Game Time...Northwestern College heads to Briar Cliff Tuesday night for the final match of the regular season. First serve at the Newman Flanagan Center is scheduled for 7:30pm. Northwestern is tied with Dordt for second place in the conference standings with a 13-2 record, 26-3 overall. Briar Cliff is currently tied with Doane for sixth place with an 8-7 league record, 18-7 overall. 

Follow the match live via the Briar Cliff webcast at this link: Watch Now!

All-Time...Northwestern leads the all-time series (since 1989) 55-9 and has won 19 straight matches against the Chargers, including a four-set victory (20-25, 25-22, 25-20, 25-20) in a match played earlier this season.

Last Time vs BCU...Anna Kiel (16) and Makenzie Fink (10) both hit for double figures in the Red Raiders 3-1 win over Briar Cliff played Oct. 17 in Orange City.

Northwestern hit just 16% and trailed from start to finish in its 25-20 first set loss but came back to hit better than .300 in each of the final three sets to earn the win. Kiel led the Red Raiders at the net, hitting .583 (16 kills in 24 attacks), and Lacey Wacker put up 49 assists in leading an offense that hit .322 for the match. Both teams totaled nine blocks and five aces; Josie Blankespoor led the Red Raiders with 4.5 blocks. 

Briar Cliff hit .162 for the match and was led by Keely Woods with 13 kills, hitting .269 for the match as one of the outside hitters. 

Scouting Reports...

    Briar Cliff Chargers: 8-7 (T6th), 18-7       Head Coach: Trevor Schirman (5th)

The Chargers are tied with Doane for sixth place in the current GPAC standings with one match to play for both teams. Doane closes the regular season on Wednesday night at home against Hastings. BCU sports an 8-7 record in conference play and is unbeaten (10-0) in non-conference matches for an 18-7 overall record. Most recently, the Chargers are 2-2, losing to both Doane and Northwestern two weeks ago but coming back to defeat Mount Marty and Concordia last week.

Schirman is in his fifth season with the Chargers and returns all but three starters from last year's squad that finished eighth in the GPAC with a 5-11 record, 12-16 overall. 

By the Numbers: (GPAC rank/NAIA rank-if top 10)
Kills/Set-13 (4th)
Hitting %-.213 (4th)
Aces-130 (6th)
Digs-15.4 (6th)
Blocks/Set-2.2 (4th)

Key Players:
Courtney Schafer (All-Conference in 2016); 3.3 kills/set (8th), .227 %, 32 blocks
Keely Woods-2.7 kills/set, .289 %, 30 blocks
Emily Sanburg-2.4 kills/set, .238 %, 48 blocks
Kiaya Alderson-1.2 kills/set, .150 %, 70 blocks (3rd)
Delaney Meyer-5.9 assists/set (9th), 27 aces
Laura Barry (All-Conference in 2016)  5 assists/set, 19 aces
Breanne Hankins (All-Conference in 2016)  4.2 digs/set (8th)

    Northwestern College: 13-2 (T2nd), 26-3    Head Coach: Kyle Van Den Bosch (13th year)

The Red Raiders are tied with Dordt for second place in the GPAC standings heading into tonight's final conference match-up against the Chargers. They are 13-2 in the GPAC, losing to top-five teams (Dordt and Hastings), both in four sets. Northwestern is 26-3 overall and is 4-1 over its last five matches.

By the Numbers: (GPAC rank/NAIA rank-if top 10)
Kills/Set-13.8 (2nd)
Hitting %-.299 (1st/3rd)
Aces-232 (1st/)
Digs-13.1 (11th)
Blocks/Set-1.95 (7th)

Key Players:
Anna Kiel-3.5 kills/set (4th), .383% (2nd/7th), 81 blocks, 2 digs/set
A.J. Horstman (All-Conference in 2016) 2.87 kills/set, .281 (8th), 37 aces (3rd), 65 blocks
Lauryn Hilger (All-American in 2016) 2.5 kills/set, .283% (6th), 28 aces, 2.8 digs/set
Makenzie Fink-2.5 kills/set, .215%, 31 aces (9th), 1.86 digs/set
Josie Blankespoor-1.4 kills/set, .328%, 96 blocks (7th)
Lacey Wacker-11.3 assists/set (1st/4th), 32 aces (8th), 28 blocks
Karsyn Winterfeld-80 aces (1st/1st), 2.7 digs/set