Not since the 2001 NAIA football playoffs has Concordia University played host to a national championship event. That will change on Saturday when the Bulldog volleyball program welcomes Olivet Nazarene University (Ill.) for the opening round of the 2015 NAIA Volleyball National Championship.
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.
The Great Plains Athletic Conference announced the Hauff Mid-America Sports/GPAC All-Conference Teams Wednesday. Three members of the Concordia volleyball team have been named to the first team all-GPAC team while head coach Scott Mattera was named one of the tri-head coaches of the year.
For fans unable to attend the opening round of the 2015 NAIA Volleyball National Championships in person, Concordia University will be offering an opportunity to view Saturday’s match with Olivet Nazarene University via a pay-per-view webcast.
The Concordia University volleyball program’s historic 2015 journey will continue into the opening round of the NAIA Volleyball National Championships. On Monday the NAIA announced the Bulldogs as one of eight at-large teams and one of 36 total qualifiers in the tournament field.
The No. 17 Concordia volleyball team made its first GPAC Championship appearance on Saturday, Nov. 14. The Bulldogs faced the No. 8 Midland University Warriors in Fremont and were defeated in straight sets (25-20, 25-17, 25-16).
The No. 17 Concordia volleyball team is set to compete in the GPAC Championship match for the first time in program history. The final GPAC foe will be No. 8 Midland University and the match will take place Saturday, Nov. 14 in Fremont, Neb. at 3 p.m.
The No. 17 Concordia women’s volleyball team is heading to the GPAC Championship match after defeating College of Saint Mary Wednesday night, 3-1 (21-25, 25-16, 25-16, 28-26).
After defeating No. 17 Northwestern College, 13-25, 25-21, 25-22, 25-21 last Saturday, the No. 20 Concordia volleyball squad will welcome the College of Saint Mary Flames to Walz Arena for a GPAC Semifinal match on Wednesday, Nov. 11.
Two familiar names again found their way onto this week’s list of GPAC weekly honorees. Sophomore Jocelyn Garcia has been named the GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week while junior Alayna Kavanaugh has been tabbed the GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Volleyball Setter of the Week, as announced on Tuesday.
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.
As her college head coach looked on, Carli (Smith) Lindeman worked the sideline at Heartland Lutheran High School like a savvy veteran.
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