Bulldogs sweep Midland in GPAC opener
Bulldogs celebrate a 3-0 victory over Midland
Photo: Kai Olbrich
By Kai Olbrich
Sports Editor
The No. 3 Concordia volleyball team took just three sets to defeat No. 16 Midland in its Great Plains Athletic Conference opener. A strong performance at the net helped to stifle Midland’s attack during the sweep at home on Wednesday.
The Bulldogs improved their margin of victory in each set, winning 25-19, 25-18 and 25-17.
Coach Ben Boldt emphasized how his team’s presence at the net led to some uncharacteristic attacking errors from the Warriors. That was evident in the stats as Midland hit negative in the first two sets and hit just .097 in the third.
The Bulldogs combined for seven blocks, six solos and two assists. Sophomore Laynee Baker and junior Maddie Paulsen led the way with two solos apiece. Baker stressed the importance of the team’s preparation to help the blockers be in the right spot.
“What it really comes down to is just our scouting report. In advance, we spend a lot of time scouting the other teams, seeing what their tendencies are,” Baker said.
On offense, the Bulldogs were led in hitting by freshman Samantha Kimbell. Kimbell had 10 kills on 32 attacks with just three errors. Fellow freshman Myla Emery led the way in assists with 13, closely followed by sophomore Ella Brueggemann with 11.
Kimbell credited her setters for putting the ball in the right spot and sees the team’s training paying off.
Junior Shandy Fa’ali’i had a balanced performance on both sides of the ball as she collected seven kills on 33 swings and came up with eight digs.
Concordia took charge in the third and final set with back-to-back service aces, something Boldt noted as a positive all game long. He also highlighted those who helped Concordia reach eight aces in the game.
“Their serving was great,” Boldt said. “I was really proud of [junior] Clara Evert today. She was really ripping it. Now, I think Myla had a couple of service aces. Shandy had a couple of service aces. I thought we were pretty focused back there. So, a great way to set the tone for the match is with good serving.”
With the win, the Bulldogs improve to 10-2 on the season and 1-0 in the GPAC. Concordia stays at home on Saturday, Sept. 12, when it will play host to College of Saint Mary. The first serve is scheduled for 3 pm.
