Game Time...Fourth-ranked Northwestern opens postseason play against Briar Cliff in a GPAC Quarterfinal match this weekend in Orange City, Iowa. First serve on Saturday, Nov. 4 is scheduled for 7pm. Northwestern, the second seed in the eight-team GPAC tournament, is 27-3 overall on the year. Briar Clliff is the No.7 seed and brings an 18-8 overall record into the quarterfinal match.

Follow the match live via the NWC webcast, courtesy of Stretch Internet, at the following link: Watch Now!

Listen live to the match via KSOU radio: Listen Now! 

All-Time...Northwestern leads the all-time series (since 1989) 56-9 and has won 20 straight matches against the Chargers, including a pair of victories over the Chargers earlier this fall. 

Previously Against the Chargers...

    Anna Kiel put down a match-high 16 kills in leading Northwestern to a 3-1 (20-25, 25-22, 25-20, 25-20) win over Briar Cliff in a match played in Orange City on Oct. 17. Kiel hit .583 for the match and totaled 2.5 blocks while teammate Makenzie Fink added 10 kills and a pair of ace serves. Josie Blankespoor registered 4.5 blocks and Lacey Wacker lofted up 49 assists. Northwestern hit .322 for the match, compared to .162 for the Chargers. Both teams totaled nine blocks and five ace serves.

    Briar Cliff was led by Keely Woods with 13 kills, followed by Emily Sanburg with nine. 

    In the second match, played Oct. 31 in Sioux City, Northwestern earned a 3-0 sweep (27-25, 25-20, 25-22) over the Chargers. The Red Raiders hit .336, led by Lauryn Hilger with 13 kills and both Kiel and A.J. Horstman put down 11 kills each. Fink had the hot hand late, totaling nine kills and hitting .533 for the match. Karsyn Winterfeld led the backrow with 11 digs and both Fink and Kiel had two aces.

    Toni Beck led BCU with nine kills and both Courtney Schafer and Melissa Ditter added six kills each.

Scouting Reports...

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

The Chargers finished seventh after the GPAC regular season, one game in back of Doane for sixth place. They closed the regular season with a 2-3 record, losing twice to the Red Raiders and dropped one match to Doane, and defeated Mount Marty and Concordia.

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 %-.210 (6th)
Aces-134 (7th)
Digs-15.3 (6th)
Blocks/Set-2.2 (2nd)

Key Players:
Courtney Schafer (All-Conference in 2016); 3.2 kills/set (8th), .221 %, 32 blocks
Keely Woods-2.6 kills/set, .286 %, 31 blocks
Emily Sanburg-2.4 kills/set, .238 %, 48 blocks
Kiaya Alderson-1.2 kills/set, .156 %, 73 blocks (3rd)
Delaney Meyer-5.9 assists/set (9th), 28 aces
Laura Barry (All-Conference in 2016)  5 assists/set, 20 aces
Breanne Hankins (All-Conference in 2016)  4.2 digs/set (8th)

    Northwestern College: 14-2 (T1st), 27-3    Head Coach: Kyle Van Den Bosch (13th year)

The Red Raiders were the co-regular season champions, along with Dordt and Hastings, finishing with a 14-2 league record. This is the first conference title for the Red Raiders since the 2014 season and fifth regular season championship under head coach Kyle Van Den Bosch (2008-10, 2013-14). 

By the Numbers: (GPAC rank/NAIA rank-if top 10)
Kills/Set-13.8 (2nd/9th)
Hitting %-.300 (1st/3rd)
Aces-238 (1st/)
Digs-13.2 (11th)
Blocks/Set-1.95 (7th)

Key Players:
Anna Kiel-3.5 kills/set (4th), .381% (2nd/7th), 85 blocks, 2 digs/set
A.J. Horstman (All-Conference in 2016) 2.89 kills/set, .278 (8th), 38 aces (3rd), 67 blocks
Lauryn Hilger (All-American in 2016) 2.6 kills/set, .283% (7th), 28 aces, 2.8 digs/set
Makenzie Fink-2.5 kills/set, .222%, 33 aces (6th), 1.89 digs/set
Josie Blankespoor-1.4 kills/set, .328%, 98 blocks (7th)
Lacey Wacker-11.4 assists/set (1st/4th), 32 aces (8th), 29 blocks
Karsyn Winterfeld-81 aces (1st/1st), 2.7 digs/set