Sioux City, Iowa — The Dordt Defender volleyball team secured a 3-2 comeback win over the number two rated Park Pirates to capture Pool B at the NAIA National Championship final site in Sioux City, Iowa.
The two teams battled to 14 ties in the first set with Dordt tying the set at 24-24 on an Ally Timmermans kill. Park scored the next two points for the win on a kill and an attack error. The Defenders never recovered from the close loss and struggled in set two and lost by a 25-13 count with Park outscoring Dordt 14-4 over the final 18 points.
Set three was more of the same with Park pulling away to a 17-11 lead after it was tied 11-11. A Grace Langemeier kill stopped the run as the teams traded points. Dordt was still down 18-12 when Jessi De Jager got a kill and an attack error followed for Park. Dordt sliced the lead down to 18-15 but was still down 22-18 after the teams exchanged points.
Back to back attack errors trimmed the lead to two and it was still 24-22 when Alli Timmermans scored on back to back kills to tie it. Park then committed attack errors on the next two points and Dordt was a 26-24 winner and still alive.
Dordt played from in front much of set four and withstood Parks comeback 25-22 after the Pirates reduced the lead to 23-21. Corrina Timmermans gave Dordt the win and sent the match to a decisive fifth set.
In the fifth set Dordt built a 9-5 lead but Park rallied to tie it 11-11. Corrina Timmermans got a kill to put Dordt up one and then an attack error put Dordt up 13-11. The cushion proved to be enough with Corrina Timmermans getting two kills to finish the set 15-12.
Dordt had a .175 kill efficiency and totaled 60 kills.
Allison Timmermans had 16 kills and Corrina Timmermans 15.
Brenna Krommendyk added 11 kills and Jessi De Jager nine.
Krommendyk had seven block assists and two solo blocks. Jori Bronner had three assists and two solos.
Hannah Connelly got to 22 digs and Erica Bousema had 15 while Corrina Timmermans added 11.
Megan Raszler put up 32 assists and Corina Beimers had 22.
Dordt will take a 17-6 record into the quarterfinal round of the bracket on Thursday at 5:00 against either Marian (Indiana) or Concordia (Nebraska).
