Game Time...Northwestern College is set to make its 2017 season debut this weekend as they play host to the 12-team Red Raider Classic on August 25-26. The Red Raiders will play two matches on both days, beginning with Mayville State at 4:30pm. A match-up against Valley City State at 8:30pm will bring the first day to a close and then the Red Raiders will play Waldorf (11am) and Corban (3pm) on Saturday. 

All of the Red Raiders' matches will be webcast, video and stats, while all matches will have live stats, via the Northwestern College webcast courtesy of Stretch Internet. 

Red Raider Classic page

All-Time...Northwestern is 3-0 all-time against Mayville State, last playing the Comets in 2015. The Red Raiders are 10-0 all-time against VCS with the last match-up in 2013 and 3-0 against Waldorf, last playing in 2010. This will be the first ever match-up against Corban.

Scouting Reports:

 Mayville State: 1-4 Record  Head Coach: Lindsey Johnson (10th year)

The Comets are off to a 1-4 start to the 2017 season, going 1-3 at a tournament last weekend in Colorado, and then losing a non-conference match to Montana State-Northern earlier this week. Members of the North Star Athletic Conference (NSA), Mayville State finished eighth in the league last year with a 3-13 record, losing in the conference tournament with an 11-26 overall mark. They were picked eighth in the preseason conference poll

Four starters return for coach Johnson's squad, including middle hitter Whitney Janu, who posted a team-high 109 blocks. Hannah Bliss put down nearly 1,000 kills last season, averaging over 2.5 per set, as an outside hitter. TaLise Hansen and Jayden Warner are the other returning starters. 

Valley City State: 0-0 Record  Head Coach: Adam Longmore (4th year)

The Vikings return nine letterwinners from a 2016 team that finished fourth in the North Star with a 7-9 record, 12-22 overall. VCSU lost in the conference tournament and are making their 2017 season debut this weekend. 

Clarissa Olson headlines the list of returners for coach Longmore's squad, earning first team all-conference honors in 2016 after putting down over two kills per set. Taylor Sharp returns as the top hitter, putting down over 2.5 kills per set on the outside. 

Waldorf: 0-0 Record  Head Coach: Bri Ebenhoe (1st year)

Like Valley City State, Waldorf is making its 2017 season debut this weekend and is a member of the North Star Athletic Association. The Warriors finished the 2016 campaign with a 6-10 league record, good for sixth place, 17-22 overall and losing in the conference quarterfinals. Coach Ebenhoe inherits a Waldorf squad that returns four seniors and five starters from last year.

Rebecca Bartnicki returns in the middle after setting the school record with 112 blocks in a season last year. The 6-1 junior also led the team in kills and hitting percentage (.273). Kaitlyn Monck  and Elisabeth Tramm both return as the team's setters. 

No. 9 Corban Warriors: 1-4  Head Coach: Kim McLain (3rd year)

The Warriors have lost four straight matches, all to ranked teams, since defeating The Master's (Calif.) in its season opener. Corban has since dropped matches to No.14 Montana Tech, No. 7 Westmont (Calif.), No.16 Cornerstone (Mich.) and No. 2 Dordt (Iowa). 

Corban finished second in the competitive Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) with a 17-3 record, losing in the conference tournament finals to Eastern Oregon. Coach McLain's squad made a nice run at the NAIA Championship however, advancing out of pool play before losing to Dordt in the round of 16 to end the year at 25-8. All six starters and two All-Americans return from last year's squad.

Amber Parker, a returning All-American on the outside, and Alaina Gentili, an All-American in the middle, are the top weapons at the net while Haley Wells anchors the backrow after earning CCC libero of the year honors last year.

Northwestern Notes:

Red Raiders earned the No.13 spot in the NAIA preseason coaches' poll, the biggest mover among teams in last year's final poll

picked fourth in the GPAC poll

Four players return from last year's squad that finished fifth in the GPAC regular season, earning votes in the final poll with an 18-17 record

Kyle Van Den Bosch begins his 13th season as the Red Raiders head coach

Lauryn Hilger returns after earning NAIA All-American honors in 2016; A.J. Horstman was named second team all-GPAC and both Allison Koehlmoos and Casey Perez return in the backrow