Game Time...Northwestern College begins a three-game road trip when they head to Sioux City Tuesday night for a match-up against Morningside. First serve at the Rosen Verdoorn Gymnasium is scheduled for 7:30pm. Northwestern has won six straight matches and is in third place in the current league standings with a 7-1 record, 16-4 overall. Morningside is tied with both Hastings and Jamestown for fourth place in the GPAC with a 5-3 record, 10-7 overall. 

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All-Time...Northwestern leads the all-time series 33-15 dating back to 1989 and is 9-1 over the last 10 matches against the Mustangs. Last season, the Red Raiders swept both match-ups. 

Scouting Reports...

    Morningside Mustangs: 5-3 (T4th), 10-7            Head Coach: Beth Donnelly (4th year)

Morningside was swept by Briar Cliff last weekend, a loss that snapped the Mustangs three-match win streak. The previously had recorded wins over College of Saint Mary, Dakota Wesleyan and Mount Marty. Morningside is currently tied with Hastings and Jamestown for fourth place in the GPAC with a 5-3 record, one game in front of Briar Cliff. They are 10-7 overall. 

Donnelly is in her fourth season as the Mustangs' head coach, coming to Sioux City after a five-year stint as head coach at Olympic College. Donnelly returns five starters and six players from a 2017 team that finished fifth in the GPAC with a 10-6 record, 20-14 overall, and reached the round of 16 at the NAIA Volleyball National Championship. They were picked seventh in the GPAC preseason coaches' poll.

    By the Numbers (Conference Rank / NAIA rank-if top 10)
        Kills/Game: 12.5 (7th)
        Hitting %: .222% (4th)
        Aces: 84 (10th)
        Digs/Set: 16.6 (3rd)
        Blocks/Set: 1.6 (10th)

     Top Players (Conf / NAIA rank-if top 10)
        Krista Zenk - 3.0 kills/set (10th), .196%, 2.9 digs/set
        Emma Gerber (2nd team all-GPAC) - 2.95 kills/set, .303% (5th), 11 aces, 51 blocks
        Brittni Olson (2x all-GPAC) - 2.0 kills/set, .254%, 46 blocks
        Callie Alberico - 9.5 assists/set, 2.4 digs/set
        Kayla Harris - 15 aces, 4.3 digs/set (4th)
        
    #15 Northwestern Red Raiders: 7-1 (3rd), 16-4            Head Coach: Kyle Van Den Bosch (14th year)

The Red Raiders have won six straight matches, five by a 3-0 score, and two against teams ranked in the top 25. They have climbed to third in the GPAC standings halfway through the conference slate, owning a 7-1 record, 16-4 overall. 

By the Numbers (Conference Rank / NAIA rank-if top 10)
        Kills/Game: 14.3 (1st / 2nd)
        Hitting %: .285% (1st / 5th)
        Aces: 129 (1st)
        Digs/Set: 13.8 (12th)
        Blocks/Set: 1.9 (8th)

     Top Players (Conf / NAIA rank-if top 10)
        Lauryn Hilger (All-American, 3x all-conference) - 4.6 kills/set (1st / 3rd), .350 (2nd), 32 aces (1st), 2.7 digs/set
        Makenzie Fink (All-Conference) - 2.6 kills/set, .249%, 23 aces (8th), 1 dig/set
        Bekah Horstman - 1.6 kills/set, .376%, 55 blocks
        Emily Van Ginkel - 1.8 kills/set, .258%, 47 blocks
        Josie Blankespoor (All-Conference) - 2.3 kills/set, .203%, 21 blocks
        Lacey Wacker (All-Conference) - 11.9 assists/set, 16 aces, 2 digs/set
        Emily Strasser - 22 aces, 3.8 digs/set