Caldwell, Idaho — The Dordt Defenders continued their winning ways in a sweep over Montana Western, using a strong performance in the first set to build upon for the remainder of the match.
Early in the first set, both teams traded points with Dordt maintaining a slight advantage throughout. However, the Defenders took a 1-point deficit and went on a 12-3 run to close out the set. A service error for the Bulldogs tied the score at 14 before Dordt took advantage of a service ace for Mia Gamet and three kills from Corrina Timmermans that pushed the Defenders ahead for good.
The Defenders opened the second set with a 5-0 lead and later led by as much as six points. With a 7-1 Dordt lead, Montana Western took ten of the next twelve points to jump ahead 11-9 following a service ace. The Bulldogs held a narrow lead until Dordt pulled ahead 20-19 later in the set. With the score tied at 23, Campbell Marshall added a point for the Defenders and an attack error allowed Dordt to take set two.
The third set belonged to the Defenders as they held a slight advantage early on. Dordt then scored six in a row to take a 16-10 lead. The Bulldogs fought back in the set to tie the score at 19, but it was the Defenders who held on the rest of the way, finishing the set with a kill from Brenna Krommendyk.
The Dordt Defenders finished a perfect 4-0 this weekend at a classic hosted by the College of Idaho in Caldwell, Idaho with a 3-0 sweep of the host school on Saturday night, August 28.
The Defenders trailed in set one by a 22-17 margin but and Ava Van Soelen kill started a six point Defender run that included a Grace Langemeier kill, a Makenna Kooima ace and three attack errors by the Coyotes. Tied 23-23, Jessi Franken scored with a kill and another attack error, the Coyotes eighth of the set, sent Dordt to a 25-23 win.
Set two was all Dordt as the Defenders raced to a 19-9 lead and won by an eventual 25-10 margin, recording a .379 kill efficiency while the hosts had more errors than kills in the set for the second straight time.
Set three featured eight ties, the last at 16-16 when Corrina Timmermans and Ava Van Soelen had back to back kills. Dordt pushed the lead to four at 23-19 and then traded points to the final of 25-22.
