Concordia volleyball looks forward to a good season after early win against Midland

Junior middle Molli Martin looks on as junior outside hitter Ashley Keck prepares to serve the ball over the net.

Photo credit: Cohen Carpenter

By Isaac Dawson

The third Great Plains Athletic Conference win of the Concordia volleyball team against the Midland University Warriors this Saturday set a positive tone for the rest of the 2024 season, especially looking ahead at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics national tournament in December.

This win was especially important for Concordia as they lost to the Warriors last year in pool play, crushing any hopes for a national title with an 0-3 loss.

The Bulldogs, ranked No. 3 in the NAIA, have only lost one game so far to Bellevue University, currently No. 8. With the start of the Great Plains Athletic Conference season going well for Concordia, players and fans alike are excited for some tough upcoming matchups that hone the team so they can make it even farther than last year.

The first two sets against Midland were proof of the coordination and grit the Bulldogs have been trying to cultivate this year. Coach Boldt commented on the team mindset.

“We talk about ‘grit’ on our team, believing that the next thing that happens is going to turn out good, even if the last thing didn’t. We try to live in that world and have faith over fear,” he said.

Concordia stayed ahead of the Warriors by at least four points to take the advantage at 2-0. The first set especially featured several incredible saves, one of which ended in chairs flying with a diving recovery into the Bulldog bench by junior Ashley Keck.

Sophomore Ella Waters and junior Kya Scott took the most kills in the first with four each, assisted by some choice setting from junior Savannah Shelbourne in the latter half of the set.

The second set was decisive for Concordia, winning with 25-17 after a few fierce volleys ended well for the Bulldogs. Midland struggled somewhat to get their kill attempts past Concordia’s defense. The first of these was a great show of skill for both teams and ended in an incredible kill by junior Molli Martin for 8-4.

The third set was a second wind for the Warriors, who took advantage of a Concordia defense that lost some of its coordination and couldn’t quite return the ball. The points the Bulldogs managed to take didn’t quite stake a foothold, ending the set with 15-25 for Midland.

Senior Rebecca Gebhardt talked about what led to the loss of the set, “I think once we lost one point it just kept building and we kind of went down a rabbit hole with that; we just got to take one point and then run with it.”

Concordia’s showing in the fourth ended the Warrior’s hopes for turned tables; after a scary first few volleys for the Bulldogs, they took big point streaks and ended the game decisively with 25-17.

Coach Boldt commented on the highlights and things to work on.

“We’re really trying to hone in our serve, our ace to error ratio in the serve was a lot better than it has been in the past,” he said. “We always need to get better with our blocking in that phase, but our offense has always been a strength of ours. We need to keep that rolling and keep our hitters in rhythm.”

Keck, junior Addie Kirkegaard, and Waters each had 11 kills each, Keck also taking the most digs at 17. Knust got the second most with 11. Junior Lily Psencik and Shelbourne took the most assists, with 24 and 17 respectively.

Reflecting on the team’s performance, the coach shared, “We had three players with 11 kills apiece; one of the things I’m most proud of on our team is that we’re such a balanced team. But if I’m thinking of anyone that really stood out it’s probably Kya Scott. She was competing against her twin sister on Midland’s team! It’s always a tough competition for that, they’re both starters on their team. I was really proud of how she came out and did a great job.”

Concordia’s next game is against the Hastings University Broncos on Sept. 21 in Friedrich Arena at 3 p.m. They now have a season record of 10-1, and 3-0 in the GPAC.

Gebhardt spoke on the future matches for the team, “Looking forward to playing Hastings next week, they’re always pretty good. Any GPAC games are a good contest. And then we play Northwestern for Homecoming; should be a great game. We played them last year in the GPAC championship, looking for some revenge!”