Sioux Center, Iowa — The Dordt Defenders earned their second straight trip to Sioux City and the Final Site of the NAIA National Women’s Volleyball Championship with a 3-0 win over the Bethel Pilots on Saturday afternoon in Sioux Center, Iowa.
Set one was a tight affair with neither team able to forge more than a three point lead until the Defenders scored four in a row to go from tied at 13-13 to up 17-13 with a kill by Jessi Franken and three straight attack errors by Bethel. The visitors got back to within one point seven different times and were eventually able to tie the set at 24-24 on an attack error. Dordt used its final timeout and responded with a Corrina Timmermans kill followed by a Bethel attack error and Dordt won the squeaker 26-24.
A fast start followed in set two with the Defenders getting out to a 5-0 lead and the difference was still five at 13-8. Bethel rallied and tied the score at 16-16 but never took the lead. After the teams exchanged points Grace Langemeier started a 4-0 run with a kill and two attack errors followed to make it 20-17. A Corrina Timmermans kill made it 21-17 and Bethel got no closer than 23-21 and 24-22 before a Bethel attack error finished the set 25-22.
Bethel got on track in the third set and got up 10-4 before a furious Dordt rally tied the set at 12-12. A Danielle Vande Voort kill broke a 13-13 tie and Dordt rattled off another four points to lead 18-13 and won by a comfortable 25-20 margin.
Dordt had 41 kills and a .289 kill efficiency with just four points scored on blocks.
Bethel had 34 kills and was limited to a .143 kill efficiency and they scored five points on blocks.
Dordt had a 7-3 ace serves edge but committed 13 service errors.
Corrina Timmermans had 10 kills and nine digs with a service ace.
Jessi Franken and Alli Timmermans each had eight kills and Danielle Vande Voort both had seven kills.
Megan Raszler put up 21 assists and Campbell Marshall 15.
Mia Gamet, Makenna Kooima and Raszler all had two service aces.
Bethel ends its season 28-9 while Dordt advances in tournament play to the NAIA National Championship site with play beginning on November 30 in Sioux City, Iowa.
Dordt awaits their assignment for the NAIA National Championship pool play.
