Orange City, Iowa — Emily Van Ginkel and Anna Wedel totaled 12 kills each in leading Northwestern to a 3-0 sweep (25-15, 25-23, 25-19) over Bellevue in the Raiders home opener played tonight at the Bultman Center. The Raiders improve to 2-0; Bellevue slips to 0-1.
Northwestern hit .280 for the match, totaling 43 kills in 107 attempts against just 13 errors. Van Ginkel was equally effective as a hitter and blocker, providing Coach Van Den Bosch’s squad with 12 kills and a team-leading four blocks (1 solo, six assists). The senior hit 55% for the match. Wedel matched Van Ginkel with 12 kills, hitting .367 at the pins, and added seven digs.
Set One: 25-15 win
Northwestern trailed just once (5-4) and then used a 5-1 run to surge ahead for good and force a Bruins timeout. Another surge from Head Coach Kyle Van Den Bosch’s squad midway through the first set let the hosts pull away and get the 10-point win. Northwestern hit a match-best 38% in the opening set compared to 8% by the Bruins.
Set Two: 25-23 win
Unlike set one, Northwestern trailed for much of the second frame, falling behind by as many as six (13-7). Still down five (21-16), the Raiders went on a 5-0 run, finished off with a kill from Lacey Reitz and a combination block from Wedel and Van Ginkel. The set was tied at 22 and again at 23 until kills from Wedel and Van Ginkel scored the final two points for the Raiders to put the hosts in front 2-0.
Set Three: 25-19 win
Seven ties, three lead changes highlighted the third set; tied for the final time at 15, a kill from Bekah Horstman followed by a hitting error by Bellevue put Northwestern up for good. The Raiders closed the set with a 5-2 run, finished off by a kill from Van Ginkel on match point.
Lacey Reitz orchestrated the Raiders attack with 38 assists and put up five digs. A.J. Kacmarynski (7 kills), Horstman (6 kills, 1.5 blocks) and Taylor Meyer (2 kills, 1 block) were the other top attackers. Emily Strasser and Olivia Granstra were the leader in the backrow with 14 and 12 kills, respectively.
Bellevue was led by Eve Fountain with nine kills and Coree Lipovsky with eight.
