Four-consecutive trips to the final site of the NAIA National Championships lead the Concordia Volleyball program into 2023, or the “Jordan Year,” as the team has dubbed it. These Bulldogs aspire to compete with the fierce competitiveness of famed No. 23 Michael Jordan in pursuit of a championship season. With that in mind, it’s time for Concordia to ‘level up’ and embrace its understandably lofty expectations.
There are achievements yet to be unlocked by a program that rose as high as No. 4 in the 2022 NAIA coaches’ poll. The 2022 national tournament loss that kept the Bulldogs out of the national quarterfinals hasn’t sat well this offseason. It’s one of the reasons All-Americans Bree Burtwistle and Camryn Opfer are back this fall.
“For me it means to progress to the next level,” says Head Coach Ben Boldt of the team’s motto, level up. “It’s a process-oriented type of goal. There’s not necessarily a result that comes down to it. We talk about GPAC championship level effort and we talk about national championship effort. That’s been a big goal of our team – to win a GPAC championship. It’s been a standing goal since we’ve been here for five years. We want that to be our standard in what we do. I think our team has done a really good job of that.”
In the NAIA’s toughest volleyball league, there’s little margin for error when it comes to taking home the GPAC crown. In the 2023 conference coaches’ poll, the Bulldogs collected three first-place votes. In other words, Concordia is one of the teams expected to vie for first place. Burtwistle and Opfer seem determined to lead the program to such heights. Those two veterans have been influential in steering Ben and Angie Boldt’s Bulldogs to back-to-back appearances in the GPAC tournament final and annual marches to Sioux City, Iowa.
When members of the team reported to campus on Aug. 7, it felt like Concordia had simply picked up where it left off with its battle-tested bunch. It’s quite the luxury to say that all six All-GPAC award winners from last fall have returned. That group includes not only Burtwistle and Opfer but fellow All-American Gabi Nordaker in the middle, as well as GPAC Freshman of the Year Ashley Keck, Carly Rodaway and Becca Gebhardt. There’s experience at every spot on the court. For the first time in the program’s history, there are three returning All-Americans on the floor.
“This preseason has been super fun,” Burtwistle said. “It hasn’t been like a lot of other preseasons. It’s a little different because I feel more confident, not only in my level of play but in how I am communicating with others on the team. Our overall connection has been different from years before. The freshmen who came in were immediately welcomed into the team. They acted as if they were Bulldogs the entire time, which has been super special.”
Burtwistle (Stanton, Neb.) became a full-time starter at setter for the first time in 2022 and flourished. She twice was named the NAIA National Setter of the Week while quarterbacking an attack that hit .255 for the season (No. 2 in the nation). The Seward High School product Opfer may be the most experienced collegiate player in the country having rarely come off the court over the past four seasons. Opfer has accumulated 1,341 digs and 1,268 kills in 118 career matches while performing at a high level on the brightest of stages. Then in the middle, Nordaker (893 kills and 342 blocks for her career) is next in line to reach 1,000 kills. The group of Burtwistle, Opfer and Nordaker represents a dynamic trio.
What Ben Boldt appreciates is how purposeful Burtwistle and Opfer have been in zeroing in on what will be their fifth season on a college volleyball roster. Said Boldt, “They’ve been here before. I wouldn’t want them to have been here without any purpose. They want to be here and they want to win championships. They’ve put in the work for it. They’re motivated to be back. If they would have come back without any purpose, I don’t think that would have been a good scenario, but they’re back and they’re motivated. I’m really excited to have them be part of the team.”
As for the Omaha native Nordaker, she hit .353 in 2023. Boldt sees growth in her ability as a leader. Said Boldt, “It’s coming down to leadership now. Over the spring, we have a leadership council with our seniors. She’s getting to a point mentally where she can begin to use her voice. She loves volleyball and has a great mind for the game. She’s had enough experience now where she’s starting to use her voice and be a leader vocally. I’ve seen a lot of growth in that.”
On the pins, Keck and Rodaway supply additional attacking/blocking weapons. Rodaway (Pius X High School alum) enters her third year in the program after hitting .228 with 267 kills from the right side last season. Meanwhile, the Kearney, Neb., native Keck pulverized 273 kills in her rookie season. They will be flanked by the likes of returners in Sara Huss, Addie Kirkegaard and Shelby Stark (recovering from surgery). Fans of the Bulldogs should also watch out for 6-foot-3 Washburn University transfer outside hitter Ella Waters, a former standout prep player at Norris High School.
There’s no shortage of powerful Bulldogs at the net, but Ben Boldt will tell you that he gets just as excited about a great dig as he does about a booming kill. The back row, led by Gebhardt, is now teeming with experience. The unit of defensive specialists includes returning teammates Cassidy Knust, Lexie Kreizel, Addison Smith and Ashlyn Wischmeier. Gebhardt paced last year’s team with an average of 4.67 digs per set (followed by Opfer with 3.81). Opposing teams were held to a .160 hitting percentage in 2022. Many of those DS’s also contributed heavily to the team’s service game with three notching at least 20 aces: Gebhardt (28), Wischmeier (21) and Kreizel (20).
Says Boldt, “They’re like an offensive line or defensive line. People assume they’re going to push people around and they don’t get a lot of the accolades. We call it first contact. Our DS’s in the back row are usually handling our first contact. When they keep us in system, it makes everything else run really well. There hasn’t been a lot of hesitation in that position group. People are making plays. There aren’t people out there wondering where to go and all that stuff.”
In every rotation, and in every spot on the court, Boldt expects his players to fight with dogged determination. When asked what one word Burtwistle would use to describe this team, she replied, “competitive.” There’s a fire that burns when it comes to thinking about the things that have kept Concordia from achieving its ultimate goals in recent years.
“We’re really tired of losing to Jamestown,” Burtwistle says quite frankly. “We have a lot of respect for their team. They’ve always been super good and give us really good competition. We call it ‘red card mentality’ where you go after everything. If we don’t get a call, that’s okay. We have to go after that next point. I think that’s helped as we try to ‘level up.’”
Honestly, this is a group that doesn’t want to just talk about it anymore. The season opens before the school year officially starts, and that’s exactly what these Bulldogs want.
“We can talk about it all that we want to, but talking doesn’t do anything,” Boldt said. “We have to go out there and earn it. We have to go out there and do it. That’s what level up means to me. We can’t just have a goal without having it be in our heart and in our actions. We have to go out there and earn it.”
Concordia will host McPherson College (Kan.) at 3 p.m. CT on Saturday, Aug. 19 in its 2023 season opener. The NAIA Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll will be released this coming Wednesday. To view the complete 2023 schedule, click HERE.
Battle of Bulldogs won by CUNE in season opening tussle
August 19, 2023
SEWARD, Neb. – Newly minted as the No. 4 team in the NAIA, Concordia University Volleyball brushed off a strong push from visiting McPherson College (Kan.) in the 2023 season opener held on Saturday (Aug. 19) inside Friedrich Arena. Separate runs of 5-0 and 6-0 in the fourth set allowed the host Bulldogs to stave off the upset bid and take it, 25-12, 25-22, 20-25, 25-20, over the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference foe. Both Camryn Opfer (15) and Kya Scott (10) reached double figures in kills for the victors.
Head Coach Ben Boldt unveiled a ’23 squad that looks quite a bit like the ’22 team. Six returning All-GPAC players were among the 13 Bulldogs who saw action on Saturday.
“We need to clean up our seams a little bit on defense and we need to get our setter-hitter connection just a little bit better,” Boldt said. “And I think our blocking needs to be better. I was happy about us taking a hit, being able to refocus and come back. McPherson is a really good, scrappy team. It was tough to get a ball down on them. There were a lot of balls we were hitting that would be kills a lot of times, but they dug them up. That can be frustrating, and I just thought that we stayed with it mentally. I was proud about that.”
After banking the first two sets, Concordia opened up a 9-5 lead in the third and appeared on its way to a snappy season opener. That’s when the visitors showed some mettle in putting together a 10-1 surge that Boldt’s crew wouldn’t recover from until the next set. McPherson scrapped its way back with the help of Moriah Delgado’s 23 digs in the back row and with double-digit kill outings from Zoe Fernandez (11) and Bridget McHugh (10). Leading 13-10 in the fourth set, McPherson made a serious threat at forcing a fifth.
One of the more significant plays of the day followed as Sara Huss delivered a block that fired up the troops. The 5-foot-7 Scott took it from there in going kill-kill-block in consecutive fashion. In doing so, the Broken Bow, Neb., native took advantage of the most extended action she’s seen at the varsity level. Concordia was back in control and mounted a 22-17 advantage in the fourth set. Following the match, Boldt referred to Scott as “fearless.”
Said Scott of the opportunity, “It was amazing. I love this team. The team culture is great. Everyone out there – they’re your best friends. I had so much fun. We just knew we had to put that gas pedal down, forget that last (third) set and get the next set.”
There will be better days for the Concordia attack, which was held to a .175 percentage. Returning Honorable Mention All-American setter Bree Burtwistle amassed 38 assists in addition to 10 digs. Opfer, who has joined Burtwistle for a fifth year of college volleyball, notched nine digs and two blocks to go along with her match high 15 kills. Next in line in the kill department were Gabi Nordaker (eight), Maddie Paulsen (seven) and Carly Rodaway (five). In addition, Rebecca Gebhardt collected 15 digs and Lexie Kreizel dropped in three aces.
McPherson visited Friedrich Arena for the second August in a row. It hit .102 while giving Concordia fits. McPherson had the edge in digs, 68-65, and nearly equaled the powerful home Bulldogs in kills (46-45) while blocks favored Concordia, 9-6. There were a combined 18 service errors on the day.
“Mostly just the mentality,” said Boldt of his positive takeaways. “We were rolling there, we were rolling, and there was a service error that happened in the third set. From that point it snowballed a little bit. After that point, we got back to playing free. We talk about refocusing a lot with our team. Sometimes your mind is going to wonder on some things, but how quickly you get back to refocusing is a big key for championship teams. We were able to do that – hopefully we can get back to it a little bit quicker.”
Action will continue from Friedrich Arena next weekend (Aug. 25-26) when Concordia will host the Bulldog Bash. The schedule for the two-day event is included below.
2023 Bulldog Bash – Friedrich Arena
Friday, Aug. 25 5 p.m. – Northwestern vs. MidAmerica Nazarene 7:30 p.m. – Concordia vs. Langston
Saturday, Aug. 26 11 a.m. – MidAmerica Nazarene vs. Langston 1:30 p.m. – Northwestern vs. Langston 4 p.m. – Concordia vs. MidAmerica Nazarene
Keck, Nordaker sizzle in rout of Langston
August 25, 2023
SEWARD, Neb. – After being pushed a week earlier in the season opener, the fourth-ranked Concordia University Volleyball team breezed to victory on Friday (Aug. 25) at the eighth all-time Bulldog Bash. The Bulldogs set the tone by rattling off the first nine points of the match and never looked back in a 25-7, 25-6, 25-7, rout of visiting Langston University (Okla.). Concordia hit a scorching .581 while finishing off the Lions in a mere 55 minutes.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad has moved to 2-0 halfway through the Bulldog Bash. The victory in the season opener came in four sets over McPherson College (Kan.) on Aug. 19.
“Rhythm in our offense is something we’ve been talking about a lot,” Boldt said. “I think our setting to our outside hitters worked well and our block was pretty clean. Those are two good takeaways.”
Returning All-American Gabi Nordaker smoldered in the middle on an evening when Langston had few answers. Nordaker went a perfect 7-for-7 on the attack in the first set and finished with 10 kills on 12 swings. Last year’s GPAC Freshman of the Year, Ashley Keck, equaled Nordaker with 10 kills, also on 12 attempts. As part of the 9-0 run out of the gates, Lexie Kreizel remained stationed at the service line and landed two of her four aces during the opening onslaught.
Beyond Nordaker and Keck, Concordia shared the sugar as 17 Bulldogs saw action and 11 of them registered at least one kill. The likes of Addie Kirkegaard and Sara Huss were active on the block with three assisted blocks apiece. At setter, Bree Burtwistle (19 assists) and Savannah Shelburne (six assists) collaborated on a fruitful attacking night. All-American outside hitter Camryn Opfer contributed four kills and seven digs before taking the third set off. Libero Becca Gebhardt paced the back row with nine digs.
The team statistics tell a story of domination. The Bulldogs owned significant advantages in hitting percentage, .581 to -.106, kills, 40-10, aces, 9-0, digs, 34-18, and blocks, 6-0. By set, Nordaker and company hit .565, .545 and .647, respectively. If there was anything to nitpick about, it was that Concordia had six service errors. On the flip side, the Bulldogs successfully handled every serve they faced from the Lions.
The visitors traveled from Langston, Okla., to take on three nationally ranked foes this weekend at the Bulldog Bash. Langston (1-2) got three kills apiece from Alycia Shaw and Braelyn Spence. The Lions picked up a win this past Tuesday over Wiley College.
A stiffer challenge awaits Concordia on Saturday. For the first time on the young season, the Bulldogs will test themselves against a ranked foe.
Said Boldt, “We’ve got a good matchup tomorrow versus MidAmerica. We want to stay in a good rhythm and control the net. We don’t want balls hitting our hands on the block and having them get kills off of that. We want to have that mentality.”
Day two of the Bulldog Bash will feature Concordia versus No. 11 MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.) (0-2). That match will get started at 4 p.m. CT from Friedrich Arena. On day one of the event, the Pioneers were defeated in straight sets by No. 5 Northwestern. Langston will be back on the court to take on MidAmerica Nazarene at 11 a.m. and Northwestern at 1:30 p.m.
Bulldogs bash the competition in completion of weekend domination
August 26, 2023
SEWARD, Neb. – This was the most impressive display thus far for the 2023 Concordia University Volleyball team. Showcasing balanced attacking and defensive play, the fourth-ranked Bulldogs vanquished No. 11 MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.), 25-15, 25-16, 25-15, inside Friedrich Arena on Saturday (Aug. 26). Concordia outnumbered the Pioneers significantly in the categories of kills (42-24) and digs (57-38). Both Ashley Keck and Gabi Nordaker reached double figures in kills for the victors.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad has jetted out to a 3-0 record with all three victories coming at home against nonconference foes. In this weekend’s action, the Bulldogs made quick work of both MidAmerica Nazarene and Langston University (Okla.).
“We played pretty clean today,” Boldt said. “Our hitting percentage was .275, which shows that we made good decisions today on offense – when to go for it and when not to go for it. It was pretty clean. We’re always trying to coordinate what our block is doing and what our defense is doing. That’s a controllable. We always talk about our attitude, our effort and our communication. Those are things we can control.”
A Heart of America Athletic Conference member, MNU failed to gain much traction in any of the three sets as it put forth respective set-by-set hitting percentages of .158, .029 and .000. Concordia totaled a modest three blocks for the afternoon, but the likes of Becca Gebhardt (15 digs) and Camryn Opfer (16 digs) did fine work in the back row. Their passing allowed Bree Burtwistle (33 assists) to tee it up for four hitters who produced at least six kills: Keck (11), Nordaker (10), Opfer (seven) and Maddie Paulsen (six). In the middle, Nordaker hit .500 and Paulsen attacked at a .462 clip.
MNU never held a lead in either the first or second sets and its 6-4 advantage in the third was erased quickly by a 5-0 Bulldog run. Set points for Concordia came via a Keck kill in the first, a Paulsen kill in the second and a Keck kill in the third. Keck and Nordaker cleaned up on the attack with a combined 41 kills for the weekend.
On the other side of the net, the Pioneers (1-3) got a team high six kills from Olivia Perry. MNU went 1-2 at the Bulldog Bash with a win over Langston and losses endured at the hands of GPAC foes Concordia and Northwestern.
So far so good for the Bulldogs, who have a challenging and hectic week ahead. Boldt sees a squad already displaying the necessary mental toughness to handle the rigors of elite NAIA volleyball. Said Boldt, “We lose a couple points out there and there’s total trust out there on the next point. We’re going to get it. It’s good to see us go through a little bit of adversity and come through on the other end of it. The more we put ourselves in those situations, the better and the stronger we get.”
The Bulldogs will venture on the road for the first time this season when they head to No. 24 Hastings (4-0) on Tuesday for the 2023 GPAC opener. First serve of the varsity match is slated for 7:30 p.m. CT. Concordia has won each of the past six meetings with the Broncos. That stretch include the 2022 meeting at the final site of the national tournament.
Middles star as Bulldogs conquer Broncos in GPAC opener
August 29, 2023
HASTINGS, Neb. – The spark provided by Sara Huss in the middle jumpstarted the fourth-ranked Concordia University Volleyball team in its first road test of the 2023 season. Eventually, the Bulldogs shook off frequent slow starts to sets and took control of host Hastings. GPAC Attacker of the Week Gabi Nordaker again sizzled as Concordia defeated No. 24 Hastings, 25-19, 21-25, 25-18, 25-12, inside Lynn Farrell Arena on Tuesday (Aug. 29) evening.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad remained unscathed in a battle between two undefeated teams. The Bulldogs (4-0, 1-0 GPAC) have knocked off back-to-back nationally ranked foes.
“Their outsides were taking big rips,” Boldt said. “It’s not easy with the speed they run it out and how hard they hit it. It’s not easy to get a block set up out there. Credit to Sara Huss. She did a really good job of coming in. She gets her hands over the net – that was definitely needed. That was the challenge of the match for us, for sure. I think the biggest thing was our play in the front row and being physical when they take big rips. That’s what they were going for.”
There were adjustments to be made after the Broncos powered down 20 kills in a second set that had Concordia flummoxed. Out of the gates in each of the first three sets, Hastings played the role of aggressor. It owned leads of 12-9 in the first set, 8-4 in the second set and 6-3 in the third set. A pair of blocks from Huss in the third set helped turn the tide. The two in-state rivals played to an 18-18 stalemate in the third before an attack error initiated a 7-0 Concordia run to end it.
Nordaker then rattled off three early kills in the fourth set and it was all Bulldogs. They hit .517 in that final set while leaving no doubt. There’s also no doubt that Concordia has an All-American it can ride in the middle. Said Boldt in the postgame radio show, “Holy cow, I just saw this stat – Gabi hit .722 on 18 swings. We’ve really challenged her recently and she’s definitely stepping up.”
Nordaker needed only 18 swings to pile up her team high 14 kills. She was followed in that column by teammates Camryn Opfer (13) and Ashley Keck (11). The Bulldogs outhit the Broncos for the night, .397 to .196. The key was limiting Hastings to respective hitting percentages of .116 and .061 over the final two sets. Other leaders for the victors were Bree Burtwistle with 46 assists and Becca Gebhardt with 13 digs. Burtwistle and Opfer both added two aces. Huss gets a gold star for her four kills and three blocks when Concordia needed to find answers to Hastings’ attack.
Said Boldt, “The environment was great. They had the whole student section out. I thought our players adjusted really well to that. We haven’t had that type of environment yet. This was our first match on the road. I thought they responded really well.”
Hastings (4-1, 0-1 GPAC) leaned heavily upon Ilse Benne and Majesta Valasek, who combined for 34 of the team’s 54 kills. After that rough second set, the Bulldogs adjusted and steadied the ship. The 8-1 Concordia advantage in blocks proved critical. The Broncos wound up with 25 attack errors compared to 11 committed by the Bulldogs, who have won seven straight series meetings.
Next up will be the CSM/United Sports Academy Labor Day Classic in North Sioux City, S.D. The CNOS Fieldhouse will serve as the venue for an event that will feature many highly ranked teams from around the NAIA volleyball world. The schedule for the Bulldogs is included below. The first match of the event will be covered live by 104.9 Max Country.
Balanced Dawgs stay unbeaten with two wins on day one of weekend classic
Septemer 1, 2023
NORTH SIOUX CITY, S.D. – The record remains unblemished for the second-ranked Concordia University Volleyball team, which finished off both Rocky Mountain College (Mont.) and Mayville State University (N.D.) in straight sets on Friday (Sept. 1). The biggest scare of the day came in a second set that the Bulldogs somehow pulled out of the fire versus the veteran Mayville State squad. Behind 24 kills apiece from Camryn Opfer and Ashley Keck on the day, Concordia won by scores of 25-17, 25-16, 25-19, over Rocky Mountain and 25-20, 26-24, 25-21, over Mayville State in North Sioux City, S.D.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad has moved to 6-0 with five of those victories coming outside of league play. All matches this weekend are taking place at the CNOS Fieldhouse as part of the CSM/United Sports Academy Labor Day Classic.
“It was definitely good to see our team’s grit,” Boldt said of the matchup with Mayville State. “In that second set, we showed fight, played good defense and played clean. I thought our offense looked good, we passed really well and kept in system. The biggest thing was we stuck with it and stayed gritty throughout the match.”
The Bulldogs brought heaters from the outsides on this particular day. Precision passing helped set Opfer and Keck up for success. In the snappy win over Rocky Mountain, Keck drilled 14 kills on 28 swings and Opfer delivered 13 kills on 33 attempts. By day’s end, Opfer pushed her career kill total to 1,331 and moved past Rachel (Kirchner) Miller for No. 4 on the program’s all-time list. Opfer and company bullied the Battlin’ Bears by hitting .323. Bree Burtwistle (43 assists) also found Carly Rodaway for 10 kills on the right side and Gabi Nordaker for eight in the middle.
A national tournament qualifier in five of the past seven seasons, Rocky Mountain (6-4) did not have a counter for Concordia’s powerful attack. It was led by 14 kills from Makenna Bushman. On the flip side, Becca Gebhardt (16) and Opfer (13) both reached double figures in digs. From the service line, the Bulldogs totaled seven aces to zero for Rocky Mountain. Burtwistle landed three aces herself.
Mayville State is not receiving votes nationally, but perhaps it will be at some point. The Comets (3-1) supplied some serious resistance. The second set looked like it would go to Mayville State, which led it 24-19. Concordia managed to put itself in an advantageous rotation that had the Comets reeling. The Bulldogs went on a 7-0 run to win the set with point Nos. 23 and 24 coming via blocks from the combination of Nordaker and Rodaway. Concordia also notched the final four points of the third set after Mayville State had tied it, 21-21.
Opfer (11), Keck (10) and Rodaway (10) all reached double figures in kills in the second match. Rodaway hit .529 from the right side. In the middle, Nordaker and Maddie Paulsen added seven kills apiece. Burtwistle tacked on 43 more assists while leading an attack that hit .295 versus Mayville State. In addition, Nordaker got in on five blocks and Gebhardt (12) and Lexie Kreizel (10) hit double digits in digs. The Comets were limited to a .188 hitting percentage.
At least so far this season, Bulldog attackers have been too hot to handle. Said Boldt, “We’re taking really good swings. When we’re in system, we’re putting heat on the ball. Out of system, we’re staying aggressive. I think we’re taking some of the best out-of-system swings that we’ve taken since I’ve been here. We’re putting the ball on the money on out-of-system sets. We’re really driving to the ball and being physical.”
Two more matches are coming up Saturday for the Bulldogs, who will take on Kansas Wesleyan University at 11 a.m. CT and then sixth-ranked Park University (Mo.) at 5 p.m. The clash with Park will be a rematch from the 2022 national tournament, which saw the Pirates advance to the NAIA quarterfinals. Park will mark the third top 25 opponent on the slate so far.
National tournament loss avenged as Bulldogs move to 8-0
September 2, 2023
NORTH SIOUX CITY, S.D. – Every test has been passed thus far by the second-ranked Concordia University Volleyball team. In action on Saturday (Sept. 2) in North Sioux City, S.D., the Bulldogs completed a 4-0 weekend with a revenge victory over No. 6 Park University (Mo.). Ashley Keck swatted 26 kills on the day, Concordia limited its foes to a .112 hitting percentage and left South Dakota with wins by scores of 25-19, 25-15, 25-14, over Kansas Wesleyan University and 25-22, 25-16, 16-25, 25-23, over Park. All matches took place at the CNOS Fieldhouse as part of the CSM/United Sports Academy Labor Day Classic.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad has moved to 8-0 as it continues to chase the 10-0 start put forth by the 2022 team. The win over Park meant a little something more considering the Pirates ended the Bulldogs’ 2022 season a win shy of the national quarterfinals.
“I thought our resiliency was really good,” Boldt said. “The margins were really small in the Park match. It was back and forth the whole time. In the end, our blocking really took over in the last couple of points. That was the difference. One of the keys to success that we talk about is having the mentality of owning the net. We kept saying that over and over again – own the net. After you get in the 20s, you want to be tough. We went out there got those key blocks.”
With Park looming later in the day, Concordia showed focus in not overlooking Kansas Wesleyan. The Bulldogs outhit the Coyotes, .300 to .082, and got 11 kills from Keck. Concordia enjoyed a significant advantage in service (9-0 in aces) as three individuals landed two aces apiece: Bree Burtwistle, Lexie Kreizel and Ashlyn Wischmeier. In addition, Gabi Nordaker supplied eight kills and two blocks and Maddie Paulsen chipped in with seven kills and four blocks. Burtwistle was credited with 27 assists and nine digs.
That set the stage for the most anticipated match of the weekend. Both squads returned three All-Americans from last season. The Bulldogs struggled to contain middle blocker Debora Bernardi (11 kills on 18 swings) but countered with another balanced effort. Both Nordaker and Carly Rodaway got in on six blocks in holding the Pirates (4-2) to a .132 hitting percentage. Meanwhile, Keck led the attack with 15 kills and Becca Gebhardt accumulated 16 digs. Two others hit double figures in kills: Nordaker (11) and Kya Scott (10).
Park had its chances to push it to a fifth set. The fourth was deadlocked at 23-23. Concordia then celebrated after Paulsen delivered a kill and a Park attack misfired. The early season barometer would indicate that the Bulldogs are deserving of the No. 2 national ranking, the highest in program history.
Said Boldt, “I thought we grew up a lot (this weekend). We got put through some tests, and I think we really stepped up. Our mentality stayed strong the whole time. Even when we were down a little bit in the Park match, I thought we were able to refocus and get back to playing our best. That was a big part of growing up today.”
The depth of Concordia’s roster has also come to bare in the early going. All-American Camryn Opfer missed Saturday's contests to attend a wedding. Opfer jumped to No. 4 on the program’s all-time kills list as part of Friday’s wins in North Sioux City over Rocky Mountain College (Mont.) and Mayville State University (N.D.). Scott stepped in and totaled 13 kills on Saturday.
An early season GPAC showdown with ninth-ranked Midland (5-4, 1-0 GPAC) is next on the docket. The two rivals will go head-to-head inside Friedrich Arena on Wednesday with first serve of the varsity match at 7:30 p.m. CT. The Warriors won two of last season’s three matchups. Concordia’s win came in the GPAC semifinals in Fremont.
Focused Bulldogs muzzle Midland in top 10 battle
September 6, 2023
SEWARD, Neb. – A large and frenzied student body whited out Friedrich Arena in one of the louder home volleyball crowds in recent memory. The second-ranked Concordia University Volleyball team fed off that energy and wiped out visiting Midland in the renewal of a rivalry that’s intensified in recent years. The Bulldogs hit .342 while turning away the ninth-ranked Warriors, 25-16, 25-22, 25-21, on Wednesday (Sept. 6). The freshman Maddie Paulsen shined under the spotlight with 13 kills in the middle.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad continues to run through its schedule like a team on a mission. Concordia remained unbeaten at 9-0 overall (2-0 GPAC).
“We played well. We played pretty clean,” Boldt said. “The challenge that we gave our team was to stay aggressive and stay smart. Our hitting percentage was really good, so we were low error and we got kills. That’s a good recipe. We were pretty locked in. I was proud of the focus for sure. When we were thinking about what we were going to tell the team, Angie (Boldt) says, ‘This team is locked in.’ We went about our business. We gave them a couple keys and they went out and executed.”
In the eyes of the Bulldogs, it’s their time. This was another chance for Concordia to flex its muscles while up against a perennial GPAC power. In the latest showdown, Midland was already forced to call its first timeout nine points into the match (7-2 Bulldog lead). It wasn’t much of a contest in that opening set as the Bulldogs hit .395 and ended it on an Ashley Keck kill. Midland did manage to dig in and compete closely over sets two and three thanks to its own balanced effort.
It takes a special kind of effort, however, to knock off this Concordia team. Paulsen emerged in a big way with her 13 kills (on 18 swings) and three blocks. Keck added 12 kills and nine digs as she continues to see more action in the back row. There were also the usual steady performances from All-Americans Bree Burtwistle (40 assists), Gabi Nordaker (eight kills, three blocks) and Camryn Opfer (eight kills, 13 digs, two blocks). Named NAIA National Setter of the Week on Tuesday, Burtwistle keeps teeing it up for an attack that has a tendency to devastate its foes.
It was clear: Keck and her teammates were ready for this one. Said Keck, “Midland’s a good team. We came out and we knew there was going to be a big crowd having a whiteout theme. I just think we wanted revenge, especially from when we played Midland at home last year and they beat us. It’s really nice to sweep them tonight.”
The Warriors (5-5, 1-1 GPAC) can no longer lean upon All-Americans Hope Leimbach and Taliyah Flores, but this is a program that is used to reloading. One of its biggest stars, Seward native Abbey Ringler, notched seven kills and two blocks on the night. She equaled Jacki Apel for a team high in kills. There were no real standout individuals who consistently hurt Concordia. Midland attempted to grit through the second and third sets and did manage to play the Bulldogs even in blocks, 7-7, and tight in digs, 50-46. The Warriors just weren’t as clean, as 19 attack errors limited their hitting percentage to .177.
Concordia experienced a couple of lulls on Wednesday. It found itself down 12-6 in the second set and allowed a 5-0 Midland run in the third set. The Bulldogs quickly returned to form in both instances.
Said Boldt of the Warriors, “They’re a well-coached team. They know what they’re doing. They’ll beat you in different ways. It was nice to see us be able to adapt to all those things tonight … We called timeout in the third set. I thought our energy dipped a little bit, so I challenged the team. Championship teams are steady all the way through. It’s something we need to make sure we’re doing and lifting each other up.”
The Bulldogs will take this weekend off before hosting Doane (1-7, 0-2 GPAC) next Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. CT. Concordia won both of last season’s meetings over the Tigers in straight sets. Doane finished last season at 8-25 overall (1-15 GPAC).
Doane no match for second-ranked Bulldogs
September 13, 2023
SEWARD, Neb. – The Concordia University Volleyball team retained the No. 2 national ranking in this week’s NAIA coaches’ poll – and it looked like a group worthy of that stature in putting away Doane with little trouble on Wednesday (Sept. 13). The Bulldogs hit .388 while taking care of the Tigers for the 10th time in the past 11 meetings versus the GPAC rival. Eleven Concordia players produced at least one kill in what amounted to a 25-11, 25-14, 25-14, rout of the visitors from Crete.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad has moved to 10-0 (3-0 GPAC) while reaching at least that mark for the fourth time in six seasons. The Bulldogs have dropped only three total sets all season.
“I think we came out focused. That was a big thing for us this week,” Boldt said. “I thought we served really well. There are times where we have runs of service errors where we could lose our focus, but I don’t think that happened today. We kept the pressure on. We asked them to stay aggressive and stay smart at the same time, and we did that tonight. I’m proud of them.”
Setter Bree Burtwistle (35 assists) and company put on another fine show for the fans in attendance. Camryn Opfer and Ashley Keck bombed away from the outsides with nine kills apiece. For the second Wednesday night in row inside Friedrich Arena, freshman Maddie Paulsen (eight kills on 13 swings) displayed dominance in the middle. Over the three sets, Concordia posted kill totals of 19, 18 and 14, respectively. Whether in system or not, the Bulldogs’ physicality at the net was too much for Doane.
It was another night of balanced statistical efforts from Concordia. Gabi Nordaker added six kills (now at 983 for her career) and Carly Rodaway notched five kills on only 11 swings. In the back row, four Bulldogs tallied at least eight digs: Keck (10), Cassidy Knust (nine), Opfer (eight) and Becca Gebhardt (eight). Knust also chipped in two aces. In service, Concordia posted six aces to only two errors.
On the other side of the net, Frankie Curren-Graff led Doane with seven kills. The Tigers (2-9, 0-4 GPAC) were held to a .104 hitting percentage and 24 kills for the night. Doane did manage to keep the ball in play, limiting its attacking errors to a count of 14. There just wasn’t enough production to keep up. The Bulldogs were not seriously threatened in any of the three sets. The Tigers’ 5-0 run late in the second set was its only real extended sequence of success.
The night ended with Kya Scott rising up for a match-point kill. Scott came in to post three kills. Also off the bench, Addie Kirkegaard was a perfect 3-for-3 on the attack. Addison Smith got into the fun with an ace in the final set.
Said Boldt, “I think we really earned our points. We killed 51 of those 75 points. That’s a really high percentage of that. Doane didn’t give us too many errors. I like earning points better than being given points.”
The Bulldogs will be on the road on Saturday for a matchup with ninth-ranked College of Saint Mary (14-1, 3-0 GPAC). First serve from the Lied Fitness Center in Omaha is set for 3 p.m. CT. Concordia has won each of the past four meetings with the Flames. Head Coach Rick Pruett has led CSM to the national tournament in three of the last four years.
Win streak grows to 11 as unflappable Bulldogs take out No. 9 CSM
September 16, 2023
OMAHA, Neb. – Faced with perhaps its stiffest challenge yet, the second-ranked Concordia University Volleyball team showed its resolve on the road. Defensive grit ruled the day as the Bulldogs shook off a tight setback in the opening set and won at No. 9 College of Saint Mary, 25-27, 25-20, 25-16, 25-20. On the attack, right side Carly Rodaway struck for 14 kills on the strength of a .520 hitting percentage. Both teams entered the showdown with win streaks of 10 or greater.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad has moved to 11-0 (4-0 GPAC) after claiming its third win this season over an NAIA top 10 foe. Concordia is one win off the best unbeaten run since Ben and Angie Boldt took the reins of the program beginning with the 2018 season.
“College of Saint Mary’s middles are really good,” Boldt said. “We had to make some adjustments defensively after the first set. It was a big defensive battle. We competed well. Hats off to College of Saint Mary. They were bringing it today.”
The adjustments paid off as the Bulldogs enjoyed impressive stretches in the second set (taking a 12-1 lead to begin it) and then in the third set while putting together a 15-5 run. Concordia celebrated the win when Ashley Keck hammered a kill for match point. Concordia managed to collect 62 kills against a team that makes life tough on opposing attackers. This was a match more about defense. Five Bulldogs notched at least 10 digs: Becca Gebhardt (23), Bree Burtwistle (20), Keck (12), Cassidy Knust (10) and Camryn Opfer (10).
For CSM (14-2, 3-1 GPAC), the lion’s share of the offensive production came from middles Azaria Green and Kamryn Williams, who combined for 27 of the team’s 51 kills. Concordia did a commendable job of containing virtually everyone else. The Flames hit only .168 as a team. They cooled considerably after the first set, which saw them pummel 18 kills with just four hitting errors. One of the GPAC’s best liberos, Rachel Cushing posted a game high 24 digs.
These Bulldogs have so many ways to beat their opponent. Three hitters reached double figures in kills: Keck (16), Opfer (15) and Rodaway. The 2022 GPAC Freshman of the Year, Keck has blossomed into an even bigger star this fall. She added four blocks to her stat line. Meanwhile, Opfer hit a rock solid .265 from the outside and contributed two aces. The back-to-back GPAC Setter of the Week award winner Burtwistle totaled 50 assists as she continues to quarterback the NAIA’s top-rated attack. Finally, Gabi Nordaker chipped in with seven kills and seven blocks. Blocks were even at 10 apiece.
Afterwards, Boldt lauded the efforts of the likes of Rodaway and Ashlyn Wischmeier. The latter landed three aces and contributed heavily to the 12-1 run to start the second set.
Said Boldt, “I thought Carly Rodaway really stepped up today. There were some moments where we were having a tough time getting a side out. We threw it up to Carly and she came through in the clutch. It was awesome to see that production. They were blocking our middles and our outsides, but we stuck with it. We didn’t try to get outside of ourselves. We stayed true to our fundamentals and took it one at a time.
“That big run in the second set, Ashlyn Wischmeier ran a string of points there. Then Saint Mary came back in that set. It can be hard to keep your focus when you’re up big like that. Late in that set, I was talking to our team – championship teams have to refocus and get back into it and stay aggressive. I thought we did that.”
Concordia has won five consecutive meetings with CSM. The Flames had won 14 matches in a row since opening the season with a four-set loss at the hands of the current top-ranked team in the NAIA, Eastern Oregon University.
During homecoming week, the Bulldogs will welcome two GPAC opponents to Friedrich Arena. This coming Wednesday, Mount Marty (9-8, 2-2 GPAC) will visit Seward for a 7:30 p.m. CT first serve. The improved Lancers own conference wins over Doane and Hastings.
Nordaker achieves career milestone as second-ranked Bulldogs fend off Lancers
September 20, 2023
SEWARD, Neb. – Other than a blip in the second set, the second-ranked Concordia University Volleyball team controlled the action on Wednesday (Sept. 20) as an improved Mount Marty squad made its way to Friedrich Arena. All-American Gabi Nordaker recorded the 1,000th kill of her career and the Bulldogs celebrated a 25-9, 25-27, 25-13, 25-12, victory. Concordia hit .455 in the opening set while setting a tone for the night.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad stayed perfect at 12-0 overall (5-0 GPAC), equaling the longest unbeaten run during Boldt’s six-year tenure. As the current frontrunner in the conference, the Bulldogs expect each of their opponents to play with their hair on fire.
“How we approach every game is important,” Boldt said. “We’re going to get everybody’s best shot. We can make no assumptions on anything that we do. We have to go out and earn everything that we get. That’s going to continue to be our message. When we get out on the court, we’ve got to be locked in and come bring it.”
Fittingly, kill No. 1,000 for Nordaker came with authority on an attack the Lancers had no shot of defending cleanly. The Millard West High School alum had already swatted six kills in the opening set in a hot start for the Bulldogs. Showing no signs of a letdown coming off the road win over No. 9 College of Saint Mary, Concordia looked the part of a highly ranked team once again. The Bulldogs used another balanced effort as Ashley Keck powered down 16 kills followed by 15 from Nordaker and 10 from Camryn Opfer. The host outhit the visitors, .266 to .019, for the evening.
To Mount Marty’s credit, it showed grit in the second set when it held off hard-charging Concordia. The Lancers’ Julia Weber emerged with a kill and a block for point Nos. 26 and 27, respectively, in that set. Weber mashed a match high-tying 16 kills while Katelyn Chytka led her side’s back row with 18 digs. The performance in the second set will give Mount Marty (9-9, 2-3 GPAC) a positive takeaway. The Lancers entered the evening with GPAC wins over Hastings and Doane.
Ultimately, the talent of the Bulldogs was too much. They owned large advantages in kills, 58-34, and in blocks, 11-3. Nordaker hit .556 and added five blocks to her stat line. Nordaker went ahead and got the 1,000th kill out of the way early in the third set. Once the ball pelted the floorboards, her teammates erupted. Said Boldt, “That was really awesome to see the crowd get into that when she got her 1,000th kill. It was one of those signature Gabi kills she hit it wrist away and really got a hold of it.”
Said Nordaker of the moment, “I had no idea that the whole crowd had signs. Going out there, I was honestly about to break down, but I had to keep it together. Of course you want to cherish those moments. It meant a lot.”
When the front row wasn’t getting its hands on the attacks, the Concordia back row did a fine job. Becca Gebhardt piled up 25 digs (in addition to two aces) while Bree Burtwistle (16), Keck (15) and Opfer (14) also reached double figures in that category. As part of the tandem with Nordaker in the middle, Maddie Paulsen chipped in eight kills and three blocks. Winner of three GPAC Setter of the Week awards in a row, Burtwistle collected 44 assists and eclipsed 2,500 assists for her career.
For the Bulldogs, the second set was another reminder of the rigors of the GPAC schedule. Said Boldt of Mount Marty, “They’re really tough defensively. They’ll frustrate you. You’ll get one of your best attacks and it doesn’t go down, and that’s a really frustrating thing. Hats off to them. They’ve been continuing to get better. They’re scrappy for sure.”
A homecoming week of action inside Friedrich Arena will continue on Saturday when the Bulldogs will welcome Dordt (1-10, 0-5 GPAC) to town for a 4 p.m. CT clash. Concordia won last season’s lone meeting (in straight sets) contested in Sioux Center, Iowa. The Defenders remained winless in conference play with a five-set loss at Briar Cliff on Wednesday.
Undefeated streak moves to 13 in homecoming blowout
September 23, 2023
SEWARD, Neb. – It’s been a week of taking care of business at home. The second-ranked Concordia University Volleyball team made sure not to overlook Dordt on homecoming Saturday (Sept. 23) while waltzing to a brisk 25-14, 25-14, 25-14, victory over the visitors from Sioux Center, Iowa. There were moments when a rash of service errors came from both sides, but the Bulldogs were never seriously threatened as they hit .318 for the afternoon.
Head Coach Ben Boldt’s squad has moved to 13-0 (6-0 GPAC) and remains one of three NAIA squads with unblemished records on the season. Concordia is 13-0 to start a campaign for the first time during the six years of leadership under Ben and Angie Boldt.
“I was really proud of our focus and how we came out,” Ben Boldt said. “We really responded in a week where it starts to become a grind. Mentally, how do we respond to all those things? I thought we came out and were focused and refocused when we needed to.
“We were smart and aggressive. There were a couple hitting errors we had that were good hitting errors, if you can call it that. We don’t mind if you’re going for it and it goes out of bounds or if they make a good block.”
As a sign of what was to come, the Bulldogs rattled off the first eight points of the match. That run was bookended by kills from Camryn Opfer and Carly Rodaway. On the pins, those two Concordia attackers were solid on a day characterized by another balanced statistical outing. Ashley Keck led the way with 10 kills in addition to six digs. Four of her teammates registered at least five kills: Opfer (eight), Gabi Nordaker (seven), Rodaway (seven) and Maddie Paulsen (five). The ladder three attackers each hit at least .375.
Quite simply, Concordia was a much cleaner team in comitting only 11 attacking errors. The Bulldogs also landed 11 aces (from seven different players), led by three from Opfer. In the third set, Addie Smith entered and promptly put away an ace as the Bulldogs ran away with it. On the other side of the net, the Defenders (1-11, 0-6 GPAC) managed only one ace compared to eight service errors.
Concordia enjoyed a 6-3 blocking advantage and produced 45 digs in the process of holding Dordt to .045 hitting for the contest. Nordaker was part of five blocks and Rodaway assisted on four blocks. In the back row, Becca Gebhardt paced all players with 14 digs. In another strong performance, Bree Burtwistle totaled 31 assists and two aces.
A regular national qualifier, Dordt is still searching for its first conference win of the season. The Defenders were paced on Saturday by six kills from Tarren Spartz. Riley Doenhoefer and Ellie Dokter chipped in with five kills apiece.
A solid group of student supporters dressed appropriately for the homecoming whiteout. The crowds figure to grow in number as the stakes continue to raise for a Concordia team expecting to claim the No. 1 NAIA national ranking when the new poll comes out next week.
Said Boldt, “I love to be able to be part of the community and be something the community is proud of. We want to put an awesome product out there. We’re all here – Bulldogs for Bulldogs. It’s a great environment.”
The Bulldogs will take a break in the middle of next week while they prepare for a road trip to Sioux City, Iowa, the weekend of Sept. 29-30. As part of that journey, Concordia will take on Briar Cliff (6-13, 1-4 GPAC) at 7:30 p.m. CT on Sept. 29 before going head-to-head with Morningside (8-11, 2-4 GPAC) at 3 p.m. on Sept. 30. The Bulldogs will be back at home the weekend of Oct. 6-7.
'Never satisfied' Bulldogs level up to NAIA No. 1 national ranking
September 27, 2023
Coach Ben Boldt insists that the team’s national ranking has never come up in conversation in practice or official team meetings. It will be harder to avoid even casual mention in light of the announcement made on Wednesday (Sept. 27) by the NAIA. The Concordia University Volleyball team claimed the NAIA’s No. 1 national ranking in marking another first in the program’s history. The Bulldogs collected 20 of 21 first-place votes in climbing up a spot from their previous position at No. 2.
Inside the Concordia locker room, nothing changes no matter what national ranking is attached to the team’s name. The focus on mentality over outside noise helps explain the year-over-year excellence achieved by the Bulldogs under the direction of Ben and Angie Boldt.
Said Ben Boldt earlier this month, “I get the sense that this team is a focused team. I get the sense that they’re never satisfied. They want some more. It’s a long season, but each one of those steps is another place to build as we climb up the mountain.”
In many ways, the team’s record of 13-0 (6-0 GPAC) is no surprise to anyone who has followed the program closely. Concordia has reached the final site of the national tournament in four straight seasons and returned each of its six All-GPAC honorees from 2022. That group includes All-Americans Bree Burtwistle and Camryn Opfer, two stars who opted in on fifth seasons of collegiate volleyball. In other words, expectations soared through the roof heading into the fall of 2023.
So far, the expectations have been met. The Bulldogs have not yet had to go to a fifth set and have beaten five teams with national rankings at the time matches were contested: No. 6 Park University (Mo.), No. 9 College of Saint Mary, No. 9 Midland, No. 11 MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.) and No. 24 Hastings. Not only is Concordia one of only three unbeaten teams remaining in NAIA volleyball, it stands out as one of the nation's most exciting teams to watch, as evidenced by its NAIA rankings of first in kills per set (14.61) and second in hitting percentage (.300).
The Bulldogs believe they have the right combination of togetherness, talent and teamwork to make this season something uniquely special. They’ve called this their ‘Jordan Year’ (with the year 2023 aligning with Michael Jordan’s No. 23) and have aspired to level up while staying true to who they are and what they value: love, trust, hard work and sacrifice. This is going to sound a tad bit cheesy, but the players truly feel it.
Said All-American middle blocker Gabi Nordaker after a recent win, “We’re just really connected. We are together like 24/7. The love is there.” Added sophomore outside hitter Ashley Keck, “We’re really good at locking into the game and being with each other. We pick each other up for sure. Someone might struggle, but we help one another. We’re a family. That’s what families do. We love each other.”
Just prior to the start of the season, Burtwistle remarked, “This team is something special. It’s something I’ve never been part of. We’re just so connected and our chemistry’s there. I think that helps with so many people coming back. It’s so special. I don’t know how else to explain it.”
To be sure, the job is not finished, not by a long shot. No matter the opponent, no matter the circumstances, the program has had a way about it of not getting ahead of itself. Ten matches remain on the GPAC regular season grind, meaning no time to celebrate. The ultimate goals remain achievements yet to be unlocked.
“We’re confident out there,” Boldt said. “We’re trying not to be overconfident. When we come into every day, we have a mentality that this is what we need to do. That’s been good. We need to continue to do that. It’s been a standing goal for us to win a GPAC championship. Whether we win or lose it, we’re not going to live and die based on that. We want to make sure we have that GPAC championship mentality every single day. We’ve been saying that ever since Angie and I got here. It’s how we’ve approached every day.”
Every student-athlete who’s played a role in the program’s rise has her own unique story. Opfer initially committed to NCAA Division II Washburn University before reconsidering and becoming a five-year mainstay and one of the program’s all-time greats. Nordaker had hopes of going NCAA D-I before realizing she could play big-time volleyball in the NAIA. Burtwistle spent a year at Midland before transferring and becoming one of the NAIA’s best setters. The 2022 GPAC Freshman of the Year, Keck has ‘leveled up’ in her own right in becoming a star (and “dynamic attacker” as Boldt put it) in 2023. Dependable right side Carly Rodaway transferred in after one year at Fort Hays State while libero Becca Gebhardt was thrown into the fire as a freshman and has grown tremendously over time. The list goes on.
This team certainly isn’t about one or two players. The resulting box scores from the majority of Concordia matches showcase Concordia’s impressive balance. There are five main attackers who each have at least 86 kills this season: Keck (145), Nordaker (119), Opfer (113), Rodaway (88) and Maddie Paulsen (86). The freshman Paulsen has stepped nicely into the playing time void left by the departures of Morgan Nibbe and Kalee Wiltfong from last season’s team. On a team loaded with experience, Paulsen is one of the few underclassmen making a big impact.
When this team is playing at or near its top level, it will be incredibly difficult to beat. These Bulldogs are well-rounded, balanced, powerful, close-knit and smart. Says Boldt, “I think our decision making is really good. We haven’t made a whole lot of errors, like unforced errors. I don’t think there have been errors where there’s been a lack of focus. I’ve been really proud of our mental game. We have to continue that and continue to get better at that. We’re going to put them in challenging situations and see how they respond. Mentally, we’ve been pretty strong this year.”
Boldt mentioned on a recent Bulldog Coaches Show that he believes his team can always get better at blocking and says his team has the potential to be more physical at the net. That might be knit picking for a squad with no real glaring weaknesses.
For now, the No. 1 ranking is nice recognition of where Concordia stands at this moment in time. The Bulldogs vow not to be fixated on any rankings. They mean very little once the ball is served on game days. As Boldt says, “We’re going to get everybody’s best shot. Great teams are able to focus and refocus.”