The top-ranked Concordia University Volleyball team got better as the match went on while finding a flow and taking care of Doane, 25-18, 25-19, 25-13, on Wednesday (Oct. 18). Gabi Nordaker paced the Bulldogs with 12 kills and five blocks.
Rematches are on the way this week as the top-ranked Bulldogs will travel to Doane on Wednesday and then host No. 9 College of Saint Mary on Saturday. Concordia enters the week tied atop the GPAC standings at 10-1.
In a matchup between the Nos. 1 and 3 teams in the NAIA, the Bulldogs saw their unbeaten ride come to an end. The Red Raiders won a tight first set and then rode its blocking advantage to victory in Orange City.
Following two pivotal GPAC home victories, two members of the top-ranked Bulldogs were honored with player of the week awards. Gabi Nordaker earned NAIA National Attacker of the Week accolades while Bree Burtwistle was also recognized by the GPAC.
Based on the most recent NAIA coaches' poll, the matchup between Concordia and Northwestern will feature the nation's Nos. 1 and 3 teams. The Bulldogs will carry a 17-0 record (10-0 GPAC) into Saturday's clash in Orange City, Iowa.
There were no signs of a letdown as No. 1 Concordia refueled with a little bit of Scooter's Coffee and showed plenty of energy in a straight sets win over Dakota Wesleyan on Saturday (Oct. 7). Gabi Nordaker produced 15 kills in the middle.
These were the moments Camryn Opfer and Bree Burtwistle came back to soak in. In a match dripping with hype, the top-ranked Bulldogs defeated defending national champ Jamestown in four sets in front of a raucous crowd on Friday (Oct. 6).
In a highly anticipated weekend of home action, the top-ranked Bulldogs will welcome defending national champion Jamestown and 2022 national quarterfinalist Dakota Wesleyan to Friedrich Arena.
The awards keep on coming for All-American setter Bree Burtwistle. The Stanton, Neb., native has collected her fourth GPAC Setter of the Week award in 2023. Burtwistle led the top-ranked Bulldogs to two GPAC wins last week.
A successful weekend in Sioux City was completed on Saturday (Sept. 30) as the top-ranked Bulldogs took care of Morningside in straight sets. As part of the win, libero Becca Gebhardt reached 1,000 career digs.
The string of fifth-year stars for Bulldog Volleyball will continue as Gabi Nordaker returns this fall. The volleyball-crazed Nordaker could not pass up one more year of strengthening relationships with her teammates.
The 2024 'Kobe Year' will be about grit for a Concordia Volleyball team coming off one of the most successful seasons in program history. The Bulldogs began the reloading process this spring without a pair of All-Americans.
While the season ended abruptly, the 2023 Concordia Volleyball team achieved great heights in rising to No. 1 in the NAIA coaches' poll, setting a program record for win percentage and sharing the GPAC regular season title.
Whatever the end result, emotions will run high for a group of Bulldogs who have been instrumental in the most successful period in the history of Concordia Volleyball. It's time for one last final site experience for nine Bulldogs.
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.
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. Coach Boldt's Bulldogs were picked to finish second in the GPAC.
All-American Gabi Nordaker may have turned down Concordia after the initial offer, but she's learned to love life as a Bulldog. In three collegiate seasons, Nordaker has been a major reason why the program has reached great heights.
Once Rachel Miller experienced it, she held on and never let go. The former All-American volleyball star and past Bulldog head coach remains deeply rooted within the Concordia and Seward and communities.
A veteran and battle-tested bunch of Bulldogs picked up where they left off in the fall and enjoyed a spring of continued development. The spring season, which included a matchup with a Big Ten foe, was about preparing to 'level up' in 2023.
Four seasons of college volleyball are in the books for Bree Burtwistle and Camryn Opfer, but they aren't ready to let go. The two All-Americans will return in 2023 in pursuit of a GPAC championship Concordia Volleyball covets.