SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The No. 14-ranked Northwestern College volleyball team (14-7, 6-5 GPAC) completes the season sweep of the Briar Cliff Chargers (7-16, 1-11 GPAC) with a four-set victory inside the Newman Flanagan Center on the campus of Briar Cliff University.
The Raiders hit .222 as a team in the win, compared to Briar Cliff’s .079 even though both teams had an equal 22 attacking errors. Northwestern tallied 54 kills to BCU’s 33. Alysen Dexter (Fr., Urbandale, Iowa/Des Moines Christian) tallied a match-high 17 kills, followed closely by Bekah Horstman (Sr., Pella, Iowa/Pella Christian) who recorded 15 kills.
Jadeyn Schutt (Jr., Orange City, Iowa/MOC-Floyd Valley) served up 28 assists to pace the Raider attack on the evening.
Set one was a show of complete dominance for the Raiders, as Northwestern prevailed 25-12 to take immediate control of the match. Set two was more of the same as the Raiders again won handedly 25-15 to jump out to a 2-0 match lead.
The Chargers didn’t go down quietly as they jumped out to a 9-4 lead in the third set forcing head coach Kyle Van Den Bosch to call a time out. The Raiders would respond out of the time out and work their way back into the set, bringing the score to 16-15 Chargers, forcing a Briar Cliff time out. Ultimately, the Raiders just couldn’t get over the hump at Briar Cliff takes the set 25-21.
The Raiders would bounce back in the fourth set to take the set – and the match – 25-16. Senior Emily Strasser (Sioux Falls, S.D./Sioux Falls Christian) had a team-leading three service aces and 19 digs to pace the Raiders defensively. Horstman recorded 4 total blocks to further aid the Raider defense.
Up Next: The Raiders are back in action this Friday, Oct. 22 when they travel to Crete, Neb. to battle No. 23-ranked Doane University Tigers in another top-25 Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) showdown.
