Sioux Center, Iowa — In preparation for the opening of the 2021 women’s volleyball season this is the first of a three-part preview.
The Defenders will open the season on the road on Wednesday night, August 25 against Morningside in Sioux City, Iowa. The Defenders are picking up less than four months after advancing to the NAIA National Championship held in late April in Sioux City, Iowa.
Dordt posted an 18-7 record last season including an 11-5 GPAC record in the fall. It was an up and down 2020 portion of the season with Dordt prevailing in matches with Northwestern but the Defenders were unable to crack the code against Jamestown twice, Concordia, Midland and Morningside.
When the season resumed in March 2021 the Defenders Dordt earned wins over a pair of rated opponents Ottawa and Grand View to gain some momentum. Midland again had the Defenders’ number in the GPAC Quarterfinals dropping the Defenders in a 3-1 decision.
Dordt was awarded a NAIA National Championship berth and hosted MidAmerica Nazarene in the opening round on April 17. The Defenders trounced the Pioneers 3-0 to earn a spot at the Final Site in Sioux City, Iowa in late April.
Dordt had a flair for the dramatic in Sioux City in beating Bellevue 3-2 in the first round of pool play and then came back from a 2-0 deficit and an 18-12 shortfall in set three to beat second-rated Park. The win put the Defenders in the round of eight where they handled conference rival Concordia 3-0 to advance to the semifinals. The Defenders again overcame a 2-0 set deficit to tie the match 2-2 before falling short of its third trip to the National Championship match with a 15-13 loss in set five.
The Defenders will open the schedule at Morningside in conference play before heading to Caldwell, Idaho to play four matches.
The Defenders have a 16-match GPAC schedule and will play in a classic at Lacrosse, Wisconsin hosted by Viterbo University on September 10 and 11. The Defenders are also scheduled to play a non-conference match with Grand View on September 7.
Head Coach Chad Hanson is entering his 11th season and has guided the Defenders to six berths in the NAIA National Championship Field and he has a 235-93 coaching record at Dordt with a .716 winning percentage.
Hanson will be assisted by Kristin Brouwer and Dillon Dahl. Brouwer is no stranger to Dordt volleyball after serving as a volunteer assistant from 2014-16 and she has also coached at the high school and AAU level.
Dahl is entering his first year as an assistant coach and was an assistant coach at Dell Rapids High School (South Dakota) for two seasons.
