MITCHELL, S.D. – The No. 14-ranked Northwestern College volleyball team (17-10, 9-7 GPAC) dropped a close five set battle to No. 15-ranked Dakota Wesleyan (23-8, 10-6 GPAC) to bow out of the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) conference tournament Saturday evening in South Dakota.
Three of the five sets from the Christen Family Athletic Center on the campus of Dakota Wesleyan University went to extra points in the back-and-forth battle between the No. 5-seed Raiders and the No. 4-seed Tigers.
In the opening set, Dakota Wesleyan had a stellar hitting percentage of .359 but the Raiders wouldn’t let that alone stop them from losing the first set. DWU totaled 18 kills in that opening set, but the Raiders had 17. The Raiders couldn’t find a way to convert of a 3-0 spurt to take a 25-24 lead, as the Tigers would go on their own 3-0 run to take the first set 27-25.
The second set was another close battle that the Raiders would ultimately prevail in extra points. The Tigers would take a quick 3-0 lead, as small spurts defined the entirety of the second set. In all, the set would see seven minimum 3-0 spurts combined, including the 3-0 spurt with the Raiders trailing 26-25 that would allow them to take the set 28-26.
The Raiders would dominate the third set thanks to a 6-0 run to give them a 13-9 advantage, forcing Dakota Wesleyan to take a timeout. Another 5-0 run would give the Raiders a 20-11 lead, and they would put the set away on a 5-2 run to take it 25-13.
The Tigers bent in the third set but would not break, as they immediately jumped out to a 5-0 advantage in the fourth set. Northwestern would battle back to trail 10-8, but another run of 6-0 by the Tigers made it 17-9. Though fighting back to make it 19-14, DWU would take the set on a 6-1 run and even the match at two games apiece.
Set five would prove to be what one would expect in a 4/5 conference tournament matchup. Both sides would trade points early on, as it would be tied at 4-4 before the Tigers went on a 4-0 spurt to take an 8-4 lead. The Raiders would battle back to make it 14-14, but a Tiger kill would give Dakota Wesleyan the momentum they needed to take the decisive fifth set 16-14.
Alysen Dexter (Fr., Urbandale, Iowa/Des Moines Christian) had a match-high 18 kills for the Raiders. Macay Van’t Hul (So., Rock Valley, Iowa/Western Christian) and Taylor Meyer (Jr., Lake Park, Iowa/Harris-Lake Park) would be forces to be reckoned with at the net, recording seven and six blocks, respectively.
Jadeyn Schutt (Jr., Orange City, Iowa/MOC-Floyd Valley) served up 28 assists, while Olivia Granstra (So., Sheldon, Iowa/Western Christian) notched 25. Emily Strasser (Sr., Sioux Falls, S.D./Sioux Falls Christian) recorded a match-high 36 digs to pace the Raiders back row.
Up Next: The Raiders will await their fate to see if their name will be called on the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Selection Show set for Monday, November 15 at 10:00 a.m. (CT) on the NAIA Facebook page.
