November 3, 2023

TIGER VOLLEYBALL GPAC QUARTERFINALS PREVIEW

Mitchell, S.D. – The Tigers wrapped up yet another tough 2023 GPAC volleyball schedule and finished seventh in the conference with an 8-8 conference record. Dakota Wesleyan is poised to match up with the Concordia Bulldogs who finished the season with a 14-2 conference record and are currently the No. 4 team in the nation. The match is set for Saturday, November 4 in Seward, Neb. with the first serve at 7:30 p.m.

2023 INDIVIDUAL STANDOUTS:

The Tigers had a lot of highlights and standouts during their 2023 season. Senior and three-time All-American Ady Dwight stepped into a leadership role and delivered for her team all season. Dwight finished the regular season ranking first in the GPAC in every major attacking category. Her 545 kills were over 100 more than the next closest player. Dwight's current .351 attack percentage is a career high as well as her points per set at 5.3. Ady was named GPAC Attacker-of-the-Week three times during the 2023 season. Dwight highlight of the season was her career-high 29 kills against Dakota State in a thrilling five-set victory at home. The 29 kills were also the most kills in a single match since 2012.

Tya Weideman, coming off her GPAC Honorable Mention last season Weideman really stepped up and anchored her team in the back row all season, leading the team in digs with a career-high 652. The 652 digs ranked Weideman second in the conference and fourth in the nation. Tya's contributions weren't just with her own output but also helping mentor a very inexperienced back row that had a very successful season against some of the best attacking volleyball teams in the nation. Weideman had a career night with her career-high 37 digs at Dakota State. Tya recorded 20+ digs 13 times during the season.

Replacing All-American setter Madeline Else was going to be no easy task, but true freshman Kayleigh Hybertson stepped up and delivered for her team game after game. Hybertson finished the regular season with 1,157 assists, which ranked first in the GPAC and fifth in the nation. Hybertson earned GPAC Setter-of-the-Week twice this season with both times being in the last three weeks of the regular season. Kayleigh had a season-high 63 assists against, you guessed it, Dakota State.

COACHES TALK

We got to sit down with Head Coach, Lindsay Wilber and talk about the matchup coming up. When asked about the mindset needed to go into a match against a top-5 ranked opponent that held the No. 1 spot in the polls twice this season, Wilber had this to say, "You must go in with confidence and belief in what we can do as a team. We know that if we play our brand of ball and put some things together, we can compete with Concordia." The Tigers showed this in set two of their matchup this year going 20-25 with the Bulldogs and having a couple costly mistakes be the difference. With a mix of veteran and young talent Wilber had this to say about how the team is prepping mentally for the matchup, "We're just going to do what we've done all year which is approach every match the same, no match is bigger than the next, and go play hard. It's a big deal to make the conference playoffs with how tough the GPAC is year after year and we are excited to be able to compete in the postseason for a fourth straight season."

HEAD-TO-HEAD

October 7 | Seward, Neb.

Dakota Wesleyan 0 | No. 1 Concordia 3

The at the time undefeated and No. 1 in the country Bulldogs took down the Tigers in three straight sets. The Bulldogs won the sets 25-9, 25-20, 25-15. Concordia executed a good game plan of limiting Ady Dwight and making the Tiger offense get production elsewhere. Dwight was held to a season-low six kills in the match. True freshman Elizabeth Tyler stepped up and matched Dwight's six with six of her own in the contest. Tya Weideman recorded a team-high 18 digs against the high-powered Bulldog offense. Even with the lopsided scores the Tigers out blocked the Bulldogs 12-10 in the contest.

WHO TO WATCH FOR THE BULLDOGS

Bree Burtwistle- The last year GPAC Second Team All-Conference setter had a dominant season with her GPAC leading 11.72 assists per set which ranked her third in the nation and contributed to her being named GPAC Setter-of-the-Week five times. Burtwistle had 43 assists in the lone matchup with the Tigers.
Balanced Attack- The Bulldogs had three players record 200+ kills on the season in leader Ashley Keck, last year GPAC First Team outside Camryn Opfer and First Team middle blocker Gabi Nordaker. Nordaker ranked first on the team in blocks with 90.
Defense by Committee- Like their offensive attack the Bulldogs are well balanced in the back row with five players recording 100+ digs on the squad. They are led by last year GPAC Honorable Mention libero Rebecca Gebhardt with her 321 digs.

TIGERS HISTORY IN GPAC TOURNAMENT

The Tigers have now qualified for the GPAC tournament four years in a row. DWU during that span has a 2-3 record with two five-set wins against Northwestern the past two seasons. During the 2021 season the Tigers qualified for the NAIA tournament and went 2-1 while making it again for the 2022 season and advancing to the NAIA Quarterfinals for the first time in program history.

GAME INFORMATION

LIVE STATS LINK
VIDEO LINK
TICKETS LINK
- Adults will be charged $10, K-College students will be charged $3, and children under the kindergarten age will have no charge. All GPAC students will receive free admittance to the matches with the showing of their institutional ID. All faculty and staff at GPAC schools will be required to pay for entry, per the conference office.
  *Only NAIA passes will be accepted at the gate, no institutional passes will be accepted for the entirety of the conference tournament. *