Sioux City, Iowa — The Dordt Defender volleyball team secured a 3-2 win to conclude pool play on Tuesday, November 30 at the NAIA National Championship in Sioux City, Iowa. The victory over Central Methodist (Missouri) evened Dordt’s pool record at 1-1 and kept their hopes alive for advancement into the quarterfinal round.
Set one was tight through out with Central Methdodist overcoming a 23-21 deficit to tie the set at 23-23. Dordt unlocked the tie with Grace Langemeier getting a kill for a 24-23 lead but the set was tied again at 26, 27 and 28. Alli Timmermans got a kill and Corrina Timmermans and Danielle Vande Voort followed with a block to score the final two points of the set and gave Dordt a 30-28 win.
Dordt built a 17-13 lead in set two and appeared set to take a 2-0 lead but the Eagles tied it with four straight and eventually took a 23-19 lead with another four point run and thwarted Dordt’s comeback with back to back points, the final on an ace serve for a 25-20 win.
Dordt built an early 7-3 lead in set three and maintained at least a three point advantage on the way to the 25-20 win for a 2-1 lead. Set four was tied at 10-10 before the Eagles went on a 7-0 run. Dordt rallied to score five in a row as well and ended up tying it at 20-20 on a Langemeier and Franken block and it was 21-21 before back to back kills by Central Methodist gave them enough of a cushion on the way to a 25-22 win that force set five.
Dordt took much of the suspense out of the match in set five with a 7-1 lead . Central Methodist got within 11-8 before Dordt scored four of the last five points, finishing the match with a Langemeier kill.
Dordt had a 66-64 kills edge and had a .268-.277 kill efficiency advantage.
Both teams had nine service aces and Dordt recorded 11 poitns on blocks while Central Methodist had eight.
Alli Timmermans had 17 kills with no errors and 31 attacks for a .548 kill efficiency and Jessi Franken recorded 15 kills.
Grace Langemeier and Corrina Timmermans each had 14 kills.
Megan Raszler accounted for 30 assists and Campbell Marshall had 26.
Erica Bousema got to 25 digs and Raszler had 13.
Danielle Vande Voort recorded six block assists and Alli Timmermans had five.
Dordt is 19-10 while Central Methodist is 29-8. Central Methodist will play Missouri Baptist on Wednesday morning at 10:30. A win by Missouri Baptist ends the Dordt season while a Central Methodist win would set up tie-breaker sets to 25 on Wednesday after pool play has concluded to determine which of the three advances to quarterfinal round play on Thursday.
