No. 2 ranked CUNE volleyball stays aggressive, plays as a family

Bulldog volleyball team members honored at Senior Night on Sept. 28 are (left to right) Autumn Deterding, Ella Waters, Kate Griess, Savannah Shelburne, Sydney Jelinek, Kya Scott, Ashley Keck, Lily Psencik, Molli Martin and Addie Kirkegaard.

Photo credit: Ben Meyer

By Kai Olbrich

Sports Editor

Winning has been in the Concordia volleyball team’s DNA over the last four seasons and a 90-15 record over that time boasts of excellence and class.

This is a team with discipline and quality that has truly bought into an idea and trusts one another. The Bulldogs sit at No. 2 in the nation and 13-1 after a month and a half of play, their only loss was to No. 1 Eastern Oregon.

However, despite the impressive record, two titles still elude the class of 2026 — the Great Plains Athletic Conference title and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics National Championship.

The Bulldogs have made it to the championship game in each of the past four seasons, losing out to either Jamestown, which is no longer in the conference, or Northwestern, Iowa.

The team’s motto this season is “let it rip,” which coach Ben Boldt said is the philosophy that they will continue to be aggressive, even in high-pressure moments.

“I think it speaks a lot to the points after 20,” Boldt said. “We don’t want to play it safe. We want to be aggressive. And even if we miss it, we know that there’s no judgment. But we want to stay aggressive in those points.”

Senior Kya Scott believes that the aggressive posture they take in close sets will help them to finally get over the roadblock of the GPAC championship match.

“Obviously, as a team, our team goal is our GPAC championship and national championship,” Scott said. “The past three years, we’ve fallen short in that GPAC tournament, but this year, we believe that with our motto as ‘let it rip,’ in those tough moments, we can go out there and win it.”

The Bulldogs are in top three in the GPAC for both kill percentage and kills per set. They also have an impressive defense, which is third in the conference with 2.35 blocks per game and first on digs per set with 19.95.

Senior Addie Kirkegaard believes that the preparation and mentality of the Bulldog defense allow them to top those categories.

“I think it’s just our mentality. As Ben [Boldt] always says, ‘ball hit hands, ball go down.’ So, I feel like we really dive into that, and that’s probably one of the best parts of the game is getting a good block,” Kirkegaard said. “So that’s one of our big things we work on every day in practice.”

The volleyball team has big aspirations and huge potential, but for many of the seniors, while championships and awards are great, what they really want to grow closer as a family in the short time they have left. Senior Molli Martin wants those accolades, but wants to keep the Concordia jersey on as long as possible.

“Of course, a national championship, GPAC Championship, everything like that. But in the end, to not want to take off my jersey, to want to love this team, I do love this team so much,” Martin said. “But whenever it ends, just to not want to take off my jersey because I don’t want it to end.”

Senior Ashley Keck has had the greatest impact on the Bulldog volleyball team, dating back to her freshman season when she was named GPAC freshman of the year. She has also been an all-conference athlete in each of the past three seasons. Keck’s message is that the senior class has grown so close and that the family culture that has been fostered will lead them to where they want to go.

“They mean everything to me, you know, from freshman year to now, senior year,” Keck said. “We’ve grown as individuals, but ultimately as a family, we’re there for everything. The road hasn’t been easy; it’s been rough some days, but what’s most important as a senior class is that we’re there for each other.”

Keck said that “out-family” has been a big motto for the team these past couple of months. “And ultimately, what that means is, can we out-family be there for one another, especially in these big moments,” she added.