Northwestern secured a 3-0 match win over the Dordt Defenders in the semifinal round of the GPAC Tournament on Wednesday night, November 11 by scores of 25-16, 25-21, 25-17 at the Bultman Center in Orange City, Iowa. Northwestern advances as the top seed and will host the championship match on Saturday, November 14.
Box Score (PDF)
With the setback, Dordt moves to 21–9 overall on the season and concludes its GPAC postseason run, while Northwestern improves to 28–1 and advances to the GPAC Championship match. Dordt awaits a potential NAIA National Championship berth in the 48-team feld with that announcement coming on November 16.
Set 1
Northwestern took command early in the opening set behind an efficient attack. After the teams traded side-outs to an early 2–2 tie, the Red Raiders used a 4–0 push to build a 6–2 cushion. Dordt answered with kills from
Ellie Weg and
Haley Kuperus, but Northwestern extended their advantage to 19–13. The Defenders picked up late kills from
Breanna Beckering and
Chloe Huisman, but Northwestern closed out the set 25–16 on a kill by Winterfeld.
Set 2
The second set was the tightest battle of the night, featuring seven ties and four lead changes. Dordt seized early momentum behind
Kylie Beckering's service, using a service ace and a
Haley Kuperus kill to jump ahead 5–2. The Defenders stretched their margin to 11–7 following kills by
Shayna Van Dyken and
Laney Wolfswinkel, and held an 18–14 lead after an
Ada Dekkers kill from
Chloe Huisman. Northwestern surged back with a 5–0 run to take a 19–18 lead. Dordt regained the lead at 21–20 on a
Shayna Van Dyken kill, but the Red Raiders closed the frame with five consecutive points.
Set 3
Northwestern got out to a 7–1 lead and Dordt answered with a 4–0 counter on
Peyton Poppema's serve, getting kills from
Breanna Beckering and
Ada Dekkers along with a Dekkers/Wolfswinkel block to cut the gap to 7–5. Northwestern answered with an 8–1 surge to pull away 15–6. The lead was too great to overcome with Northwestern getting the sweep 25-17.
Dordt Individual Leaders
- Kills: Ada Dekkers – 8, Shayna Van Dyken – 7, Breanna Beckering – 7, Haley Kuperus – 4, Laney Wolfswinkel – 4
- Assists: Carlee Jackson – 18, Chloe Huisman – 14, Kylie Beckering – 3
- Digs: Kylie Beckering – 13, Chloe Huisman – 5, Haley Wielenga – 5, Laney Wolfswinkel – 5, Carlee Jackson – 5
- Blocks (Assists): Ada Dekkers – 2, Breanna Beckering – 2, Laney Wolfswinkel – 1, Ellie Weg – 1
| |
Dordt |
Northwestern |
| Total Kills |
37 |
47 |
| Total Attack Attempts |
106 |
105 |
| Hitting Percentage |
.170 |
.324 |
| Assists |
35 |
48 |
| Service Aces |
1 |
4 |
| Service Errors |
3 |
3 |
| Digs |
39 |
43 |
| Total Team Blocks (BS–BA) |
3.0 (0–6) |
8.0 (3–10) |
