Sioux Center, Iowa — The Dordt Defender women’s volleyball team resumed the 2020-21 season with a 3-1 win over nationally ranked Ottawa (Kansas) on Friday afternoon in Sioux Center.
Dordt never trailed in set one after taking a 4-3 lead and used a four point run to take control of the set and fought off several Ottawa rallies to secure the win 25-23. Dordt had as much as an 18-14 lead after a pair of kills by Jori Bronner but the Braves trimmed the lead to 24-23 before Corrina Timmermans ended the set with a kill.
Set two was nearly a complete reversal with Ottawa grabbing a 14-9 lead and the fighting off Dordt’s rally attempts. Dordt had the lead down to 16-15 after an Ottawa attack error but the visitors never relinquished the lead as Dordt fought back to within 24-23 on a Brenna Krommendyk kill. The Braves had an answer though and secured the win with a kill by Ayona Tharps.
Dordt raced to a 12-4 lead in set three but the Braves recovered to get within 15-14 but Jessi DeJager’s kill ignited a six-point Dordt run that led to an eventual 25-17 win. Dordt used a four point run in set four to lead 14-9 and then kept the Braves at bay with a 25-21 win as the last three points for Dordt were scored on kills by three different players.
Jessi DeJager had a career high 23 kills with three block assists. Brenna Krommendyk added 14 kills and had four block assists and one solo block. Corrina Timmermans accounted for 12 kills and 12 digs. Corina Beimers and Megan Raszler had 26 and 25 assists each and 13 and 12 digs a piece. Erica Bousema had two ace serves and 17 digs and Hannah Connelly had a match high 29 digs. Jori Bronner had eight kills and three solo and four block assists.
Dordt had a 65-44 kills advantage and had a 14-13 advantage on points off of blocks. Dordt is now 13-5 and has won seven matches in a row. Ottawa is now 23-6 and saw its 12 match winning streak stopped.
Dordt will be in action again on March 23 at Grand View in Des Moines, Iowa.
