Northwestern swept Mount Marty last Friday, Oct. 22, winning 3-0 with game scores of 25-16, 25-10 and 25-16. The Raiders hit .349 in the match, while the Lancers hit .141.
Senior Hillary Hanno had 11 kills out of 20 attempts to hit .550. Sophomore Jennie Jansen had seven kills to go along with two blocks, while junior Rylee Hulstein added six kills and had a career-high six ace serves. She also added 10 digs on defense. Senior Kaitlin Beaver had three kills and lofted up 30 assists. Sophomore Kate Buyert contributed five kills to the attack, and seniors Karis Vink and Bobbie jean Rich added four and two kills, respectively.
The road was a little more difficult for the Raiders on Wednesday, Oct. 27, against Dordt. The game had extra incentive for both teams, as NW looked to tie Dordt’s record for the longest winning streak in conference history. It was also the final father-son coaching matchup as Raider head coach Kyle Van Den Bosch faced his father, Tom Van Den Bosch, in his last season as Dordt head coach.
NW took the first two games, 25-19 and 25-22. Dordt wasn’t about to go down without a fight and rallied to take the next two games, 25-18 and 25-23. The fifth game remained close, but the Raiders came out on top 15-12 to win the match 3-2.
Hanno again led the charge with 20 kills. Beaver lofted up 50 assists and contributed four kills, 12 digs and a perfect 21-for-21 night from the service line. Buyert and Jansen both added 11 kills and three blocks, and Buyert also had 12 digs. Hulstein had eight kills and dug up 18digs to lead the defense. Sophomore Heather Goehring had five ace serves and sophomore Jaci Moret had 14 digs.
Dordt fell to a 10-4 GPAC record, while NW improved to 30-0 overall, 14-0 in the conference. The fourth-ranked Raiders are one of only three undefeated teams remaining in the NAIA. They are set to wrap up regular season play on Saturday, Oct. 30, at Nebraska Wesleyan.
