Orange City, Iowa — The Dordt Defender volleyball team earned a regular season series split with Northwestern with a road win in Orange City, Iowa on Wednesday night, October 27. The Defenders used a strong defensive presence at the net and hit for a high kill efficiency to secure their third win in a row on the road and pulled into a tie with Northwestern for fifth place in the GPAC race.
The Defenders jumped in front 11-5 in set one with an attack error by Northwestern putting Dordt up by six. Dordt’s lead was down to 16-13 when Jessi Franken recorded back to back kills and Ava Van Soelen added a kill for a 19-13 lead that proved to be enough of a cushion as Corrina Timmermans finished the set with an ace serve for a 25-19 win.
Northwestern took a 4-3 lead in set two and scored eight of the next nine points and held off a Dordt rally to within 11-9 to win 25-18 and even the match. Northwestern carried the momentum into set three and led 4-1 when Danielle Vande Voort and Alli Timmermans scored back to back kills. Dordt was still down 6-4 when Van Soelen’s kill started a four point run for an 8-6 lead. Northwestern rallied to within two on several occasions but Danielle Vande Voort was able to finish the set with a kill for a 25-21 win.
This time it was Dordt who had the momentum in the fourth set and appeared poised to finish the set in four. Alli Timmermans scored four of Dordt’s first five sets and Dordt maintained a lead until Northwestern pulled even at 12-12 and the set was tied again at 14-14 when Grace Langemeier recorded a kill and Dordt got another two points in a row on an attack error and a Jessi Franken block. The teams were tied again at 21, 22, 23 and 24 before Northwestern squeezed out back to back points for the 26-24 win.
In the final set, a race to 15, Dordt took an early lead on three kills by Danielle Vande Voort and an Erica Bousema made it 4-2. Northwestern answered with a four point run for a 6-4 lead but Jess Franken got a kill and then was in on a pair of blocks with Ava Van Soelen and Grace Langemeier for a 7-6 Dordt lead. The set was tied again at seven and eight before Corrina Timmermans got a kill and Mia Gamet an ace serve. Northwestern was unable to score back to back points the rest of the set and Dordt scored the final three points of the set to go from up 12-11 to win the match with kills by Corrina Timmermans and Alli Timmermans and a Corrina Timmermans ace serve.
Dordt had 67 kills to 56 for Northwestern. Dordt had a .251 kill efficiency and Northwestern a .204 kill efficiency.
Both teams had six service aces and Dordt had 11 errors while Northwestern had nine.
Dordt had 75 digs and Northwestern 61 and Dordt recorded 12 points on blocks while Northwestern had nine.
Corrina Timmermans had 17 kills and 10 digs with three service aces.
Alli Timmermans had 13 kills and Grace Langemeier had 11.
Jessi Franken and Danielle Vande Voort both had 10 kills with Franken recording eight assisted blocks and one solo.
Megan Raszler put up 31 assists and Campbell Marshall had 17.
Erica Bousema had a match high 29 digs and Raszler got to 14.
Northwestern was topped by Bekah Horstman and Alysen Dexter with 15.
Dordt and Northwestern are both 8-6 in league play with Dordt standing 16-7 and Northwestern is 16-8.
Dordt will host Midland in GPAC action on Saturday with the JV match at 3:30 and varsity at 5:00.
