Bulldog volleyball sweeps Briar Cliff, remains second in conference
Junior setter Savannah Shelburne (34) receives a pass from a teammate and moves the ball over the net.
Photo credit: Josiah Seabaugh
By Cohen Carpenter
Sports Editor
Fourth-ranked Concordia handled business versus Briar Cliff Friday night, delivering a 3-0 sweep, 25-21, 25,13, 25-19, in the first of two games in as many days against Great Plains Athletic Conference opponents.
The rout ensured that the Chargers would remain winless in the conference as Briar Cliff is now the only team who has yet to relish in the victory of a conference win. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs remain high in the pecking order. Ranked fourth nationally, Concordia remains second in the GPAC behind Northwestern with a 8-1 conference record.
With the record disparity in mind, it was paramount that Concordia avoided being complacent and stuck to their game plan heading into Friday night’s contest.
“I just wanted us to set the tone and play our game,” said coach Ben Boldt. “We talked about winning the serve and pass game. I think that we can control our mentality in that – that was really what our focus was on.”
However, despite the final score, the ball wasn’t always falling the Bulldogs way. In fact, the Chargers seemed to hold their own against the nation’s fourth ranked team in the first set – a set which featured a game high seven errors on the Bulldogs. Compounding the issue was the fact that the Chargers had their best hitting set of the night, and while the visitors only hit .119, which was all they needed to hang around with Concordia.
Nevertheless, the Dawgs got back in the saddle in the second set. After the Chargers came within two following an attack error by Gabi Nordaker, 10-12, Concordia went on an 8-0 run that seemed to shift the momentum in their favor.
“Our offense started finding some rhythm,” said Boldt. “In order to do that we have to be able to control our controllables – our communication and our effort. I thought that our rhythm really started happening at the end of the second set.”
Truly it was a team effort, as 18 Bulldogs saw the court Friday night only one of whom had double digit kills. The girl in question being, of course, Ashley Keck. The senior, fresh off yet another GPAC attacker of the week, turned in another impressive performance with 10 kills and 13 digs.
Sophomore Maddie Paulsen also returned to action Friday evening. The middle hitter who showed promise in her freshman year before suffering a knee injury in the conference championships last year, made her season debut. Donning a knee brace, Paulsen had one kill on four total attacks versus the Chargers.
On the back line, Savannah Shelburne and Lily Psencik again constituted the lion’s share of assists, with 18 and 19, respectively.
Notably absent from Friday night’s box score however were the blocking numbers. Gabi Nordaker, who is the squad’s foremost net threat, led the team with two blocks. As a unit, Concordia only turned in six.
“We need to be able to block the ball,” said Boldt, “That’s always going to be a big part of what our defensive front is going to be. I am looking forward to correcting that against Morningside.”
As coach mentioned, the next matchup will be versus Morningside who, with a 17-7 overall record and a 5-4 record in the conference, promises to be a more even matchup.
“I am looking forward to maintaining our offensive rhythm,” said Boldt about the upcoming matchup versus Morningside. “We need to be clean there. I thought our serve got a whole lot better at the end of this match – that was good and we need to continue that.”
First touch for senior day in Friedrich Arena Saturday will be 3 p.m.
Revised on 10/13/24 at 1:06pm
