Courtesy of Midland Athletics
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – After earning an opening-round win just over a week ago, No. 15-ranked Midland University will continue to play in the NAIA Women’s Volleyball National Championship this week in Sioux City, Iowa. This will be the tenth trip to the final site for the Warriors in program history, all of which have come under head coach Paul Giesselmann. Midland will join 23 other schools that won in the opening round as they battle for the red banner inside the Tyson Events Center. Pool play gets underway on Wednesday with MU’s first match coming a day later on Thursday.
TOURNAMENT FORMAT/SCHEDULE
Pool play begins on Wednesday and continues through Friday with one match from each of the eight pools played per day. The format of three-team pools began in 2022 and allows for equal rest for all of the teams competing. No team will play multiple matches on a single day. Winners of the eight pools will advance to the championship bracket, which begins play on Saturday. After a day of rest on Sunday, the semifinals will be held on Monday and the championship match will be held on Tuesday, December 5.
Midland is the second seed in Pool D along with No. 4-ranked Concordia University and the University of Montana Western. Wednesday’s match will feature those two teams, followed by Midland taking on Montana Western on Thursday, and then Concordia on Friday. Start times for all Pool D matches are scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
For a complete look at the entire pool play schedule, click here.
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POOL D PREVIEW
Pool D features a pair of teams from the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) in Concordia and Midland along with Montana Western, which competes in the Frontier Conference. While Midland and Concordia have faced each other regularly since they were charter members of the NIAC in 1969, Montana Western is somewhat of an unknown to both schools, having played them in 2015 (MU) and 2016 (CU) at the Hastings Invitational.
No. 4 Concordia is the top seed in the pool with a 24-3 overall record. They are led by head coach Ben Boldt, who is in his sixth season in Seward, Nebraska. Bree Burtwistle coordinates the Bulldogs’ attack. The fifth-year senior, who began her collegiate career at Midland, is averaging 11.74 assists per set (3rd in the NAIA). On the attacking end of her sets are sophomore Ashley Keck, senior Gabi Nordaker, and fifth-year senior Camryn Opfer. The trio all average near 3.0 kills per set and guide the Bulldogs to a .265 hitting percentage (6th-best in the NAIA). Concordia earned a bid to the championship as the GPAC Tournament Runner-Up and reached the final site with a sweep of Judson in the opening round.
Midland enters Sioux City with a 16-11 overall record in 2023 and will be the second seed in Pool D. The Warriors are coached by Paul Giesselmann, who is in his 14th season in Fremont. This year’s team has battled its way through one of the toughest schedules in the NAIA (ranked 5th by Massey). In addition to the gauntlet that is the GPAC, they played six programs that were ranked or receiving votes in the non-conference to prepare for nine matches against teams of that caliber in the GPAC. The story for the Warriors this season has been their defense, both at the net and in the back row. With two players in the Top 10 nationally in blocks, senior Lauryn Samuelson (4th, 1.46 blocks/set) and junior Abbey Ringler (7th, 1.35 blocks/set), the team is second in blocks with 3.02/set. The back row of the Warriors is paced by junior Delanie Vallinch (4.61 digs/set) and sophomore Kailyn Scott (2.58 digs/set). Midland earned an at-large bid to the championship field and advanced to the final site with a four-set win in the opening round over Kansas Wesleyan.
Montana Western comes to the final site with a record of 22-6 on the year. This is the first final site trip for the Bulldogs and the first NAIA Championship appearance for the program. Coming out of the Frontier Conference, they won the conference tournament by upsetting No. 11 Montana Tech in the semifinals in straight sets before defeating (RV) Rocky Mountain in five sets in the championship. Coached by Katie Lovett, in her fifth season, the Bulldogs have a balanced attack with five players averaging over two kills/set. Defensively, they are averaging just under 19 digs/set and rank 14th in the NAIA (18.8/set). Montana Western won the Frontier Conference Tournament to qualify for the championship and then went on the road to upset No. 19-ranked Southwestern Assemblies of God in straight sets to advance to the final site.
For a more in-depth look at the Midland team, check out the 2023 Midland Volleyball Postseason Media Guide [link].
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HOW TO WATCH
Fans planning to attend the NAIA National Championship can purchase tickets/passes online [link] or at the Tyson Events Center box office. Ticket prices are $15 per day for adults and $8 for students (10-18 & college students with ID). There is also a Full Tournament Pass available for $60.
For those who are unable to travel to Sioux City, all of the action can be watched online via the NAIA Network [link]. Prices are $9.95 per day, $24.95 for a Pool Play Pass, or $39.99 for a Tournament Pass. The NAIA Championship Semifinals and the National Championships match will be broadcast online via WatchESPN.
