Sioux City, Iowa — The No.5 Northwestern College volleyball team advances to the national quarterfinals for the second consecutive year with a dominating 3-0 sweep (25-14, 25-10, 25-17) against No.13 Corban in the final Pool E match played today at the 2021 NAIA National Championship.
The Raiders, now 22-4 on the year, will play a familiar opponent, No.12 Midland, in Thursday’s quarterfinal at 7:30pm on Court Two. This is the sixth time Northwestern has earned a spot in the quarterfinal, the fifth under Head Coach Kyle Van Den Bosch.
Northwestern showcased a fast, powerful and precise attack that overwhelmed Corban from the moment the first serve was in the air. The Raiders hit .430 over the three sets, an unheard of percentage at this level of play. A.J. Kacmarynski led the way with 12 kills in 15 swings for an .800 hitting efficiency, tied for the second best in program history (with at least 15 attack attempts). Makenzie Fink put away 10 kills in 178 attacks for a .471 efficiency; both Fink and Kacmarynski hit for double figures in their second consecutive match.
The teams played sideout volleyball for the first 10 points of the opening set until, with Northwestern leading 11-10, the Raiders scored four straight points to go up 15-10. Kills from Kacmarynski and Bekah Horstman initiated the surge and forced Corban into its first timeout. Leading 17-13, Northwestern scored the next six points, set up by the serving of Jadeyn Schutt and successful attacks from Emily Van Ginkel (2) and Anna Wedel (1). The Raiders went on to win the first set 25-14.
Northwestern continued its momentum from the first set into the second, taking a 13-3 lead with the serving of Fink and Bri Kleinwolterink and strong net play by all of the Raider hitters. Another 3-0 spurt put the Raiders up 18-7 and they closed with a 7-3 run to win set two 25-10.
The Raiders used an 8-3 run to open up a 15-8 advantage in set three, getting back-to-back kills from Wedel to force Corban into a timeout. Northwestern and Corban traded points the rest of the set, leading to a 25-17 win.
Wedel totaled nine kills and eight digs, Horstman put away eight kills and Van Ginkel contributed four kills and was in on a team-high five blocks. Lacey Reitz put up 35 assists and eight digs; Emily Strasser added eight digs.
Corban was led by freshman Rylee Troutman with seven kills and Ally Tow totaled six kills.
