On Wednesday, the volleyball team played in front of a capacity crowd at the Bultman Center and defeated rival Dordt in five sets after being down 2-0 in the match. With the win, NW finished its conference play at an undefeated mark of 16-0, a GPAC regular-season championship and a 32-1 overall record. The Raiders also earned the top seed in the upcoming GPAC postseason tournament.
Sophomore Brooke Fessler and freshman Kellie Goedken. Photo by Emilee Berry.
“Our excitement for this game as well as preparation from our coaches got us ready for Dordt,” junior defensive specialist Alexis Bart said. “The crowd was also really great for our momentum.”
NW lost the first and second sets with scores of 25-20 and 25-23. In those sets, the Raiders hit only .100 at the net. With their backs against the wall, the Raiders won the third set 25-15.
In set four, NW set the pace from the start and earned a 25-18 win. In set five, Dordt came out of the gates swinging, but the Raiders managed to come out with a 16-14 victory.
NW hit .194 throughout the match and totaled 68 kills. Sophomore rightside hitter Karlie Schut hit .246 for the match and recorded a career-high 23 kills.
Junior outside hitter Kaitlin Floerchinger notched 20 kills and 20 digs. Floerchinger also recorded a career-high six aces. Sophomore outside hitter Haley Chambers notched 10 kills. Sophomore setter Brooke Fessler recorded 51 assists. Bart had 20 digs.
“Confidence was the key,” senior defensive specialist Nicole Jacobs said. When we competed for every point we reached another level of intensity that was not going to stop,”
NW will return to action on Saturday to host the GPAC tournament quarterfinals against Morningside. The match will start at 8 p.m.
“We will be taking this one game at a time like we have been doing all season,” Jacobs said. “Every opponent is going to give us their best shot, and we will prepare to take on those challenges every night.”
Last Saturday, NW won its final regular season road game over Midland in five sets. The win also clinched the regular-season GPAC championship for the Raiders.
NW hit .315 for the match. Floerchinger tallied 22 kills and hit on a .311 percentage. Sophomore middle hitter Kellie Goedken recorded 12 kills. Chambers and Schut recorded 13 and 10 kills each.
