Dordt rallied from a second-set loss and closed strong in the final two sets to defeat College of Saint Mary 3-1 on Saturday afternoon. The Defenders won by scores of 25-23, 19-25, 25-22 and 25-21. Â
Box Score (PDF)
The win moves Dordt to 13-7 overall and 4-4 in Great Plains Athletic Conference play, while College of Saint Mary falls to 13-9 overall and 3-5 in the GPAC. The weekend marks the midpoint of the GPAC regular season schedule.Â
The Defenders overcame a competitive opening set that featured 11 ties and six lead changes. Dordt trailed 23-22 late, but a kill from
Haley Kuperus tied the set before
Shayna Van Dyken put Dordt ahead 24-23. Van Dyken then finished the set with another kill, giving the Defenders a 1-0 lead.
Saint Mary answered in the second set, using a late run to turn a 16-17 deficit into a 25-19 win and even the match at one set apiece. The Flames closed the set by winning nine of the final 12 points.
Dordt regained control in the third set. The Flames led 13-6, but the Defenders steadily chipped away at the deficit and eventually tied the set at 17-17. Dordt then scored eight of the final 13 points, including the final three points of the set, to win 25-22 and take a 2-1 lead.
The fourth set was tied 15-15 before Dordt took control.
Peyton Poppema followed with a service ace and another ace on consecutive points, giving the Defenders an 17-15 advantage. Dordt extended the lead to 24-18 before Saint Mary rallied with three straight points, but Kuperus ended the match with a kill for the 25-21 win.
Dordt has its first home match of the season on Friday, October 9 against Hastings and will face Doane on Saturday, October 10.
The Numbers
Kuperus and Van Dyken led Dordt with 13 kills apiece. Kuperus hit .423 for the match, while Van Dyken added seven digs and two block assists.
Breanna Beckering had 12 kills while hitting .476, and
Laney Wolfswinkel added 10 kills.
Ellie Weg finished with nine kills and a team-high six block assists.
Chloe Huisman led Dordt with 30 assists, while
Carlee Jackson added 23 assists.
Kylie Beckering and Huisman each had 12 digs, with
Haley Wielenga adding 11 and
Maddy Jackson nine.
Dordt finished with 62 kills and hit .268 for the match. Saint Mary had 57 kills and hit .298.
The Defenders gained an advantage at the net, recording 16 block assists compared to 10 for the Flames, and Dordt also had seven service aces to two for Saint Mary.
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