No.3 Northwestern College earned its second win of the season against Concordia in a 3-0 sweep (25-23, 25-14, 25-12) over the Bulldogs Saturday afternoon at the Bultman Center. The win improves the Red Raiders to 9-1 in conference play, 22-2 overall, while Concordia falls to 0-11 in the GPAC, 5-16 overall. 

Lauryn Hilger put down a match-high 13 kills, hitting .476 over the three sets, to lead the Red Raider offensive attack. Anna Kiel added nine kills and three blocks while A.J. Horstman tallied eight kills and four ace serves. Karsyn Winterfeld led the Red Raider backrow with 12 digs and also served four aces. 

Red Raiders Win Tight First Set

A 5-2 run midway in the first set gave the Red Raiders just enough of an advantage to earn a 25-23 win. The set was tied 11 times, and with the score knotted at 14, Winterfeld served four consecutive points to spark a 5-2 run that put Northwestern in front. Concordia rallied, and, following a 3-0 run finished off with hitting errors by NW, tied the set at 23. After a timeout, the Red Raiders scored the final two points on a kill by Hilger and a miscue by Concordia to win the set.

Strong Net Play, Serving Leads Northwestern To Win in Set Two

The Red Raiders hit .370 and limited Concordia to a negative kill efficiency in their 25-14 set two win. Close early, Northwestern pulled away with runs of 4-0 and 5-0, sparked by the serving of Horstman and Lacey Wacker. Leading 23-14, Mackenzie Fink registered a kill and Kiel followed with an ace serve on set point. 

Northwestern Closes Match With Impressive Third Set Win

The Red Raiders hit a match-high .480 as they continued to dominate at the net, winning the final set 25-12. Northwestern went ahead for good after kills by Horstman and Hilger (7-5) and built on its lead with a 10-point service run by Horstman, who recorded three consecutive aces. 

By The Numbers...

Northwestern hit .363 for the match and hit for a higher percentage in each set; the Red Raiders totaled nine blocks and limited Concordia to a negative hitting percentage (-3.6)

The Red Raiders totaled nine aces, one shy of their seventh match in double figures

Hilger recorded her seventh match with 10+ kills this season, 50th of her career

Josie Blankespoor recorded a match-high three blocks (1 solo, 4 assisted)

Wacker put up 32 assists and totaled four digs

Concordia was led by Jenna Habegger with six kills