Dordt University women's volleyball coach Jackie Smith called the opening stretch of the season the Defenders' "pre-conference season."

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Whatever the label, Dordt made good use of it.

The Defenders played 12 matches over three weekends, finishing 3-1 each weekend while working through a varied schedule that included matches Dordt expected to control, toss-up contests and tests against rated opponents. For Smith, the value of the opening stretch came less from the repeated 3-1 records and more from the steady progress she saw from one weekend to the next.

"I feel like our team progressively got better every weekend," Smith said. "We showed some growth and maturity."

That growth showed in different ways. Smith said Dordt handled its business during the opening weekend in Sioux City despite a challenging schedule and a long break between matches, though the Defenders did not compete the way they wanted in a top-10 matchup with McPherson. A week later, she saw better energy and connection, and by the third weekend, Smith felt the team's practice growth was carrying into match play.

"I was really proud of the way that we competed," Smith said. "I thought that our team has taken some big steps in practice and reflected in the way that we played this last weekend."

Dordt had a chance to come away with an even stronger finish to the pre-conference portion of the schedule, but Smith said the Defenders felt they let a match against Viterbo slip away. Even so, the disappointment came with a purpose.

"There's a lot to learn from that which we as a staff and as a team are prepared to try and take the steps in," Smith said.

One of the biggest areas of emphasis has been defense. Smith said Dordt took a close look at where it ranked statistically in the conference and saw a number that did not match the team's expectations. After the second weekend of play, the Defenders were ninth in the GPAC in digs per set, a mark Smith said the team viewed as a challenge.

"Our defense is something that we are really prioritizing right now, both our floor defense and our blocking," Smith said. "We've taken that as a challenge with all of our back row players to pursue harder and pursue more."

The response was visible.

"We had some awesome digging performances over this past weekend," Smith said. "So I thought there was a lot of growth there."

Dordt has also seen encouraging signs at the net. Smith pointed to Ada Dekkers and Haley Kuperus as steady, physical blockers, and said the Defenders have strength on the left side as well.

"Ellie Weg's a stud up there," Smith said.

The defensive improvements are important because Dordt believes that side of the game can become part of its identity. Smith said the coaching staff has made it a priority in practice, and the early-season results have shown progress.

"We want our defense to be a strength of our team," Smith said.

Offensively, the Defenders continue to work within a two-setter system. Chloe Huisman has taken a step forward in production and has helped Dordt start sets aggressively from the service line.

"She's got a super tough serve," Smith said. "I think creates a lot of opportunities for herself because our team gets a lot of free ball opportunities off of her serve."

Huisman's growth has gone beyond serving. Smith said the setter has improved in her decision-making and has helped put attackers in better positions to score.

"She's also making much better decisions," Smith said. "She's grown a lot in her decision making where she's putting the ball in her location."

Haley Kuperus leads Dordt with 2.84 kills per set, and the Defenders have found strong balance around her. The most efficient production has come through the middle, where Ellie Weg and Ada Dekkers have ranked at the top of the GPAC in hitting percentage.

"We've got Ellie Weg and Ada Dekker's top two in hitting percentage in the GPAC right now," Smith said. "They've been super-efficient for us in the middle. I mean, it's no secret we want to set our middles and use them, and they've been really efficient scoring the volleyball for us."

Smith said Dordt would like to see its team hitting percentage continue to rise, but she also sees a group that is terminating at a higher level than in past seasons.

"I am happy with where we're at right now," Smith said. "I think the way that we're terminating is a step above where we've been terminating in seasons past."

The challenge now shifts to GPAC play, where Dordt enters a conference schedule filled with teams that produced strong nonconference starts. Dakota Wesleyan, Concordia, Northwestern, Morningside and College of Saint Mary have all shown early signs of strength, adding to a league that Smith expects to be difficult from week to week.

"The conference is tough," Smith said. "There's lots of depth."

Dordt opens conference play against Dakota Wesleyan, a veteran team Smith said returns nearly its entire roster and appears to be carrying over momentum from last fall.

"They are a scrappy defensive team," Smith said. "I think they got one of the best liberos in the country and they make it very tough to score."

The Defenders will also see Briar Cliff and Morningside early in the conference season. Smith said Morningside has already shown it can be dangerous when its serve is working.

"When they're on, they are on," Smith said. "They can just hammer it down your throat with their serve."

Smith has had opportunities to watch several GPAC teams through the opening weekends, including Northwestern, Morningside, Concordia, Midland, College of Saint Mary, Hastings and Dakota Wesleyan. She expects the league picture to become
clearer with each match, but the early read is that teams will have to withstand difficult stretches to remain in contention.

"I imagine that the teams that are going to come out of this conference in the national tournament are the ones that are able to survive some big punches," Smith said.

For Dordt, the first three weekends offered signs that the Defenders are better prepared to absorb those punches. Smith credited the team's seniors for setting that tone, saying the maturity of the group has helped Dordt begin from a stronger place than in previous seasons.

"We felt walking into preseason, just our first couple days of practice, that we were starting at a higher level than we have started in the past and that's exciting," Smith said. "We want to obviously continue to raise our basement. We think our ceiling is pretty high as a team."