Concordia volleyball keeps up winning streak with weekend sweep of Broncos
Junior outside hitter Ashley Keck (6) jumps to receive a spike from the other side of the net (photo from previous match).
Photo credit: Cohen Carpenter
By Isaac Dawson
No. 3 Concordia volleyball kept up its winning streak in October with a clean sweep of the Hastings College Broncos this Saturday in Hastings, decisively taking every set and making every volley work in their favor with squeaky clean teamwork.
The win marked the Bulldogs’ 10th consecutive triumph over Hastings, improving their season record to 20-2 and their Great Plains Athletic Conference record to 13-1 as they remain in the hunt for the conference title.
With only two games left before the postseason games for the GPAC quarterfinals start on November 9, Coach Ben Boldt’s team comes closer to a possible rematch against Northwestern College, Concordia’s sole loss in the GPAC.
Junior Ashley Keck led Concordia with 12 kills and 17 digs, while junior Kya Scott added eight kills and sophomore Ella Waters took seven. The Bulldogs’ efficiency showed in their low error count, with only 10 hitting errors compared to Hastings’ 21.
Concordia posted a .263 hitting percentage, holding Hastings to .107. Bronco Majesta Valasek recorded a match-high 15 kills, but Concordia limited her to a .192 hitting percentage by the end of the game.
“I think our team was very disciplined,” said Boldt in an interview with Director of Athletic Communications Jake Knabel. “It was a match where we needed to stay aggressive, but we also needed to be ourselves. At the beginning, their outside was getting a lot of kills. We had to adjust. Rather than switching things around, we had to be detail-oriented. I think we did a good job with that. I’m really proud of the effort. They stuck together. It was a full team win today,”
On defense, Concordia had 73 digs to Hastings’ 62 and edged them in blocks, 10-6. Senior Becca Gebhardt and senior Cassidy Knust each recorded double-digit digs alongside Keck at 16 and 12, respectively. Junior Addie Kirkegaard and sophomore Ava Greene led the team at the net with four blocks each, while senior Savannah Shelburne and junior Lily Psencik combined for 37 assists. Shelburne added three service aces as the cherry on top.
The Bulldogs set the tone early in the first set, pulling ahead with a 6-0 run that included two kills from Keck and an ace by Shelburne. Hastings managed to pull within three points midway through the set, but Concordia’s defense held strong, leading to a comfortable 25-19 win to start the match with a buffer.
The second set saw Hastings battle back with a strong start, leading 10-8 before Concordia’s front line rallied together. Scott and Kirkegaard combined for several blocks, halting Hastings’ momentum and allowing the Bulldogs to reclaim the lead. Keck’s back-to-back kills, alongside a quick setter dump by Shelburne, helped Concordia finish the set 25-18.
In the final set, Concordia dominated from the beginning, building an early 9-3 advantage. Hastings struggled with errors, committing four self-inflicted hitting errors during the Bulldogs’ scoring run. Waters secured the match with a well-timed kill, sealing the set at 25-17. With disciplined play and minimal errors, Concordia took the sweep, solidifying their place among the GPAC’s top teams.
Concordia will return home to Friedrich Arena to face Doane University on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. The Bulldogs have won 12 of their last 13 matchups against Doane and aim to keep their winning streak alive as they push toward the conference title.
