Volleyball coach optimistic in rebuilding last year’s semifinal team
Molli Martin rings the bell at the 2025 Pink Out game.
Photo: Kai Olbrich
This story is featured in the August print edition of the Sower newspaper.
By Ransom Watts
The Bulldog volleyball team had a historic 2025 season, and this year, coach Ben Boldt and his players are setting the standard of competition even higher — a playoff run that will hopefully take them all the way to a championship.
Coach Ben Boldt. Photo: Concordia Athletics.
“We are really looking forward to getting out and competing for a Great Plains Athletic Conference and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics [Women’s Volleyball] National Championship,” Boldt said.
Boldt knows that such a deep run won’t be easy and will take dedication day in and day out.
“The way we approach every day on the court and off the court needs to reflect the effort it takes to compete for that championship,” he said.
Optimism is tempered by some challenges for the Bulldogs in the 2026 season. There will be the holes in the roster left by last season’s departing seniors.
“The majority of players we have on the floor this year will be different from last year’s team,” said Boldt.
A few key players are making a return. Ava Greene was integral to the team’s success last year and will be back for her senior season. Juniors Shandy Fa’ali’I and Maddie Paulsen were important to the Bulldogs’ success last year.
“We are excited for this year’s team and to take advantage of their opportunity to perform,” Boldt said. “We are really excited to see how our incoming class makes an impact. We are always looking for players that will be a great fit at Concordia and great players on the court.”
The Bulldogs will be tested early in the season by an array of NAIA opponents. The early lineup includes some of the usual suspects, like Indiana Wesleyan and McPherson College in Kansas, but also some newcomers to the Bulldogs’ repertoire, such as the never-before-seen Nelson College out of Texas.
Boldt and the teams he has put together have had their share of success during his tenure as coach. In the seven years that Boldt has led the team, Concordia volleyball became the nationally competitive program it is today.
Signs of a higher standard being set were evident in the 2019 season, Boldt’s second full season as coach. Concordia volleyball won its first-ever playoff match in the NAIA National Tournament. The Bulldogs came home with two playoff wins, and, since then, things have only improved. From 2019 to 2025, the Bulldogs have enjoyed 20-plus wins in five of seven seasons.
Post-game prayer at the 2025 GPAC Semifinals. Photo: Sower Staff.
After the 2019 season, the team had consecutive berths into the NAIA National Tournament and a consistent winning record in GPAC. They have enjoyed an average of 12 wins against GPAC opponents each season since 2019, along with deep playoff runs that put them as GPAC runners-up for five consecutive years.
The team had a semifinal finish in the NAIA National Tournament and a record of 28-4 in 2025, but for Boldt, success on the court has always gone far beyond competitive ability.
“We want to build a team based on our core values of love, trust, hard work, and sacrifice,” Boldt said. “We also have a standing goal in our program to compete for a GPAC Championship. The way we approach every day on the court and off the court needs to reflect the effort it takes to compete for that championship.”
As September gets underway and the playoffs begin to loom, Concordia will face their GPAC competitors, including the Northwestern Raiders. If the Bulldogs are going to take down the Raiders this year, they know some improvements need to be made.
“We really want to focus on being more aggressive from the service line this year,” said Boldt. “If we can increase the amount of service aces, then that will give us a big advantage.”
The GPAC playoffs start Nov. 7, and if the Bulldogs show the usual GPAC dominance, they will find themselves in Sioux City, Iowa, for the NAIA National Tournament.
