reigning GPAC attacker of the week, Schafer bombed 18 kills and hit .306. She was by far the team’s best offensive weapon on a night when the Chargers were outhit, .142 to .089.
“I think our serving was better tonight,” Boldt said. “This week it’s been our focus. Last week we got beat in the serve battle. We’re going for it, but we’re also staying disciplined with our palm. We’re trying to be specific in what we’re giving them so they can focus on their fundamentals.”
The Bulldogs will have the rest of the weekend off. Next up on the schedule is Wednesday’s pink-out match versus 14th-ranked Hastings (11-5, 6-3 GPAC). First serve is set for 7:30 p.m. CT from Walz Arena. The two sides also met in Hastings on Sept. 20 with the result being a Bronco victory in four sets.
Two ranked GPAC foes make up this week's slate
Oct. 8, 2018
SEWARD, Neb. – A pair of teams ranked among the NAIA’s top 15 will challenge the Concordia University volleyball team this week. The Bulldogs will host No. 14 Hastings for their pink-out match on Wednesday before heading to eighth-ranked Dordt on Saturday. The Bulldogs enter the week with a record of 1-3 against the current top 25.
This week
Wednesday, Oct. 10 vs. No. 14 Hastings (12-5, 7-3), 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 13 at No. 8 Dordt (17-2, 10-0), 3 p.m.
The Wednesday match will be covered live by 104.9 Max Country radio and by the Concordia Sports Network.
First-year head coach Ben Boldt’s squad got an injection of confidence in last week’s only outing. Behind 15 kills from sophomore Kara Stark, Concordia toppled Briar Cliff, 26-24, 20-25, 25-19, 25-19, on Oct. 5. It was a much needed win that snapped a seven-match skid and one that keeps hopes alive of qualifying for the eight-team GPAC tournament. With six matches left in the regular season, the Bulldogs (13-7, 3-7 GPAC) are tied with Doane for eighth place in the GPAC, widely regarded as the NAIA’s best volleyball conference. Through rated 11th in the most recent official GPAC poll, Concordia owns a win over 22nd-ranked McPherson College (Kan.).
The schedule over the past week has been light in terms of number of matches. The Bulldogs have played only three times since Sept. 22. Over the past two matches, Stark has put down a combined 29 kills on 60 swings. Her development has added another attacking option to a team that already had many weapons at the disposal of setters Tara Callahan and Kaci Hohenthaner. Additionally, Concordia has been moving up the national leaderboard in the blocks category. The Bulldogs rank 22nd nationally in blocks per set (2.19) after adding 14 in the win over Briar Cliff. Junior Emmie Noyd is the team leader in hitting percentage (.306) and blocks per set (1.09).
The Bulldogs will get another shot at a Hastings, which defeated Concordia in four sets back on Sept. 20. Since then, the Broncos are 3-2 with the losses coming against Dordt and Northwestern, two fellow nationally-ranked squads. Head coach Matt Buttermore’s squad is one of the best blocking teams in the nation, ranking ninth among all NAIA teams in blocks per set (2.47). Emily Lenners averages 1.4 blocks per set (third most in the NAIA). The team’s leading hitter is middle blocker Lucy Skoch, who is averaging 3.64 kills per set and is hitting .281.
If there was an NAIA poll released this week, Dordt would most certainly be ranked higher than eighth. The Defenders rattled off three victories last week, including a four-set triumph over No. 5 Viterbo University (Wis.). Chad Hanson’s squad is a powerful one at the net. Among all NAIA teams, Dordt ranks fourth in kills per set (13.85), ninth in hitting percentage (.261) and 12th in blocks per set (2.39). Star Defender Emma Altena put up 19 kills in the win over Viterbo and is averaging 4.09 kills per set. Ally Krommendyk (1.23 blocks/set) is one of the nation’s top blockers.
Next week will be just a one-match week for Concordia, which will be at College of Saint Mary on Wednesday, Oct. 17.
Bulldogs falter late in sets, fall to No. 14 Hastings
Oct. 10, 2018
SEWARD, Neb. – The opening set was one to forget for the Concordia University volleyball team, but it responded by righting itself in the second and third games. It just wasn’t enough to pull an upset of a 14th-ranked Hastings squad that invaded Walz Arena on Wednesday night (Oct. 10). Spurred by two hot-hitting outsides, the Broncos made it an early night by a score of 25-13, 26-24, 28-26.
There were examples on Wednesday of why the two programs are positioned where they are currently. First-year head coach Ben Boldt’s squad was unable to seal the deal in the second and third sets.
“It was good to see us get back into the groove a little bit there,” Boldt said. “I told the team that we don’t want to feel like we left something out there on the table. After the first set, that was the feeling for everybody. It was good to see them respond though. We had set point in both of those sets (second and third). Hastings does a really good job of running fast-go on the outside. It’s tough to put your block in the right spot. They executed better than we did.”
The Bulldogs managed only four kills in the opening set, but then improved to eight and 14 kills, respectively, over the final two sets. Not much comes easy on the attack against Hastings, which entered the night ranked eighth nationally in blocks per set (2.47) behind star middle blocker Emily Lenners. A 6-foot-1 junior Lenners got in on five of her team’s six blocks in the first set.
The Broncos (13-5, 8-3 GPAC) also showed off some offensive flair with the production they got from Sage Meyer (match high 18 kills) and Lucy Skoch (12 kills), who both hit .348 or better for the night. As a team, Hastings outhit Concordia, .250 to .009. The Bulldogs were held to negative hitting percentages in both the first and second sets.
All that considered, Concordia had its chances to at least make it a four-set conflict. The Bulldogs had a 24-23 lead in the second set before watching the Broncos notch the next three points. Then in the third, Concordia owned advantages of 24-23, 25-24 and 26-25. A beast all night, Meyer put down the 26th and 27th points for the Broncos before a Bulldog attack error brought the match to a close.
Said Boldt, “Our team is growing up. In that last set, we had freshman-freshman-sophomore in the front row. They’re figuring it out. They’re young. It’s great for them to get in these situations and to try to figure it out. Sometimes we were good and sometimes we just couldn’t get the kill. That’s where we’re at as a team right now.”
The block of Hastings was effective at neutralizing some of Concordia’s top offensive weapons. Emmie Noyd (six kills, three blocks) and Kara Stark (six kills) were the team co-leaders in kills. The Bulldogs were much better defensively after allowing Hastings to hit .423 in the first set. Harlie Himmelberg and Alex La Plant recorded seven digs apiece. Kaylie Dengel topped both teams with three aces.
The most challenging test yet this season may come Saturday at eighth-ranked Dordt (18-2, 11-0 GPAC). The Defenders remained perfect in conference play by taking out Jamestown in straight sets on Tuesday. Saturday’s first serve is set for 3 p.m. CT from Sioux Center, Iowa.
Bulldogs show progress at first-place Dordt
Oct. 13, 2018
SIOUX CENTER, Iowa – On the scoreboard, the result on Saturday afternoon (Oct. 13) closely resembled the one from three days earlier when the Concordia University volleyball team fell in straight sets. Up against eighth-ranked Dordt, the GPAC’s first-place team, the Bulldogs battled in the second and third sets before tripping up, 25-10, 27-25, 26-24. Concordia also dropped the second and third sets by two-point margins Wednesday versus No. 14 Hastings.
Still in a fight to move into a top eight placement required to make the GPAC tournament, first-year head coach Ben Boldt’s squad is now 13-9 overall and 3-9 in conference play (tied for ninth).
“We had to adjust to Dordt’s serving in the first set,” Boldt said. “Once we did and were able to get in system with our pass, we played clean volleyball. Our offense had good rhythm. I think we took a step forward today and we look forward to building on this performance next week.”
As Boldt mentioned, the Bulldogs were overwhelmed in the first set by Dordt’s serve game, but then they settled in and gave the host Defenders all they could handle the rest of the afternoon. A Harlie Himmelberg ace even put Concordia up 24-22 in the second set. The Defenders (19-2, 12-0 GPAC) ultimately put the set away and asserted control of the match thanks to a kill apiece by Ema Altena and Julia Lindbergh for point Nos. 26 and 27, respectively.
In a match that Boldt walked away from seeing many positives, the Bulldogs also pushed Dordt to the limit in the third set. Impressively, Concordia responded from a 24-21 deficit by running off the next three points to even it up. Jenna Habegger, who hammered five of her team high 10 kills in the third set, leveled the score with a kill. It simply takes a lot to get Dordt flustered. Altena ended the match by pounding down a free ball.
There’s hardly any shame in losing on the home floor of a Defender squad that recently knocked off fourth-ranked Viterbo University (Wis.) and appears to be a national title contender. Dordt entered the weekend ranked inside or near the top 10 nationally in kills per set, hitting percentage and blocks per set. Last week the Defenders swept the three GPAC player of the week awards. On Saturday, they were led by the 14 kills of Altena. Lindbergh hit .529 while totaling nine kills.
Concordia actually out-blocked Dordt, 7-6, though the Defenders had a sizable advantage in hitting percentage (.279 to .162). Kelsey Baarck chipped in six kills for the Bulldogs while Emmie Noyd added five kills and four blocks (one solo). Setter Tara Callahan put up 28 assists, six digs and three block assists.
A critical match in terms of postseason hopes is coming up Wednesday when the Bulldogs will be at College of Saint Mary (12-14, 2-9 GPAC). First serve from Omaha is set for 7:30 p.m. CT. The two sides also met inside Walz Arena on Sept. 4 with the result being a five-set victory for Concordia.
Bulldogs to jockey for GPAC positioning in week's lone match
Oct. 16, 2018
SEWARD, Neb. – Every match down the stretch will be critical to the Concordia University volleyball team’s chances of qualifying for the GPAC tournament. Only four matches remain in the regular season for first-year head coach Ben Boldt’s squad, which will be in action only once this week. The Bulldogs (13-9, 3-9 GPAC) are getting set for Wednesday’s matchup at College of Saint Mary (12-14, 2-9 GPAC).
First serve from the Lied Fitness Center in Omaha, Neb., on Wednesday is set for 7:30 p.m. CT (junior varsity at 6 p.m.). The matches can be viewed live via College of Saint Mary’s Stretch Internet portal. Additionally, Frank Greene will have the radio call for 104.9 Max Country.
Concordia hopes to build upon the final two sets at Dordt that were part of a loss this past weekend. The Bulldogs dropped both sets by two points, but responded well after struggling with the Defender serve in a lopsided opening set. Up against 14th-ranked Hastings (14-5, 9-3 GPAC) and eighth-ranked Dordt (19-2, 12-0 GPAC) last week, Concordia fell twice in straight sets, but four of those sets were decided by two points. Additionally, the Bulldogs had set point opportunities slip through their fingers in three instances.
Boldt would love to see his team’s offensive firepower showcased like it was in this season’s first meeting with College of Saint Mary, which resulted in a Concordia win in five sets (25-19, 24-26, 27-25, 23-25, 15-10). In that tussle inside Walz Arena on Sept. 4, the Bulldogs hit .291 and were fueled by a career high 23 kills from junior middle blocker Emmie Noyd. When times get tight, it’s a safe play to go to Noyd, who ranks fourth in the GPAC in blocks per set (1.1) and fifth among conference players in hitting percentage (.292).
One player the Flames did not see in that first meeting is sophomore Kara Stark, who has put down 66 kills in seven matches since Sept. 20. Meanwhile, senior outside hitter Jenna Habegger has recorded a new career season best with 223 kills in 2018. She ranks 10th in the conference with 3.1 kills per set. From a defensive perspective, Noyd and company are coming on. They rank 22nd nationally in blocks per set (2.18) as a team.
College of Saint Mary is in major need of a victory having dropped to 11th in the GPAC standings, but only a half-game behind Concordia and Dakota Wesleyan (both are one game behind eighth-place Doane). The Flames own GPAC road wins over Briar Cliff and Mount Marty. They still have yet to secure a conference victory within the Lied Center, which has welcomed each of the conference’s ranked teams. The team’s top attacker is Dani Carlson, who swatted 20 kills at Concordia back in September. Carlson averages 3.25 kills per set.
The GPAC season will continue next Wednesday (Oct. 24) when Morningside visits Walz Arena. It will be senior night for the Bulldogs, who will recognize Habegger and Kelsey Baarck.
Noyd strong in defeat at CSM
Oct. 17, 2018
OMAHA, Neb. – In a match crucial to the postseason hopes of both squads in competition at the Lied Fitness Center on Wednesday (Oct. 17), College of Saint Mary avenged an earlier loss to the Concordia University volleyball team. The Flames overcame a strong performance from the Bulldogs’ Emmie Noyd to claim a 25-18, 25-19, 25-23, victory. Concordia had defeated College of Saint Mary in five sets in Seward back on Sept. 4.
Three matches remain in the regular season for first-year head coach Ben Boldt’s squad. The Bulldogs are now 13-10 overall and 3-10 in conference play (tied for 10th). They will have to be better down the stretch in order to keep the season alive.
“College of Saint Mary was way more aggressive than we were,” Boldt said. “We go back to our motto champs before champs and they were a better display of that tonight than us. CSM was much more physical at the net. That was disappointing.
“We showed some fight in the third set, but we have to be able to stop people. Their attacks were going off our hands. We have to be stronger at the net.”
From a statistical perspective, Noyd has played some of her best volleyball against the Flames (13-14, 3-9 GPAC). She slammed a career high 23 kills in the Concordia win in September. This time around she hit .562 and recorded a team high 10 kills and four blocks.
College of Saint Mary had much more balance and held the Bulldogs to negative hitting percentages in the first and second sets. The Flames got a match high 11 kills from Payton Robley and nine apiece from Dani Carlson, Makenna Freeman and Taylor Holmes. For the match, College of Saint Mary outhit Concordia, .255 to .073. Blocking was even (8-8), but the Flames had a big advantage in kills (45-31) and digs (47-34).
Jenna Habegger added nine kills for the Bulldogs. Kayle Dengel and Alex La Plant shared a team high with nine digs apice. Setter Tara Callahan earned credit for 28 assists.
The Bulldogs will now wait a week until hosting their final home match of the season next Wednesday (Oct. 24) versus Morningside (12-9, 6-5 GPAC). First serve is set for 7:30 p.m. CT. Seniors Kelsey Baark and Jenna Habegger will be recognized prior to the varsity match as part of senior night festivities. In the first meeting between Concordia and Morningside, the Mustangs won in four sets in Sioux City, Iowa, on Sept. 13.
Volleyball to celebrate seniors Wednesday, travel to Midland Saturday
Oct. 22, 2018
SEWARD, Neb. – The final chance to watch the 2018 Concordia University volleyball team inside Walz Arena is coming up on Wednesday when the Bulldogs host Morningside. First-year head coach Ben Boldt’s squad also has in-state rivals Midland and Doane left on the regular-season slate. Concordia will use Wednesday night to honor its senior class.
This week
Wednesday, Oct. 24 vs. Morningside (12-11, 6-7), 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 24 at No. 12 Midland (19-4, 11-2), 3 p.m.
Coverage of Wednesday’s match will be provided by the Concordia Sports Network and 104.9 Max Country radio. For a live stream on Saturday, check out Midland’s Stretch Internet portal.
The senior class is a small one in terms of varsity performers. Seniors Kelsey Baarck and Jenna Habegger are among the Bulldogs who will be recognized on Wednesday. Concordia will also honor three senior team managers: Kesley Higgins, Madison Horne and Annie Schmidt. Habegger has been a varsity contributor each of her four seasons. Last week she went over 500 career kills (501). The native of Pawnee City, Neb., has totaled a career high 232 kills this season. Meanwhile, Baarck is in her second season playing for the Bulldogs after transferring from Mott Community College.
Concordia faces an uphill battle in regards to its GPAC tournament chances. The top eight teams in the final standings qualify for the conference’s postseason, which begins with the quarterfinal round on Saturday, Nov. 3. As it stands, the Bulldogs (13-10, 3-10 GPAC) are tied with College of Saint Mary and Dakota Wesleyan for ninth place in the GPAC. Concordia is two wins behind both seventh-place Doane (5-8 GPAC) and eighth-place Briar Cliff (5-9 GPAC).
Junior middle blocker Emmie Noyd and company will attempt to shake off three straight-sets conference defeats in a row. Noyd experienced the most success in last week’s loss at College of Saint Mary. Noyd floored 10 kills while hitting .563. Her career high of 23 kills also came against the Flames. Among all players nationally, Noyd ranks 30th in blocks per game (1.11) and 49th in hitting percentage (.301). As a team, the Bulldogs rank 21st nationally in blocks per game (2.20).
Morningside and Concordia met in Sioux City, Iowa, on Sept. 13 with the result being a win in four sets for the Mustangs. Despite four GPAC defeats in a row, Morningside still stands a strong chance of qualifying for the GPAC tournament. Its most recent conference win was a five-set upset of then No. 15 Northwestern on Oct. 2. The team’s leading attacker is Krista Zenk, who has piled up 275 kills.
Midland is a near lock for another bid to the national tournament and could realistically finish as high as second in the GPAC. The Warriors just defeated Morningside in four sets last week, bouncing back from a straight-sets loss to Northwestern on Oct. 13. Head coach Paul Giesselmann’s squad boasts one of the nation’s top players in middle blocker Priscilla O’Dowd, who ranks No. 1 in the NAIA in hitting percentage (.456). Setter Jessica Peters is the quarterback for an offense that is hitting .231 (19th in the nation).
The regular season will conclude on Wednesday, Oct. 31 with a match at Doane (13-13, 5-8 GPAC).
Habegger, seniors go out with win over Morningside
Oct. 24, 2018
SEWARD, Neb. – After a performance that fell beneath its expectations last week, members of the Concordia University volleyball team were put through the ringer during practices since the loss at College of Saint Mary. Head coach Ben Boldt wanted to see who had fight left in the waning moments of the regular season. It turns out, the Bulldogs have it. They toppled Morningside, 15-25, 25-18, 25-16, 27-25, on Wednesday night (Oct. 24).
Boldt’s program used the evening to celebrate a senior class headlined by Jenna Habegger. In the team’s final home match of 2018, this was the proper sendoff. Concordia is now 14-10 overall and 4-10 in conference play.
“I’m excited for our players,” Boldt said. “We’ve been throwing them throw a grind this last week. It’s awesome to see them be successful and get results. We’ve been preaching process, process, process. We grinded that one and it’s great to get a result. It’s a good feeling.”
Those good feelings would not necessarily have been forecasted after the visiting Mustangs hit .355 in the opening set and took it, 25-15. But on senior night, Habegger would not go gently into that good night. She hammered three kills during a 4-0 Bulldog spurt to open up the second set. Suddenly, Concordia had come to life. The Bulldog attack pounded 46 kills in the process of winning the final three sets.
Perhaps lifted by the encouragement of family friend Larry the Cable Guy, a fellow Pawnee City, Neb., native, Habegger got to go out with tears of joy. It hasn’t always been easy from a wins and losses perspective since experiencing a national tournament bid in 2015, but Habegger has been a four-year constant in the program.
“It was incredibly special,” Habegger said. “Walking out with my parents tonight I was crying. It’s a really emotional night for me because I’ve been here all four years. Going out on a win is just the greatest feeling.”
That victory may not have been possible without the help of a Bulldog still with a lot of collegiate volleyball ahead of her. Freshman middle blocker Morgan Nibbe equaled a match high and set a new career high with 14 kills. She did so while hitting a cool .500.
Said Boldt, “That was an awesome match from her. I was really proud of how she stepped up. Running the middle attack was one of the things we had in our game plan and she brought it tonight.”
Also in the middle, junior Emmie Noyd chipped in with 11 kills. Tara Callahan quarterbacked the offense with 41 assists. Meanwhile, Marissa Hoerman (15), Alex La Plant (13) and Callahan (10) all reached double figures in digs. Kaylie Dengel’s ace dropped in for match point. As a team, Concordia outhit Morningside, .209 to .197.
The Mustangs (12-12, 6-8 GPAC) were paced by star middle blocker Emma Gerber, who had 14 kills and was in on four blocks. Krista Zenk chipped in with 12 kills and 12 digs.
Oh yeah, more on that Habegger connection to Larry The Cable Guy (Dan Whitney). Said Habegger, “My dad is best friends with him from when they were younger. They were neighbors. I’ve known Dan since I was a little girl. He’s been kind of like an uncle to me. I love that guy.”
Habegger and Kelsey Baarck are the lone seniors on the varsity roster. Other seniors include managers Kelsey Higgins, Madison Horne and Annie Schmidt.
The final two matches of the regular season will take place away from home. The Bulldogs get another shot at 12th-ranked Midland (20-4, 12-2 GPAC) in Fremont, Neb., on Saturday. First serve is set for 3 p.m. CT from the Wikert Event Center. In this season’s first meeting in Seward on Sept. 11, the Warriors topped Concordia, 25-19, 15-25, 25-18, 30-28.
Upset bid comes up one point short at No. 12 Midland
Oct. 27, 2018
FREMONT, Neb. – The Concordia University volleyball program will know it has really turned a corner when and if it can get over the hump in matches like the one that played out in Fremont, Neb., on Saturday (Oct. 27). With two sets already in hand, the Bulldogs led the third 25-24 while seemingly on the brink of what could have been a stunning straight-sets upset of 12th-ranked Midland. But the Warriors roared back to win it on their home court, 20-25, 22-25, 27-25, 25-14, 15-7.
First-year head coach Ben Boldt’s squad put together a good showing this week. It won in four sets over Morningside on Wednesday before pushing Midland to five sets. Concordia is now 14-11 overall and 4-11 in conference play.
“We came out and played well,” Boldt said. “We served pretty tough and we passed well in those first three sets. Our offense was playing pretty well and defensively we were sticking to our game plan. It was good execution in the first part of the match. Midland really upped their game in the fourth set especially. They started serving really, really tough. We couldn’t get into a rhythm offensively.”
A perennial national qualifier, the Warriors (21-4, 13-2 GPAC) have made a living out of finding ways to win. With Concordia leading 25-24 in the third set, Midland went to Sydney Morehouse for an attack that glanced off the Bulldog block and out of bounds for a crucial kill. The Warriors then won it with a kill apiece delivered by Taylor Petersen and Jenny Bair.
Concordia was nearly Midland’s equal with an effective attack of its own. Going up against a Warrior squad ranked 20th nationally in blocks per set, the Bulldogs hit .275, .300 and .289, respectively, over the match’s first three sets. On the outside, senior Jenna Habegger floored a team high 16 kills while hitting .400. Kara Stark (13), Kelsey Baarck (10) and Emmie Noyd (10) also each reached double figures in kills.
The Bulldogs have arguably made their biggest leap forward of the season since a disappointing performance at College of Saint Mary on Oct. 17. Perhaps Concordia is showing hints of where it is headed in the future.
“The last week since that match we’ve been pretty focused,” Boldt said. “It’s good to see them respond in that way. I really wish we could have gotten the result for them today. We’re going to get back at it on Monday, get refocused and then get after Doane on Wednesday.”
Midland, which will end its regular season at No. 14 Hastings on Wednesday, is still in a fight to secure the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament. The Warriors got a match high 18 kills from Petersen on Saturday. Star middle blocker Priscilla O’Dowd chipped in 13 kills, seven digs and five blocks. Morehouse (.550 hitting percentage) was the team’s most efficient attacker and notched 12 kills.
Midland had a big edge in the service game with 11 aces to the Bulldogs’ two. The Warriors also had advantages in hitting percentage (.257 to .216), kills (69-59) and blocks (12-10).
Concordia and Doane will get things started at 7:30 p.m. CT in Crete on Wednesday. The Tigers dealt the Bulldogs a four-set defeat in Seward on Sept. 18. As of now, Concordia still has a mathematical chance of qualifying for the eight-team GPAC tournament, but it must win at Doane.
“Honestly we’re starting to click,” Boldt said. “I really feel for the first time we’re starting to get it and not get too high or get too low. We’re intensely focused. We almost had it today.”
Regular season to conclude at Doane
Oct. 30, 2018
SEWARD, Neb. – Still alive for a berth in the GPAC tournament, the Concordia University volleyball team is preparing to conclude the regular season at Doane on Wednesday. It will be a rematch of the Sept. 18 meeting that took place inside Walz Arena. Wednesday’s contest will get started at 7:30 p.m. CT from the Haddix Center in Crete, Neb.
The match will be aired live on 104.9 Max Country radio. It can also be streamed via Doane’s YouTube channel.
First-year head coach Ben Boldt’s squad is coming off of one of its best weeks of play within the conference. In their final home match of 2018, the Bulldogs (14-11, 4-11 GPAC) brushed off a defeat in set one and took the final three to topple Morningside on Oct. 24. Three days later Concordia came up one point short of shocking 12th-ranked Midland in Fremont. The Bulldogs went up 2-0 in the match and then led the third set 25-24. Now they try to carry that high level of play into this week.
With her collegiate career winding down, senior Jenna Habegger played with urgency last week. Over the Morningside/Midland outings, Habegger floored a combined 29 kills while hitting .299. The Pawnee City, Neb., native has had her best season as a senior. Her 2018 numbers of 261 kills, 3.07 kills per set and a .232 hitting percentage are all career highs. Boldt also wants to make sure his team doesn’t forget about the duo in the middle: junior Emmie Noyd and freshman Morgan Nibbe, who notched a career high 14 kills in the win over Morningside.
As it appears right now, the GPAC standings are a big cluster after the top five. The next six teams in the standings are all within two games of each other. There are a number of scenarios that could play out, but Concordia knows it has to win in straight sets over Doane in order to have a shot at winning a tiebreaker for one of the last seeds in the eight-team GPAC tournament. Six of the eight bids have been clinched.
This is also a must game for the Tigers (13-15, 5-10 GPAC), who are part of the scramble in the race for the final two spots in the conference tournament. They took a hit this past weekend with a four-set loss at College of Saint Mary. In Doane’s win at Walz in September, it got 20 kills from Alison Kuenle and 18 from Madison VanHousen. The Tigers opened up the campaign ranked 18th nationally in the preseason poll. Gwen Egbert is in her sixth season as head coach.
Conference tournament pairings will be set on Wednesday night after all GPAC matches have gone final. Should the Bulldogs extend their season, they will be on the road on Saturday for the quarterfinal round of the conference tournament.
Season kept alive with straight-sets win at Doane
Nov. 1, 2018
CRETE, Neb. – It wasn’t until the team had just about wrapped up its postgame outing at the Crete Dairy Queen when it heard the news – the season remains alive. Thanks to a strong finishing push over the final week-and-a-half of the regular season, the Concordia University volleyball team has snuck its way into the eight-team GPAC tournament that opens up on Saturday. It took a 25-22, 25-19, 25-22 win at Doane on Wednesday night (Oct. 31) to make it happen.
When the dust settled, it turned out that first-year head coach Ben Boldt’s squad had to have a victory and it had to have it in either three or four sets in order to win a tiebreaker to get into the GPAC tournament. The Bulldogs will enter the postseason at 15-11 overall (5-11 GPAC).
“We served and we blocked well,” Boldt said. “That was kind of the difference from the very first time that we played them. It was definitely fun being able to execute like we did. I’m really proud of the team for that.”
Concordia had a good showing of its own in terms of fan support at the Haddix Center on the Doane campus. The Bulldog faithful roared as Boldt’s crew put this one away with kills on the final three points of the match. Swings by Alex La Plant, Emmie Noyd and Tara Callahan pushed Concordia to the winner’s circle over a rival that had beaten it inside Walz Arena back on Sept. 18.
Two weeks ago, the chances of reaching the GPAC tournament appeared bleak after a disappointing performance in a loss at College of Saint Mary. Since then, the Bulldogs have defeated both Morningside and Doane and came within one point of upsetting No. 12 Midland in Fremont. They seem to have peaked just in time to save the season.
“They responded to the challenge,” Boldt said. “Just our mentality and how we’re approaching matches right now is really good. These last couple of weeks it’s been really fun to see them get tested by an opponent and then respond. It’s been fun being able to coach that.”
It’s also fun to watch sophomore Kara Stark pound heaters from the outside. The Tigers (13-16, 5-11 GPAC) may have paid a little bit too much attention to Concordia middles Emmie Noyd and Morgan Nibbe. At setter, Tara Callahan took advantage by finding Stark, who delivered a match high 15 kills while hitting .500. The offense was rolling. As a team, the Bulldogs outhit Doane, .292 to .183.
Senior Jenna Habegger gets to keep playing. She had 13 kills while Noyd (.346) added 10. Kelsey Baarck, Callahan, Nibbe and Noyd each had at least four block assists in helping Concordia to an 11-4 edge in team blocks. Meanwhile, Marissa Hoerman topped the back row with 12 digs.
Allison Kuenle (11 kills, .121) and Madison VanHousen (three kills, -.053) did not feast on Concordia in the way that they did back in September. The Bulldogs outnumbered the Tigers in kills, 46-36.
It was an all-around effort worthy of some DQ soft serve on a victorious Halloween evening. It won’t be easy to keep the treats coming in the GPAC tournament. As the No. 8 seed, Concordia will travel to play at GPAC champion Dordt (24-2, 16-0 GPAC) in a 7 p.m. CT quarterfinal match on Saturday. The winner will advance to play in the semifinals on Wednesday, Nov. 7.
In the final GPAC standings, the Bulldogs tied with three other teams for seventh place. The Nos. 7 and 8 seeds were ultimately decided by percentage of sets won within conference play. A loss – or even a win in five sets – at Doane on Wednesday would have eliminated Concordia.
With a seat at the table, Bulldogs look ahead to No. 5 Dordt
Nov. 1, 2018
SEWARD, Neb. – Here they are with a seat at the table. Considering how things felt in the aftermath of a straight-sets loss on Oct. 17, this feels pretty good. A solid showing over the final three matches of the regular season allowed the Concordia University volleyball team to sneak into the GPAC tournament as the No. 8 seed. The reward is a trip to Sioux Center, Iowa, to take on top-seeded and fifth-ranked Dordt in the quarterfinals.
Frank Greene will make the journey to call the action for 104.9 Max Country. First serve on Saturday is set for 7 p.m. CT from De Witt Gymnasium.
Even at the point when head coach Ben Boldt’s squad celebrated match point in Wednesday’s win at Doane, it still did not know if it had qualified for the conference tournament. Late on Wednesday, the GPAC announced that the Bulldogs had earned the No. 8 seed based on percentage of sets won tiebreaker criteria. As it turned out, Concordia needed to defeat Doane in either three or four sets. The Bulldogs got it done in three.
In the latest victory, sophomore Kara Stark sizzled, hitting a cool .500 while pounding 15 kills onto the blacktop at the Haddix Center. As a team, the Bulldogs outhit Doane, .292 to .182. The victory came on the heels of a near victory in a five-set defeat at No. 12 Midland. A few days before that, Concordia toppled Morningside in four sets in its final home appearance of the 2018 season. It could be argued that the three-match stretch is as good as any the program has put together within conference play since its national tournament season of 2015.
The roster sizes shrink to 16 in the postseason. The Boldts may look for contributions up and down that roster. They used 15 players at Doane. It seems Concordia has found the right combinations to improve its serving and passing games. At setter, Tara Callahan has settled in and has quarterbacked and offense that is humming again. Callahan tossed up 39 assists at Doane. As a team, the Bulldogs racked up 46 kills while getting revenge for a September home loss to the rival Tigers. The victory means the careers of seniors Kelsey Baarck and Jenna Habegger live on for at least one more match.
The task will be tall on Saturday. Dordt polished off a 16-0 GPAC regular season last week with a home win over Dakota Wesleyan. Part of that perfect conference run was a straight-sets home victory (25-10, 27-25, 26-24) triumph over Concordia on Oct. 13. Among all NAIA teams, the Defenders rank third in kills per set (14.0), eighth in blocks per set (2.46) and ninth in hitting percentage (.254). Dordt boasts a nationally top 15 ranked player in assists (Jamie De Jager), blocks (Ally Krommendyk) and kills (Emma Altena) per set.
Saturday’s winner will advance to play in the GPAC semifinals on Wednesday, Nov. 7 and play either fourth-seeded Midland or fifth-seeded Jamestown.
2018 GPAC Volleyball Tournament
Saturday, Nov. 3 – Quarterfinals
No. 8 Concordia (15-11, 5-11) at No. 1 Dordt (24-2, 16-0), 7 p.m.
No. 5 Jamestown (21-7, 10-6) at No. 4 Midland (21-5, 13-3), 7 p.m.
No. 6 Morningside (13-13, 7-9) at No. 3 Hastings (18-5, 13-3), 7 p.m.
No. 7 Doane (13-16, 5-11) at No. 2 Northwestern (22-6, 13-3), 7 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 7 – Semifinals
No. 1/8 vs. No. 4/5, 7 p.m.
No. 3/6 vs. No. 2/7, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 10 – Championship
Time – 7 p.m.
Season comes to end in Sioux Center
Nov. 3, 2018
SIOUX CENTER, Iowa – The Concordia University volleyball team fought valiantly down the stretch of the regular season to earn its way into the eight-team GPAC tournament that opened up Saturday evening (Nov. 3). As the eighth seed, the Bulldogs were rewarded with a trip to Sioux Center, Iowa, for a tussle with No. 1 seed Dordt. The Defenders marched on to the semifinals with a 25-12, 25-18, 25-20, win inside De Witt Gymnasium.
For first-year head coach Ben Boldt’s squad, the loss means that the offseason has now begun. Concordia has concluded the 2018 season with an overall record of 15-12.
“Dordt jumped out on top of us,” Boldt said in a postgame interview with 104.9 Max Country. “They served really well and got us out of system. It wasn’t for a lack of effort what we were doing tonight. We fought hard. They just executed a whole lot better than we did.
“They are by far the most fundamentally sound team in the GPAC and they showed it tonight. We had a tough time getting around their block.”
A national title contender that blazed through the GPAC regular season without a defeat, fifth-ranked Dordt (25-2) has yet to cool off. The Defenders hit .684 in the opening set on Saturday and then .500 in the second set. It was an especially dominant individual effort from Ally Krommendyk, who put down nine kills (.750) and was in on seven of the team’s 12 blocks. Teammate Leah Kamp led all players with 10 kills on the evening.
The third set was clearly the most competitive. Erin Johnson dropped in back-to-back aces to get the Bulldogs within one point (9-8). They eventually evened it up (14-14) before Dordt regained the lead for good. Kamp ultimately ended the match with a kill that was facilitated by standout setter Jamie De Jager (33 assists).
Kara Stark topped Concordia with eight kills while Emmie Noyd added six. Habegger recorded three kills in the final collegiate match of her career. There just wasn’t the firepower to keep up with the Defenders, who outhit the Bulldogs, .337 to .000. Dordt also had advantages in kills (40-23), digs (37-23) and blocks (12-1).
While the season has come to an end, Concordia will enter 2019 hoping to build upon its strong finish to the regular season. Habegger and Kelsey Baarck were the lone seniors on this year’s varsity roster.
Noyd named second team All-GPAC for second-straight year
Nov. 14, 2018
SEWARD, Neb. – For the second season in a row, junior middle blocker Emmie Noyd has collected second team All-GPAC honors. Noyd and two teammates represented the Concordia University volleyball program on the 2018 all-conference list announced on Wednesday (Nov. 14) by the GPAC. Sophomore Tara Callahan and senior Jenna Habegger earned honorable mention recognition as steady performers for first-year head coach Ben Boldt’s squad.
Noyd has been a reliable option in the middle during her collegiate career. The 6-foot-2 native of Shelby, Neb., set career highs this past season for kills (235), kills per set (2.67), blocks (92) and blocks per set (1.1). Among GPAC players, Noyd ranked seventh with a hitting percentage of .292. After a career best 23-kill performance in a win over College of Saint Mary on Sept. 4, she was named the GPAC Attacker of the Week. Over 271 career sets played, Noyd has totaled 570 kills and 245 blocks and has a .296 hitting percentage.
Callahan was also an honorable mention choice as a freshman in 2017. The 6-foot-1 setter from Brady, Neb., contributes in many ways. In 86 sets played this season, Callahan notched 566 assists, 76 digs, 65 blocks and 55 kills. One of her brightest moments this season was quarterbacking the Bulldog offense to a .216 hitting percentage in a narrow defeat at 12th-ranked Midland on Oct. 27. She posted a season high 46 assists in that match.
Habegger stepped up her game and enjoyed the best season of her career as a senior. The team leader in kills, Habegger set new career bests for kills (277), kills per set (3.04) and hitting percentage (.218) from her spot on the outside. Among GPAC players, Habegger ranked 10th in kills per set. Habegger floored a career high 17 kills in the Sept. 8 win over McPherson College (Kan.), which is 28-1 overall and enters the national tournament ranked No. 17 in the NAIA coaches’ poll. Habegger completed her career with 546 kills and a .200 hitting percentage over 241 sets played.
Concordia finished 2018 at 15-12 overall. The campaign ended with a loss at No. 5 Dordt in the GPAC quarterfinals.
Late season strides make Boldts optimistic for future
Nov. 15, 2018
The loss suffered at College of Saint Mary on Oct. 17 may someday be looked upon as a turning point for Concordia University volleyball. Over the two weeks that followed, the Bulldogs seemed to make the mental hurdle that it had been striving to leap all season. That loss in Omaha caused members of the team to have to look in the mirror.
It’s not that Concordia was necessarily expected to run right over the Flames, it’s just that the team’s performance and execution of volleyball fundamentals did not meet expectations. If nothing else, head coach Ben Boldt and assistant Angie Boldt wanted to turn that around before the season ended.
“At the beginning of the year it was just less pressure and having fun. We were winning and that was great,” Ben said. “Once we started getting into conference play, it was like, ‘Okay, the pressure is on now.’ We had to adjust and really be able to execute when it came down to it. When conference play started and we weren’t as successful on the court, there was a lot of gut-check type of stuff. We had to work through it.
“We just started playing some good ball in the last couple weeks and I think once the season ended, our team was hungry to get back after it.”
Down the stretch, the Bulldogs played like a team that did not want its season to end. That’s not always the case for squads that hover near the bottom of the league standings. Concordia went on to defeat Morningside and then sweep Doane in Crete while sneaking into the GPAC tournament as the No. 8 seed. Ultimately, the season ended with a conference quarterfinal loss at No. 5 Dordt, a team with national championship aspirations.
The sweep of Doane may be the closest thing the Bulldogs had to a signature conference win. In a clash at 12th-ranked Midland on Oct. 27, Concordia played some of its best volleyball all season while taking the first two sets and then having a match point opportunity in the third. The Warriors eventually rallied and won in five sets. If this makes sense, the feeling of being unsatisfied with a close loss against a top-notch opponent was another sign of progress.
“We had to keep our mentality strong,” Angie said. “Many times after a losing streak – against good GPAC teams – you can mentally check out. We weren’t going to allow that and they didn’t allow that themselves. We kept after it and we played good volleyball. They can see it now that if we are strong mentally, we can be really good.”
There certainly were flashes of brilliance in 2018. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 12-0 start that included a victory over McPherson College (Kan.), champion of the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference and national tournament qualifier. While saving her best for last, senior Jenna Habegger put together the finest season of her career and pounded a career best 17 kills in that win over McPherson. In the middle, junior Emmie Noyd earned second team all-conference accolades for the second year in a row.
Noyd and company came out on top in their first 25 sets of this season before beginning to face adversity. After a win over Kansas Wesleyan University on Sept. 8, Concordia won only one of its next 11 matches. It can be a challenge to stay positive during a stretch like that. The Boldts did not make it a priority to simply build their players up. They kept pushing.
“We needed to keep the gas pedal down on them,” Ben said. “We’re never going to get an easy conference match so we need to stay on them and keep a high standard. It’s not that we dropped our standard, we needed to keep going harder.”
Added Angie, “What we found was our team was starting to become content with just competing. That’s not where Ben and I want to go with this. We need to have a championship mentality and go get the W’s. If you’re just content, then you’re not going to get where you want to go.”
The Boldts borrowed from former San Francisco 49ers head coach Bill Walsh by stressing the moniker, #champsb4champs. Walsh once famously stated that, “champions behave like champions before they’re champions.” More than anything, it was about embracing a mindset and a process. It probably wasn’t realistic to expect any sort of championship in 2018, but that did not prevent them from establishing some groundwork for future success.
Habegger and Kelsey Baarck were the lone seniors on the roster, which means the 2019 squad will be a more experienced one. Habegger (honorable mention), Tara Callahan (honorable mention) and Noyd each collected some form of All-GPAC accolades. Meanwhile, others like sophomore Kara Stark and freshmen Arleigh Costello and Morgan Nibbe gained valuable experience. A 6-foot-2 jumping jack, Stark has the potential to be a powerful hitter on the outside.
Of course there will also be newcomers to factor into the equation. The hope is that the new players will find themselves immersed within a locker room that has fully embraced what it takes to be champions. Based on the play of the 2018 team in the final weeks of the season, the Bulldogs may have begun to turn a corner.
Says Ben, “One of the themes we’re talking about with them is that good teams are coach-led, great teams are player-led. We want to create a player-led culture where they just can’t get enough reps and can’t get enough volleyball. The meat and potatoes of what that entails is getting reps when the coaches aren’t around. There is only so much time that we have with them during the day. They have to also do it on their own and hold each other accountable. That’s a big part of our message to them. Player-led cultures equal great teams.”
Concordia volleyball nets 10 scholar-athletes
Nov. 30, 2018
SEWARD, Neb. – A 2013 and 2014 national leader in number of Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes, the Concordia University volleyball program maintained a lofty academic placement among all NAIA volleyball schools (Nov. 30). Ten Bulldogs earned 2018 NAIA Scholar-Athlete accolades, two shy of the national lead. The list for Concordia includes repeat honorees in seniors Jenna Habegger, Kelsey Higgins, Madison Horne and Annie Schmidt as well as six first-time scholar-athletes.
In order to be nominated by an institution’s head coach or sports information director, a student-athlete must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale and must have achieved a junior academic status. A total of 597 women’s volleyball student-athletes across the nation were named 2018 Scholar-Athletes by the NAIA.
Concordia University ranks as the NAIA’s all-time leader in number of Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes with 1,392 and counting. The Bulldogs have been a regular national leader for both scholar-athletes and scholar-teams and are coming off a 2017-18 academic year that resulted in 77 more scholar-athletes and 20 scholar-teams (third most in the nation). Also in 2017-18, seven Bulldog student-athletes garnered both CoSIDA Academic All-District and CoSIDA Academic All-America accolades.
2018 Volleyball Scholar-Athletes
Emma Brand, Jr. | Springfield, Mo.
Lauren Cope, Jr. | Lincoln, Neb. | Elementary Education
Kaylie Dengel, Jr. | Bellevue, Neb. | Biology
Jenna Habegger, Sr. | Pawnee City, Neb. | Management Information Systems
Kelsey Higgins, Sr. | Valentine, Neb. | Business Administration
Harlie Himmelberg, Jr. | Lawrence, Neb. | Biology and Exercise Science
Madison Horne, Sr. | Exeter, Neb. | Accounting
Alex La Plant, Jr. | Cypress, Texas | Exercise Science and Biology
Emmie Noyd, Jr. | Shelby, Neb. | Early Childhood Education
Annie Schmidt, Sr. | Rifle, Colo.
Four Bulldogs net honorable mention All-Nebraska volleyball honors
Dec. 23, 2018
Omaha World-Herald news article
SEWARD, Neb. – A quartet of student-athletes from the Concordia University volleyball program raked in honors from the Omaha World-Herald, as announced on Saturday (Dec. 22). The media outlet tabbed four Bulldogs as honorable mention choices on its NAIA/NCAA Division III All-Nebraska college volleyball team. Head coach Ben Boldt’s squad was represented on the list by senior Jenna Habegger, junior Emmie Noyd and sophomores Tara Callahan and Marissa Hoerman.
A two-time second team All-GPAC performer, Noyd has been a reliable option in the middle during her collegiate career. The 6-foot-2 native of Shelby, Neb., set career highs this past season for kills (235), kills per set (2.67), blocks (92) and blocks per set (1.1). Among GPAC players, Noyd ranked seventh with a hitting percentage of .292. After a career best 23-kill performance in a win over College of Saint Mary on Sept. 4, she was named the GPAC Attacker of the Week. Over 271 career sets played, Noyd has totaled 570 kills and 245 blocks and has a .296 hitting percentage.
Callahan has been an honorable mention all-conference choice in each of her first two collegiate seasons. The 6-foot-1 setter from Brady, Neb., contributes in many ways. In 86 sets played this season, Callahan notched 566 assists, 76 digs, 65 blocks and 55 kills. One of her brightest moments this season was quarterbacking the Bulldog offense to a .216 hitting percentage in a narrow defeat at 12th-ranked Midland on Oct. 27. She posted a season high 46 assists in that match.
Habegger stepped up her game and enjoyed the best season of her career as a senior. The team leader in kills, Habegger set new career bests for kills (277), kills per set (3.04) and hitting percentage (.218) from her spot on the outside. Among GPAC players, Habegger ranked 10th in kills per set. Habegger floored a career high 17 kills in the Sept. 8 win over national tournament qualifier McPherson College (Kan.). Habegger completed her career with 546 kills and a .200 hitting percentage over 241 sets played.
This marks the first career postseason honor for Hoermann, who was named the GPAC Defender of the Week on Sept. 11. A native of Evergreen, Colo., Hoermann ranked seventh among GPAC players in digs per set (3.8). Her 32 digs in the win over McPherson were a career high. Hoermann also dropped in 14 service aces while playing in 94 sets this past season.
NAIA/NCAA Division III All-Nebraska college volleyball team
H: Allison Kuenle, Jr., Doane
H: Sage Meyer, Sr., Hastings
*MB: Priscilla O’Dowd, Sr., Midland
H: Shayla Scanlan, Sr., Bellevue
H: Lucy Skoch, So., Hastings
S: Olivia Galas, Fr., Bellevue
S: Jessica Peters, Sr., Midland
L/DS: Jaisa Russell, So., Midland
* — denotes honorary captain
Honorable mention: Bellevue: Sierra Athen, Andrea Carson, Madi Evans. Concordia: Tara Callahan, Jenna Habegger, Marissa Hoerman, Emmie Noyd. Doane: Alexis Dale, Sarah Klobuchar, Raeagan Petersen, Madison VanHousen. Hastings: Matti Dabovich, Clare Hamburger, Emily Lenners, Casey Krolikowski. Midland: Jenny Bair, Taylor Petersoen, Mackenzie Wecker. Nebraska Wesleyan: Kierra Harder, Cassidy Plooster. Peru State: Claire Cudney, Nadja Janjevic, Yorgelys Jaspe. St. Mary: Dani Carlson, Payton Robley, Augusta Sinclair. York: Molly Little, Kayli Riesgo.