Box Score SCORE

Kansas Wesleyan def. Dordt 3-1 (22-25, 33-31, 25-18, 25-22)

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Dordt Defenders lost a conference volleyball match against Kansas Wesleyan on Friday night in Salina, Kansas 3-1.  Dordt won the first set 25-22 but a Wesleyan rallied in the second set and won 33-31 in extra points and then used that momentum to win the match in sets three and four.

Kansas Wesleyan came back to tie set one at 12-12 and took a 14-12 lead as part of a 5-0 run. Nicodemus Elliott ended the run with a kill. Wesleyan kept the lead at 15-14 before a service error and Ryan Dyck service ace gave Dordt a lead it never relinquished.  A Nicodemus Elliott kill ended the set and gave Dordt the 1-0 set lead.

The two teams were tied nine times up to a 15-15 deadlock in set two before Cade Schmidt and Lance Vermeer teamed up for a block and Elliott added a kill.  Another block put Dordt up 18-15 and the Defenders appeared poised to secure the 2-0 win before the Coyotes rallied and tied it at 20-20.  Wesleyan got to set point with back to back points after a 22-22 tie but Schmidt and Diego Santiago had back to back kills.  The teams traded points to 25-25 and Dordt had set point after an attack error gave them a 26-25 lead and Dordt never led again in falling 33-31.

The hosts grabbed an early lead in set three and kept Dordt at bay the rest of the set as the Defenders never got closer than five.   Set four was similar with the Coyotes getting up by five.  Dordt rallied to tie it at 13-13 on a Schmidt kill and Dordt took a 16-14 lead on a Robert Piekarz ace and Schmidt followed with a kill. Wesleyan followed with four straight points and never trailed again as Dordt got to within 23-22 on an Eliott kill but the rally stopped short and Wesleyan won 25-22.

COACH HANSON SAID
"We missed many execution areas of our game against an opponent that brought a lot of strong play into this match. We needed to assert ourselvs more in all areas of the game. Once we do that, we will find a higher level of trust in in one another."

THE NUMBERS

• Dordt had a 57-56 kills advantage.
• Dordt had a .200 kill efficiency and Kansas Wesleyan .281.
• Dordt had a 7-6 ace edge.
  • Dordt Leaders
    • Nicodemus Elliott: 25 kills
    • Cade Schmidt: 14 kills
    • Diego Santiago: 7 kills
    • Lukas Van Groningen: 48 assists
    • Robert Piekarz: 26 digs
  • Kansas Wesleyan Leaders
    • Zayin Martinez: 18 kills
    • Justin Burras: 17 kills
    • Angel Diaz: 37 assists
    • Jeremy Lapeze: 22 digs

NEXT

Dordt will face Central Christian on Saturday, March 2.