Volleyball emerges victorious in first round of GPAC championship against Dakota Wesleyan

Junior outside hitter Ashley Keck (6) jumps to hit the ball back onto the opposing court.

Photo credit: Josiah Seabaugh

By Cohen Carpenter

Concordia made a statement in the first round of the Great Plains Athletic Conference championship bracket, besting Dakota Wesleyan in three sets, 25-23, 25-13, 25-19, to advance to the semifinals.

The 3-0 sweep Saturday night also marked a season sweep of the Tigers, with the Bulldogs winning both matchups.

In the game’s first frame, the Tigers came within striking distance, winning five of seven points late to tie the set at 22 and forcing Concordia to call a timeout.

“We really had to grind through the first set and get in better shape for the second,” said coach Ben Boldt. “Dakota Wesleyan came to play and didn’t allow us to have much momentum. We had to earn everything out there tonight. I am just proud of the team for staying steady.”

While Dakota Wesleyan had the inclination of taking a 1-0 set advantage, sophomore Ella Waters had other plans. The outside hitter’s two decisive kills, both assisted by junior Savannah Shelburne, closed the book on the first set and Concordia never looked back.

The duo of kills capped off what was a spectacular opening set for Waters and was the catalyst for a dominant playoff performance. The Hickman, Neb. native finished tied for the team lead in kills with 10 while hitting .304.

“I saw that [Waters] was driving to the ball and getting the ball on her hitting shoulder,” said Boldt. “When she does that, she is in a prime spot to get those kinds of kills. She did a good job of being aggressive and also being smart. Really proud of her.”

Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, flashy kills don’t result in more points on the board. Concordia found themselves in yet another battle in the third set after cruising to a solid lead in the second. To open the game’s final frame, the Bulldogs went down 1-6, a situation that Concordia had been in before against this very same opponent.

In their first contest back in early October, the Tigers took the third set of the match in Mitchell, S.D., as the Bulldogs struggled with attacking errors, hitting only .132 and losing by three points, 22 to 25. With this in mind, history was on the verge of repeating itself in both sets.

However, as coach Boldt would attest to, this team has only gotten grittier as the season has gone on, an asset that will surely be beneficial in the remainder of the season.

“They don’t get rattled based on circumstance,” said Boldt, “That’s something we talk to our team about all the time, about being gritty and how we respond is important. I was really proud of our team’s mental toughness tonight.”

Saturday night was a different story. This time in the third set, Concordia went on to win 10 of the next 13 points, regaining the lead and eventually winning the set and game.

While Waters racked up five of her ten kills in the first set, junior Kya Scott, who tied Waters’ kill stat, made most of her hay in the third, with six of her kills coming in the final frame.

Also a key contributor was Gabi Nordaker. The senior and team leader in hitting percentage, did what she does best—lead the team in hitting percentage with a mark of .412. Nordaker boasted eight kills and two blocks on the night.

In the backcourt, the previously mentioned Shelburne and junior Lily Psencik led the team in assists, with 25 and 19 respectively. Altogether as a team, the Bulldogs had 13 more digs than the Tigers, holding a 77 to 64 advantage. Junior Ashley Keck contributed 29 digs to the total with senior Becca Gebhardt putting up 19.

All eyes are now on Midland, as the Warriors are set to face off against the Bulldogs for the semifinal round.

“We need to take things one game at a time and continue our preparation for each match,” said Boldt. “Our team gets themselves ready to go for each game but we can’t look ahead, it’s one game at a time.”

Midland also swept their quarterfinal match as they bested Dordt 3-0 Saturday night. The Warriors will take a 17-10 overall record into Seward and will be looking to avenge their Nov. 5 loss to the Bulldogs in which they went down 3-1 on their senior night. First touch for the GPAC semifinals will be Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. in Friedrich Arena.