SEWARD, Neb. – Following a near miss at No. 1 Dordt, the Concordia University, Nebraska Women’s Basketball team will return to Friedrich Arena for some pre-Thanksgiving home cooking. The fifth-ranked Bulldogs will welcome Midland to town for a Tuesday night clash. Head Coach Drew Olson’s squad enters the week at 4-2 overall (2-1 GPAC) after one win and one loss in last week’s action. Concordia blew out College of Saint Mary, 87-53, on Nov. 20 and let a fourth-quarter lead slip away in the 94-84 overtime loss at No. 1 Dordt.
This Week
Tuesday, Nov. 26 vs. Midland (1-5, 1-2 GPAC), 6 p.m.
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By the numbers
· The first NAIA coaches’ poll of the regular season was unveiled on Nov. 13. Concordia remained at No. 5, the same spot it held down in the preseason rankings. Other top 25 GPAC teams are No. 1 Dordt, No. 11 Dakota Wesleyan, No. 17 Briar Cliff and No. 21 Northwestern. Morningside was listed among others receiving votes. The Bulldogs have played three top 10 teams already this season – No. 1 Dordt, No. 4 Southern Oregon University and No. 7 Dakota State University (S.D.) (using the latest poll). Concordia emerged with a signature road win on Nov. 9 when it toppled Dakota State, 64-54, in Madison, S.D. The strength of their schedule will be a positive all year for the Bulldogs. According to Massey Ratings, Concordia has played the second most challenging schedule in the nation to this point.
· Each team in the GPAC has played at least two conference games entering this week. Two teams remain unbeaten: Dordt (7-0, 3-0 GPAC) and Briar Cliff (6-0, 3-0 GPAC). Three teams are currently 2-1 in league play: Concordia, Dakota Wesleyan and Northwestern. On the other end of the spectrum, College of Saint Mary and Mount Marty are still in search of their first GPAC wins. Since the start of the 2022-23 season, the Defenders are 44-3 in conference regular season contests.
· Based on where the two programs have been in recent seasons, College of Saint Mary and Dordt provided very different tests for the Bulldogs. Concordia built a 29-9 lead at the end of the first quarter versus CSM and coasted to victory in a game that saw 13 Bulldogs score at least one basket. Sophomore Sammy Leu led the way with 15 points. Abby Heemstra (11) and Abby Krieser (11) also hit double digits and Savi Butterfield and Jordan Ernstmeyer notched the first baskets of their collegiate varsity career. Three days later, Concordia attempted to end Dordt’s lengthy home win streak. The Bulldogs trailed by as many as 12 points in the fourth quarter and came back to take a three-point lead behind a career-high performance from Kristin Vieslemeyer (27 points on 9-for-15 shooting from the floor). Kendal Brigham also added 16 points. The Defenders were able to force overtime and ended the game on a 10-0 run.
· Now a graduate student, Brigham is closing in on 1,000 career points. Through 115 career collegiate games, the Wahoo, Neb., native has totaled 988 points, 278 rebounds, 263 assists and 125 steals. She sports an impressive career assist-to-turnover ratio of 263-to-123. Brigham has been named an Honorable Mention All-GPAC selection in back-to-back years and has been part of national tournament qualifying times in each of her previous four seasons as a Bulldog. Brigham will shoulder much of the load at point guard. She has played at least 34 minutes in four of this season’s first six games. Brigham did get significant rest (13 minutes played) in the rout of CSM.
· The performance from Vieselmeyer at Dordt was worthy of a gold star. Her 27 points topped her previous career high of 21 points tallied in the 2023 Concordia Invitational Tournament championship game versus Concordia University Chicago. In the matchup with Dordt, Vieselmeyer made 9-of-15 shots from the floor, including 4-for-7 shooting from 3-point range. The Holyoke, Colo., native also added five rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot. The outing boosted Vieselmeyer’s season scoring average to 9.0. In 72 career games, Vieselmeyer has totaled 413 points and 224 rebounds.
· Krieser is as important to the team’s success as anybody. Her defensive performances have routinely drawn rave reviews from Olson. In last week’s outings, Krieser swiped three steals against both CSM and Dordt. She also took on the assignment of guarding the Defenders’ Macy Sievers (5-for-15 from the floor) for much of the contest. This is Krieser’s third season as a starter. In 89 career games, she has amassed 729 points, 267 rebounds, 131 steals and 114 assists.
Concordia Projected Starting Five
G – Kendal Brigham, 5-5 (11.2)
G – Abby Krieser, 5-9 (8.5)
F – Juliana Jones, 5-11 (7.3)
F – Raelyn Kelty, 5-11 (10.0)
F – Kristin Vieselmeyer, 6-2 (9.0)
The opponents
Midland named Chris Burks as its head coach back in May. Burks arrived in Fremont after previously serving as lead assistant at Eastern New Mexico University. He inherited a program that finished the 2023-24 season at 7-21 overall (4-18 GPAC). Sophomore Jenna Weber has provided a strong scoring option while averaging 17.0 points per game through the first six outings. The Warriors picked up their first win of the season when they defeated Mount Marty, 80-68, on Nov. 20. In league play, Midland has been dealt losses by No. 17 Briar Cliff, 88-48, and No. 21 Northwestern, 74-63. Concordia has won each of the past seven meetings with the Warriors, who were pegged 10th (out of 12) in the GPAC preseason poll.
Midland Projected Starting Five
G – Sarah Shepard, 5-10 (7.1)
G – Abigail Zoubek, 5-7 (0.2)
F – Erin Foxhall, 5-9 (10.0)
F – Leah Redding, 5-6 (6.0)
F – Jenna Weber, 5-9 (17.0)
Next week
The week following Thanksgiving will put the Bulldogs up against the league’s two Sioux City inhabitants. Concordia will be at Morningside on Dec. 4 before hosting Briar Cliff on Dec. 7.