The Dordt Defender volleyball team dropped a four-set match to Missouri Valley on Friday night, falling 25-19, 25-16, 22-25, 25-14 in GPAC play. The loss came in the quarterfinal round of the conference tournament and Dordt ends the season with a 22-10 record.
Box Score (PDF)
Missouri Valley established control early in the opening set, jumping out to an 8-4 lead. Dordt responded with a short push, getting kills from
Cade Schmidt and
Kai Chapman to trim the deficit to 10-8. The Vikings answered with another run to stretch the lead to 17-10 before Dordt mounted a late rally. A service ace from
Ethan Pauls and a block from
Cory Kuperus and Schmidt helped close the gap to 24-19, but Missouri Valley finished off the set.
The second set followed a similar pattern with Missouri Valley using a mid-set surge to separate. Dordt stayed within striking distance early, tying the set at 6-6 after kills from
Joel Van Groningen and Schmidt. Missouri Valley responded with a 6-1 run to take control at 12-7. Dordt got contributions from
Nicodemus Elliott and Chapman down the stretch, but the Defenders couldn't string together points to slow the Vikings' momentum.
Dordt delivered its strongest performance in the third set, with sustained offensive pressure and efficiency. The Defenders used a 6-2 run to build a 12-9 lead, sparked by kills from Schmidt and
Lance Vermeer, along with a service ace by
Bradley Neff. Dordt extended the lead to 20-17 behind multiple swings from Elliott and Chapman. Missouri Valley closed within 24-22, but Schmidt delivered a kill to finish the set. Dordt hit.552 in the frame.
In the fourth set, Missouri Valley regained control quickly, opening on a 9-4 run that forced Dordt to play from behind. Dordt briefly cut the deficit to 11-8 with a block by Kuperus and Schmidt and a kill from Elliott, but the Vikings responded with another extended run to push the lead to 21-10.
Match Stats
- Kills: Dordt 45, Missouri Valley 55
- Attack Percentage: Dordt .196, Missouri Valley .462
- Assists: Dordt 42, Missouri Valley 51
- Aces: Dordt 4, Missouri Valley 2
- Blocks: Dordt 14, Missouri Valley 10
- Digs: Dordt 18, Missouri Valley 35
Dordt Individual Leaders
