The Dordt University men's volleyball team defeated Culver-Stockton (Mo.) in four sets in a Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) match played today at the De Witt Gym. Individual scores were 21-25, 25-20, 25-19, 25-20. The Defenders push their win streak to three and improve to 11-5 in the conference, 21-7 overall. 

• Box Score | PDF

Joel Van Groningen led the Defenders with 15 kills, his fourth straight match in double figures, and hit .188 over the four sets. Both Cade Schmidt and Kai Chapman put away nine kills each while Lance Vermeer (8 kills) and Nicodemus Elliott (7 kills) gave the Defenders great balance at the net. Cory Kuperus totaled eight blocks and Colt Schmit led all backrow players with 24 digs.

The Defenders setting duo of Joseph Jang  (24 assists) and Justin Hofman (21 assists) directed an offense that hit .236 for the match, including a 46% efficiency in the second set. 

Set One: 25-21 loss

Culver-Stockton closed the opening set with a 9-3 run to break open a tight, competitive set and win 25-21. Dordt overcame a slight early deficit and had a 18-16 lead following an ace serve from Jang. The Wildcats, however, registered three blocks and three kills to go with an ace serve down the stretch and held the Defenders attack to 8.6%.

Set Two: 25-20 win

Using the momentum from its comeback win in set one, Culver-Stockton raced out to a 6-0 advantage behind the strong serving of Cooper Varner. Dordt, however, rallied and grabbed its first lead at 12-11 after a block by Van Groningen and Vermeer. The teams traded points thereafter, until, with the scored tied at 18, Dordt closed with a 7-2 run to tie the match at 1-1. The Defenders hit 46% in set two, putting away 13 kills in 24 attempts.

Set Three: 25-19 win

Dordt hit nearly 40% and never trailed in earning a 25-19 win in set three. The Defenders used a 4-0 run to open up a 13-9 lead and pushed its advantage to as many as eight (20-12) en route to a 2-1 lead in the match.

Set Four: 25-20 win

Leading by one (8-7), Dordt went on a 14-5 run to take control in the decisive fourth set. The Defenders hit 13% but limited the Wildcats to just eight kills in 38 attempts with eight errors (0%). 

Culver-Stockton was led by Cooper Varner with 15 kills while Zach Kowalewicz put down seven kills in 11 attempts. 

Up Next:

• Dordt closes out its home schedule with a pair of matches next weekend against Clarke (Friday) and No.7 Mount Mercy (Saturday)

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