Concordia volleyball marks ninth win in October with successful match against Tigers

Senior middle Gabi Nordaker (11) and junior outside hitter Kya Scott (13) work together to get the ball over the net (photo from previous match).

Photo credit: Josiah Seabaugh

By Cohen Carpenter

Concordia tied a school record Wednesday night, netting their 14th conference win of the season with a dominant 3-0 sweep of the Doane Tigers in Seward, 25-20, 25-15, 25-17.

The Halloween-eve action began with a play that became emblematic of the contest as a whole—when junior Kya Scott and senior Gabi Nordaker combined for a block, leading to a Doane error and Concordia point. The block represented the first of 15 total for the Bulldogs who dominated the net all night long.

“We were getting our hands over the net really well tonight,” said coach Ben Boldt. “That comes back to being disciplined and doing the little things consistently. I love it when we get stuff blocks, and we are doing a really good job of that right now.”

Nordaker cashed nine total blocks on the night to accompany nine kills, while junior Addie Kirkegaard was right behind her with eight blocks and six kills of her own. This formidable frontline proved to be more than a small thorn in the Tiger’s side, as the visitors only hit .042 on the night and finished their final set in the negatives.

Comparatively, the Bulldogs got more efficient as the night went on. A slow first set led to a lights-out second set, and the game was already well out of hand by the time Concordia began making its lineup rotations in the third.

“We did the little things right tonight,” said Boldt. “We were disciplined in working hard in transition and making smart decisions. We always talk about being aggressive when attacking but we also have to be smart. I thought we did better with that as the game went on.”

Perhaps the most aggressive attacker Wednesday night was junior Ashley Keck. The Kearney native and team kill leader turned in another impressive performance with 14 kills, 11 of which came in the first and second sets. Keck finished the night hitting .444 to go along with 16 digs.

In the back court, the junior tandem of Savannah Shelburne and Lily Psencik contributed all but two of the team’s 38 total assists, with 17 and 19, respectively.

The Doane win puts a bow on what was an incredible October for the Bulldogs, marking the ninth win of the month and the 14th conference win of the season, a record which ties a school best from 2023 when the Bulldogs went 14-2 in the conference.

“I just think that [the 14 conference wins] speaks to their preparation, their conditioning and their discipline over long periods of time,” said Boldt. “When you do that, when you’re consistent, you are able to have runs, and I think that our team has worked really hard and put themselves in a good position to do that.”

This 2024 Concordia squad will look to take sole possession of the conference record season record in their last game of the regular season when they take on No. 18 Midland in Fremont, Nebraska.

“We need to continue to get better,” said Boldt. “We will continue to prep like we are training to win a national championship. I think our girls do a good job of that, and this next match is going to be a good opportunity to see where we are at.”

The team overall has a 21-2 record. First touch versus Midland comes at 7:30pm on Tuesday, November 5.