Lauryn Hilger put down a career-high 21 kills but the Red Raiders fell short in their upset bid against top-ranked Midland, losing in four sets, 15-25, 25-19, 25-17, 25-14.

Northwestern drops to 3-3 in conference play, 11-12 overall while Midland remains unbeaten, improving to 5-0 in the GPAC, 15-0 overall. 

Hilger led the Red Raider offense, hitting an impressive .348 against the tall front-line of Midland, in bettering her previous career-high by one (20 vs University of Jamestown). Jessa Doom led the backrow with a new career-high 18 digs to go with 37 assists and Jillian Estes added 17 digs. Northwestern held a slight edge blocking, totaling seven compared to six for the Warriors.

Hilger, Horstman Power Red Raiders to Set One Win

Tied at eight, Hilger and Jessica Jensen put down back-to-back kills to put Northwestern up for good in the opening set. The Red Raiders had scoring runs of 5-0, 4-0 and 3-0 down the stretch as they hit .433 compared to just .054 by Midland. Hilger put down eight kills and Horstman added five in the frame.

Red Raiders Offense Struggles In Set Two

Midland scored the first four points and never trailed in set two, evening the match at one set each. A kill and ace serve by Hilger made it a one point game (10-9) and, still just a one point Midland lead at 13-12, Midland went on mini run to go up four once again, 16-12. The Warriors hit .304 and held the Northwestern attack to .065 (10 kills, 8 errors, 31 attempts). 

Fast Start Keys Midland Win In Third

The Warriors raced out to a 7-2 lead and once again never trailed in taking 2-1 set lead. Northwestern rallied to get as close as three multiple times, the final at 14-11 following a kill by Jensen. Midland followed with a 5-2 run, getting kills by KC Heimann and Priscilla O'Dowd during the decisive spurt. 

Midland Finishes Off Red Raiders In Fourth

The Warriors scored the first five points en route to a 13-4 lead in the final set. Midland hit a match-best .448 and held Northwestern to .030 in the final frame. 

Notes:

Hilger hit for double figures for the team-leading 20th time and was the only Red Raider player with 10+ in the match.

Doom registered her first double-double with 37 assists and 18 digs; the senior guided a Red Raider offense that hit .163 for the match

Estes has 10+ digs in 17 matches

Midland was led by Heimann with 19 kills and O'Dowd added 13 to go with 2.5 blocks