It's a transcendent class that has helped Concordia Volleyball reach heights it had never before seen. Collectively, the group has set a new standard while living out the program's values: love, hard work, sacrifice and trust.
As part of a weekend at home entertaining Briar Cliff and Morningside, the sixth-ranked Bulldogs will celebrate a class of six seniors. Concordia has won each of its last 12 sets in a dominant stretch of play within the GPAC.
For their starring performances in wins last week over Mount Marty and No. 14 Dordt, Bree Burtwistle and Gabi Nordaker have been honored with GPAC Player of the Week awards. Burtwistle was last week's NAIA Setter of the Week.
Concordia just keeps operating like a machine. The eighth-ranked Bulldogs hit .345 on Saturday (Sept. 24) while speeding past No. 14 Dordt in straight sets. Concordia has moved to 14-1 overall (5-1 GPAC).
Bree Burtwistle knew her time was coming. It just took some patience and persistence before she could burst onto the scene as one of the NAIA's best setters. A transfer in her third year as a Bulldog, Burt is soaking up a 2022 season of winning with her best friends.
The Bulldogs responded to a first-set push from Mount Marty and took control of the match, winning 25-23, 25-13, 25-16, in Yankton on Wednesday (Sept. 21). Gabi Nordaker floored 13 kills and hit .632 to pace No. 8 Concordia.
For the first time in her collegiate career, Bree Burtwistle has been named both the GPAC and NAIA National Setter of the Week. Burtwistle pulled in the award after leading an offensive attack that overwhelmed Doane and No. 13 College of Saint Mary.
The grind of the GPAC season is in full swing. After sweeping away Doane and No. 13 College of Saint Mary last week, the Bulldogs are focused on road trips to Mount Marty and Dordt. Concordia stands at 12-1 overall.
In a crisp homecoming performance, the eighth-ranked Bulldogs defeated No. 13 College of Saint Mary in straight sets. Gabi Nordaker and Ashley Keck led the stunningly dominant performance with 13 kills apiece.
A week since last time out, the eighth-ranked Bulldogs got big nights from their middles and tightened up the service game in a straight-sets win at Doane. Gabi Nordaker totaled 11 kills and five blocks to pace the victors.
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.