SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The No. 8-ranked Northwestern College volleyball team held true to their preseason top-10 ranking taking down Waldorf in straight sets to open up the 2021 season at the Charger Invite.
The Raiders came ready to play right out of the gates in the first set, picking up 15 kills as a team in the 25-14 opening set win. The first set also marked the best attacking percentage of the night at .385.
Northwestern had an even attack from multiple players as no one athlete recorded 10 or more kills in the match. Alysen Dexter (Fr., Urbandale, Iowa/Des Moines Christian) and Macay Van’t Hul (So., Rock Valley, Iowa/Western Christian) paced the potent Northwestern offense, both posting seven kills. Bekah Horstman (Sr., Pella, Iowa/Pella Christian) followed closely with six kills.
Raider serving was also firing on all cylinders as the team posted 10 service aces, led by Emily Strasser (Sr., Sioux Falls, S.D./Sioux Falls Christian) who picked up four. Strasser also led the squad defensively with 13 digs.
On the night, Northwestern tallied 39 kills to Waldorf’s 13 as the Raiders dominated from start to finish. A stout Raider defense never allowed Waldorf to cross the 20-point plateau in any set against the Warriors. Van’t Hul led the Raider frontline with three blocks on the night, while both Van’t Hul and Horstman both recorded a solo block each.
With the victory this evening, head coach Kyle Van Den Bosch has tied his predecessor Mike Meyer in wins while leading the Northwestern College volleyball program. Both now have 452 wins at Northwestern and Van Den Bosch can become the program’s winningest coach tomorrow during day two of the Charger Invite.
Up Next: The Raiders conclude the Charger Invite tomorrow Saturday, August 28 with two matches. They will open up the day with a 3:00 p.m. match against the Clarke Pride, followed by a 5:00 p.m. match against host Briar Cliff.
