Game Time... No.9 Northwestern College begins postseason play this weekend as they host Doane in a GPAC Quarterfinal match. First serve at the Bultman Center is scheduled for 7pm. Northwestern, the No.2 seed in the postseason tournament, is 22-6 on the year, and Doane, the No.7 seed, is 13-16 overall. 

Follow the match live, via the NWC webcast, at this link: Watch Now!

Listen live to the match, via KSOU, 93.9 and Sioux County Radio at this link: Listen Now!

Live stats at this link: Stats. 

All-Time...Northwestern leads the all-time series against Doane 36-20, dating back to the 1991 season. The Red Raiders have won eight of the last 10 and three of the last five, including a 3-0 sweep at the Bultman Center on Sept. 28 this season.

Last Time vs Doane...Lauryn Hilger and Josie Blankespoor both hit for double figures in leading Northwestern to a 3-0 sweep (25-20, 25-12, 25-15) over the Tigers earlier this season.

The Red Raiders hit .330 for the match and limited Doane to a 6% kill efficiency, forcing 20 Tigers' errors. Lacey Wacker put up 33 assists and Emily Strasser led the backrow play with 15 digs. Both teams had success serving with Northwesetern totaling eight aces and Doane with seven.

Scouting Reports...

    Doane Tigers - 5-11 (T7th), 13-16 overall        Head Coach: Gwen Egbert (6th year)

The Tigers finished the regular season in a four-way tie, along with Briar Cliff, Concordia and Dakota Wesleyan,for seventh place but earned the No.7 seed by way of the tie break. They have lost three straight, falling to Hastings, College of Saint Mary and Concordia, since earning three consecutive wins prior (Mount Marty, Bellevue and Morningside). 

Coach Egbert returns six starters and seven players from 2017 team that finished sixth in the GPAC with a 9-7 record, 17-12 overall, and received votes in the final coaches' poll. They were ranked 18th in the NAIA preseason poll and were picked to finish fifth in the GPAC preseason ranking. Egbert came to Doane in 2013 after an outstanding career as a high school coach in the Omaha area, earning 700 wins during her tenure. 

By the Numbers (Conference Rank / NAIA rank-if top 10)
        Kills/Game: 12.9 (4th)
        Hitting %: .213% (5th)
        Aces: 168 (4th)
        Digs/Set: 15.2 (5th)
        Blocks/Set: 1.7 (11th)

     Top Players (Conf / NAIA rank-if top 10)
        Allison Kuenle  (All-American, 1st team all-conf) 4.2 kills/set (3rd), .256%, 24 aces, 3.3 digs/set, 42 blocks
        Madison Van Housen  3.3 kills/set (6th), 32 aces, 50 blocks
        Alexis Dale (All-Conference)  2.3 kills/set, .272%, 78 blocks
        Genna Ryan-Piasecki  1.5 kills/set, .264%, 77 blocks
        Sarah Klobucher  10.5 assists/set (3rd), 29 aces, 1.7 digs/set
        Reagan Petersen  4 digs/set (5th) 

No.9 Northwestern Notes - 13-3 (T2nd), 22-6       Head Coach: Kyle Van Den Bosch (14th year)

Northwestern finished the regular season tied with both Midland and Hastings for second place and earned the No.2 seed by way of the tie-break. Van Den Bosch's squad is 22-6 overall and is coming off a 3-0 sweep over a ranked Jamestown team last weekend. 

By the Numbers... (GPAC Rank / NAIA-if top 10)
        Kills/Game: 14.2 (1st / 1st)
        Hitting %: .286 (1st/5th)
        Aces: 172 (2nd)
        Digs/Set: 13.9 (11th)
        Blocks/Set: 2.1 (7th)

     Top Players:
        Lauryn Hilger - 4.6 kills/set (1st/ 3rd), .332 (3rd), 2.9 digs/set, 41 aces (1st)
        Makenzie Fink - 2.6 kills/set, .274%, 35 aces (3rd)
        Josie Blankespoor - 2.2 kills/set, .202%
        Emily Van Ginkel - 2.0 kills/set, .271%, 81 blocks (9th)
        Bekah Horstman - 1.6 kills/set, .378%, 93 blocks (7th)
        Lacey Wacker - 11.7 assists/set (1st / 1st), 1.9 digs/set
        Emily Strasser - 3.9 digs/set (6th), 32 aces