Northwestern has achieved tremendous seasons in their fall sports, earning the title of Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) champions in volleyball, football and men’s soccer.
With an incredible season behind them the NW volleyball team was able to secure the championship banner after a hard-fought battle against the number four ranked Concordia University (Nebraska).
After winning the first set with a score of 25-17 NW was on fire, and the Bultman center was electric. In the second set Concordia flipped the score and rallied for a win over NW with a score of 17-25. With fire in their hearts, and the score looking even the Raiders kicked into high gear. Concordia may have won the third set 23-25, but there was no way the Raiders would give up.
Knowing that it was all or nothing in the fourth set, with Concordia only needing one more set to win the match, the Raiders worked harder than ever. In the fourth set NW evened the score to 2-2 after winning the set 25-21. It just so happened that the Raiders were the team that showed up winning the set 15-11 and securing the GPAC tournament championship.
“This was quite a win for our team! The level of play from both teams was so high,” commented head coach Kyle Van Den Bosch. “The defense that both teams played made for some unbelievable volleyball! I thought each of our players did their role well. Thanks, also, to Raider Nation for an amazing home environment!”
This is the fourth GPAC tournament title won under Coach Van Den Bosch, and the first time it has been won since 2014. The Raiders are scheduled to host the opening round of the national tournament on Nov. 18 at 1:00 p.m.
“Going to nationals feels like the perfect way to end the season, and many of our careers. This group of seniors is special, and we hope to continue to add to our legacy by getting a result at the national tournament,” said De Boer.
