The Dordt men's volleyball team made it a 4-0 weekend with a pair of wins over Hastings and Arizona Christian on Saturday, February 7. Dordt turned away Hastings 3-1 after a slow start and Arizona Christian 3-0 to improve to 8-2.
Box Score vs Hastings (PDF)
Box Score vs Arizona Christian (PDF)
HASTINGS MATCH
The Dordt Defenders showcased their depth, overcoming a slow start to defeat Hastings in four sets (22-25, 25-18, 25-23, 25-18).
After dropping the opening set, the Defenders found their rhythm in set two with a dominant 6-0 run. This critical stretch saw a service ace from
Bradley Neff, a kill by
Cory Kuperus, and multiple Hastings errors to push Dordt ahead 6-1.
In the third set, Dordt utilized another early surge, jumping to a 4-0 lead behind a kill from
Colt Schmidt and three consecutive Hastings errors. The Defenders sealed the match in the fourth set by hitting a staggering .483 as a team, fueled by a late 4-0 burst that included two kills from
Joel Van Groningen and a block by
Lance Vermeer and
Kai Chapman.
THE NUMBERS
Team Comparison
- Kills: Dordt 63, Hastings 41
- Kill Efficiency: Dordt .246, Hastings .172
- Digs: Dordt 58, Hastings 38
- Blocks: Dordt 17, Hastings 9
Dordt Leaders
- Kills: Joel Van Groningen (17), Kai Chapman (14), Nicodemus Elliott (13), Lance Vermeer (9), Michael Gross (5)
- Assists: Joseph Jang (33), McCullough Unruh (21), Colt Schmidt (3), Justin Hofman (3)
- Digs: Colt Schmidt (22), McCullough Unruh (11), Joseph Jang (7), Joel Van Groningen (5), Michael Gross (4)
- Aces: Joel Van Groningen (4), McCullough Unruh (3), Colt Schmidt (2), Bradley Neff (1)
- Blocks: Lance Vermeer (5), Kai Chapman (4), Cory Kuperus (4), Nicodemus Elliott (1), Michael Gross (1)
ARIZONA CHRISTIAN MATCH
The Dordt Defenders continued their winning ways with a commanding sweep of Arizona Christian (25-19, 30-28, 26-24). The Defenders set the tone early in the first set, jumping out to an 8-3 lead behind a balanced attack that included kills from
Joel Van Groningen and
Kai Chapman, alongside several Firestorm errors.
The second set was a thriller, marked by a critical 5-0 run by Dordt to turn a 7-7 tie into a 12-7 advantage. This streak featured a kill by
Cory Kuperus, consecutive kills by
Cade Schmidt and
Lance Vermeer, and a block by Vermeer and
Nicodemus Elliott.
Dordt maintained their poise through the extra points frame to win 30-28. In the final set, the Defenders hit .139 but came through in the clutch, using another 3-0 spurt late in the game—highlighted by two kills from Van Groningen—to secure the sweep and improve to a 9-2 record.
THE NUMBERS
Team Comparison
- Kills: Dordt 44, Arizona Christian 44
- Kill Efficiency: Dordt .303, Arizona Christian .252
- Digs: Dordt 31, Arizona Christian 31
- Blocks: Dordt 26, Arizona Christian 2
Dordt Leaders
- Kills: Joel Van Groningen (13), Nicodemus Elliott (9), Cade Schmidt (9), Lance Vermeer (6), Kai Chapman (4)
- Assists: Joseph Jang (20), McCullough Unruh (19), Colt Schmidt (1)
- Digs: Colt Schmidt (12), Cade Schmidt (4), Joel Van Groningen (4), Joseph Jang (3), McCullough Unruh (3)
- Aces: Joel Van Groningen (5), Joseph Jang (1)
- Blocks: Cory Kuperus (7), Lance Vermeer (6), Nicodemus Elliott (5), Kai Chapman (5), Cade Schmidt (3)
