In their first outing since being tagged as the NAIA's No. 1-ranked team, the Bulldogs toppled Briar Cliff in three sets on the road. Concordia absorbed a strong push in the first set before dominating and moving to 14-0 (7-0 GPAC).
Having just been stamped with the NAIA’s No. 1 ranking, Concordia Volleyball will shift its focus to this weekend's road trip to Sioux City. Awaiting the Bulldogs will be Briar Cliff and Morningside as the GPAC grind carries on.
On the strength of a 13-0 start to the season, Concordia Volleyball has leveled up to the NAIA No. 1 national ranking. The Bulldogs have reached that lofty perch for the first time in the program's history.
The unbeaten record has moved to 13-0, marking the best start in the tenure of Ben and Angie Boldt. The Bulldogs were balanced once again as they routed Dordt, 25-14, 25-14, 25-14, on homecoming Saturday (Sept. 23).
No. 2 Concordia got back on that GPAC grind on Wednesday (Sept. 20), absorbed a push from Mount Marty in the second set and stayed unbeaten (12-0). As part of the win, Gabi Nordaker eclipsed 1,000 career kills.
Bree Burtwistle continues to rake in GPAC Setter of the Week awards. She earned the distinction for the third time already this season while pulling in the award on Tuesday (Sept. 19). Burtwistle leads an 11-0 Bulldog squad.
Second-ranked Concordia will put unblemished records of 11-0 overall and 5-0 at home on the line this week. As part of homecoming week, the Bulldogs will host Mount Marty and Dordt in GPAC action.
A blip in the first set did not phase the Bulldogs, who responded impressively while earning a win over a top 10 team on the road. Carly Rodaway hit efficiently from the right side and Becca Gebhardt led the back row in the win at No. 9 CSM.
The Concordia Volleyball team again backed up its No. 2 national ranking while hitting .388 in a quick moving victory over visiting Doane on Wednesday (Sept. 13). The Bulldogs moved to 10-0 while getting contributions from all comers.
In spearheading the win over No. 9 Midland, Bree Burtwistle has been named GPAC Setter of the Week. The award is her second in a row and fifth of her career. Burtwistle totaled 40 assists in the victory.
The 2017 Concordia volleyball team will look very different than the 2016 version. The Bulldogs spent this spring adjusting to life without an accomplished senior class. Head coach Scott Mattera discussed the status of the program.
The Concordia volleyball program entered this fall with high hopes. The team's 15-19 overall record was not what anyone associated with the program had in mind, but the outlook is positive for 2017 and beyond.
The odds said Concordia volleyball had almost no chance of winning when it trailed 24-19 in the third set versus Morningside on Sept. 17. The Bulldogs then rallied for perhaps the greatest comeback in program history.
The Concordia volleyball program hopes to continue its upward trajectory with a big 2016 season. Scott Mattera's squad is loaded with key returners from its 2015 national tournament qualifier.
A talented, fun-loving group of seniors helped Concordia volleyball to new heights in 2015. Now they look forward to even bigger goals in 2016.
Yes, baseball pitching drills were part of the spring secret to gaining more explosiveness at the net. Head coach Scott Mattera also believes his team made strides this spring in regards to its passing.
In 2015, the Concordia volleyball team set new records and achieved goals that had never been reached in the history of the program. After a 10-21 season in Scott Mattera’s first year in 2012, the head coach developed a team that improved to 26-9 in the most recent season.
The current class of Concordia volleyball seniors knows exactly what it’s like to watch a program rise from near the bottom of the conference to the heights of a national tournament berth.
The making of a national tournament volleyball team at Concordia did not happen overnight. The core of the first Bulldog squad ever to break through and reach the national tournament all arrived in the last two to four years.
A fifth-straight appearance in the Tachikara - NAIA Volleyball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll yielded the first top-15 ranking for the Concordia University volleyball program since October of 2000.