Orange City, Iowa — Seventh-ranked Northwestern used a powerful, crisp offense to earn a 3-0 sweep over Hastings and advance to the GPAC semifinals. Individual game scores were 25-17, 25-21 and 25-10; the Raiders improve to 18-3 on the season and push their win streak against Hastings to five matches. Northwestern is 3-0 this spring.
Head Coach Kyle Van Den Bosch’s squad hit .494 over the three-set match, putting away 46 kills in 83 attempts while committing just five errors. The .494% is the fourth highest in program history and the second time this season that Northwestern hit over .400. (also vs Doane).
Set One: 25-17 win
Tied for the fifth time early in set one (6-6), a kill from Anna Wedel was the first point of a 3-0 run to put Northwestern in front for good. Leading by three (16-13), Northwestern closed with an 8-4 run, getting kills by Wedel (3), Makenize Fink, Bekah Horstman and A.J. Kacmarynski. Fink and Wedel led Northwestern with six kills each in the first set.
Set Two: 25-21 win
Northwestern built up a four-point lead (13-9) after a 3-0 run with Taylor Meyer at the service line. Hastings surged ahead later, 17-16, after their best surge (4-0) of the match to force a Raider timeout. Back-to-back kills by Horstman and Emily Van Ginkel put Northwestern back in front moments later. Tied at 21, a successful attack by Fink gave Northwestern the lead for good and sparked a 4-0 run to finish off set two.
Set Three: 25-10 win
Following the first point by Hastings, Northwestern scored the next six points on kills by Wedel and Kacmarynski and four consecutive aces from Meyer. The Broncos cut the lead down to 7-3 but Northwestern responded with the next five points on two kills by Horstman, an ace from Fink and a couple of errors by Hastings.
By the Numbers:
Northwestern had the advantage in hitting (49% – 17%), blocking (7-2), aces (9-1) and digs (36-25). Fink put down a match-high 12 kills, hitting .611 from the rightside. Wedel totaled 11 kills and nine digs. Horstman added a season-high eight kills and put away five blocks. All five Northwestern attackers hit better than .320. Lacey Reitz lofted up 34 assists and totaled five kills in five attempts. Meyer matched her career high with five aces
Hastings was led by Emily Krolikowski with nine kills; Lucy Skoch added eight.
