SEWARD, Neb. — Dakota Wesleyan Volleyball traveled to Nebraska to take on the third-ranked team in the nation, the Concordia (Neb.) Bulldogs, in the opening round of the 2026 GPAC Tournament.
The Bulldogs lived up to the billing in the first set, jumping out to a quick lead that the Tigers would not be able to catch up to, eventually leading to a 25-14 frame win for DWU’s opponent. Even with some of the initial offensive struggles, Evy Knoblock and Keatyn Liebsack were able to lead the team in early-set kills, going on to record nine and 11 kills, respectively, while Lizzie Tyler stayed busy on the back line with 19 digs through four sets. The defensive effort would be balanced between Tyler, Abby Zegar with 13 digs, Presly Pastian with 12 of her own, and Kayleigh Hybertson, who reached double-digit digs alongside her usual setter responsibilities. The senior out of Sioux Falls added 39 assists to her career totals during the contest. A handful of these contributions helped the Tigers respond in the second set, rolling all the way to a dominant 25-15 win in the second frame. The momentum through this set carried over for the rest of the contest as Dakota Wesleyan was able to match Concordia’s offensive firepower and respond with some of their own.
The final two sets of the match were all Dakota Wesleyan, with the surge of Karly VanDerWerff on offense playing a major role down the stretch. VanDerWerff posted a team-leading 12 kills in total, operating at a .321 attack percentage, marking the highest efficiency mark in the entire contest. Madisyn Grimsrud would also chip in with eight kills, helping push the Tigers to another 25-15 set win in the third frame. Concordia fought back in the fourth set, with it eventually becoming more of a back-and-forth affair, eventually reaching a tied scoreline of 20-20, but Dakota Wesleyan was able to gut out the final stretch to secure the set, match, and the team’s spot in the conference semifinals, 25-21. The Tigers were able to limit errors to outpace the Bulldogs on offense while operating at a higher hitting percentage throughout the contest.
DWU Volleyball will head to Sioux City, Iowa, to take on the Morningside Mustangs in the semifinals of the GPAC Tournament on Wednesday, November 11th, starting at 7:00 PM.