The Northwestern College volleyball team closes out the regular season with a pivotal two-game series against the University of Jamestown in conference play. The first of two matches will be Thursday night, Nov. 5, at the Bultman Center. The second and final match will be held next weekend, on Saturday, Nov. 14, in Jamestown, N.D.
Northwestern holds a 13-2 advantage in the all-time series against the Jimmies. The teams played three times last year with the Raiders winning both matches during the regular season while Jamestown won the postseason match-up in the national quarterfinals.
The Jimmies are the only unbeaten team left in the GPAC and one of nine undefeated teams remaining in the NAIA this fall. They are tied with Keiser (Fla.) and Midway (Ky.) for the most wins in the nation. Jamestown leads the Raiders by two games in the loss column and can clinch the GPAC regular season title with one win in their last two games.
Hegerle is in his 12th season as the Jimmies head coach, a tenure that began in 2009. He owns a win percentage of 71% and has guided Jamestown teams to eight consecutive national tournaments. Last year, Jamestown was the GPAC runner-up to Northwestern with a 14-2 league record, won the conference tournament and advanced all the way to the national semifinals, losing to eventual national champion Marian (Ind.). Six starters and eight players return from last year’s team, including three all-conference players.
The Raiders have won two consecutive matches and are currently in second place in the GPAC at 12-2. They could end the regular season in first, second or third, depending on the outcome of their final two matches against the Jimmies. Most recently, Northwestern has wins against Midland and Morningside.
