Dordt battled throughout the evening but fell in straight sets to No. 7 Northwestern (26-24, 25-19, 25-16) on Wednesday night at the Bultman Center.
Box Score (PDF)
HOW IT HAPPENED
The first set featured 17 ties and four lead changes as Dordt and Northwestern traded points from the opening serve. After trailing 3-1 early, Dordt rallied behind a 6-2 run capped by a
Tarren Spartz kill to take an 8-6 lead. Later, back-to-back service aces from
Peyton Poppema helped the Defenders move in front 19-17, but Northwestern answered with four straight points to regain control at 21-20. Dordt fought off two set points to tie it 24-24 before the Red Raiders claimed the final two points for a 26-24 win.
In set two, Dordt again erased an early deficit, using a 4-0 surge to pull even at 6-6 and later take an 11-9 lead after a Kuperus kill. Northwestern responded with a decisive 6-0 stretch to swing momentum and pulled away 25-19.
Set three began with promise as Dordt built a 5-2 advantage behind a kill from
Laney Wolfswinkel and a service ace from
Chloe Huisman. However, Northwestern countered with a 7-2 run to move ahead 9-7 and never trailed again. Dordt tied the score one final time at 14-14 before Northwestern closed the match on an 11-2 run.
Dordt is 8-5 in GPAC play and stands fourth with three matches remaining and Northwestern improves to 12-0 in the GPAC. Dordt will host Waldorf on Saturday, October 25.
THE NUMBERS
• Kills: Dordt 35 | Northwestern 43
• Hitting Percentage: Dordt .117 | Northwestern .323
• Blocks: Dordt 5.0 | Northwestern 11.0
• Digs: Dordt 37 | Northwestern 47
• Assists: Dordt 32 | Northwestern 40
Dordt Leaders
• Kills:
Ellie Dokter 9,
Tarren Spartz 8,
Ellie Weg 6
• Assists:
Chloe Huisman 17,
Carlee Jackson 12
• Digs:
Kylie Beckering 12,
Haley Wielenga 8,
Chloe Huisman 7
• Blocks:
Ada Dekkers 3,
Tarren Spartz 3,
Carlee Jackson 2
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