Game Time...The wait is over; just over two weeks since last competing in a match, No.8 Northwestern begins play at the 2018 NAIA Volleyball National Championship this week at the Tyson Event Center in Sioux City, Iowa. The top seed in pool H, Northwestern opens pool play against 25th-ranked Marian (Ind.) on Tuesday night at 8pm. They will then match-up against #23 McPherson (Kan.) on Wednesday night (6pm) followed by the final match in pool play against ninth-ranked Rocky Mountain (Mont.) at 8pm on Thursday night. 

Listen live to all of the matches on Sioux County Radio at this link: Listen Now!  

Live stats are here: Live Stats

NAIA Championship Page | Schedule / Bracket | 

All-Time...This will be the first ever match against Marian; Northwestern is 1-0 all-time against McPherson, sweeping the Bulldogs in 2002 (30-10, 30-21, 30-22); and 0-1 against Rocky Mountain, losing to the Battlin' Bears in four sets earlier this season (25-20, 19-25, 29-27, 25-19). 

Championship Format...A total of 32 teams are put in eight pools of four and every team will play the three other teams in their pool, one match per day, beginning on Tuesday and concluding Thursday, Nov.29. The two teams with the best record in each pool advance to play in a 16-team, single-elimination tournament, that will begin on Friday morning, Nov. 30. The final eight (quarterfinals) will be later that night, followed by the semifinals on Saturday morning and the championship match on Saturday night, Dec. 1 at 7pm.

Scouting Reports...

    #25 Marian University Knights: 15-3 (T1st), 29-5        Head Coach: Ashlee Pritchard (7th year)

The Knights qualified for their second straight and second overall NAIA Championship by winning both the Crossroads regular and postseason titles. They are one of two teams from their conference, along with the University of Saint Francis (Ind.), to earn a spot in the championship (USF lost in the opening round and is not part of the final 32-team field). Marian went 15-3 in league play, swept Faulkner (Ala.) in the opening round and has won five straight matches. They are 0-1 against the 32-team field (lost to St. Xavier) and have won five straight heading into Tuesday night.

Pritchard, in her seventh season as the head of the Knights program, was named the Crossroads Coach of the Year for the second time after guiding her team to the regular season and postseason titles. Pritchard, the former assistant and standout player for Taylor (Ind.), returns six starters and eight players from a 2017 team that finished 28-8 overall. 

    NAIA Championship Appearances:  2                Record: 2-3 (coming into pool play)
    went 0-3 in pool play in 2017

    Top Players:
    Sarah Spangler - 2.5 kills/set, .298%, 48 blocks (All-conference)
    Hannah Trout - 2.7 kills/set, .274%, 79 blocks (All-conference)
    Anne Stevels - 1.3 kills/set, .254%, 137 blocks (2x All-conference)
    Megan Hawley - 19 aces, 5.1 digs/set (All-Conference)

    #23 McPherson College Bulldogs: 12-0 (1st), 33-2            Head Coach: Jessica Cleveland (3rd year)

The Bulldogs are playing in their first NAIA National Championship, earning a spot at the final site after a five-set win over Texas Wesleyan in the opening round. McPherson qualified by way of winning the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference regular season title with a perfect 12-0 record. They are one of two KCAC teams at the final site (along with Ottawa) and begin play with a 33-2 overall record. The Bulldogs are 3-1 against teams at the final site, going 2-1 against Ottawa and defeating Hastings (Neb.). 

Cleveland has guided the Bulldogs to school record in wins the last two seasons, going 22-12 last year. The former Hesston College coach returns nine starters and 10 players from the 2017 team.

    NAIA Championship Appearances:  1                Record: 1-0 (coming into pool play)
    
    Top Players:
    Lexi Kite - 3.4 kills/set, .236%, 29 aces, 4.3 digs
    Leia Seller - 2.0 kills/set, .238%, 7 aces, 77 blocks
    Devrrie Sombers - 1.4 kills/set, .276%, 108 blocks
    Jamie Siess - 20 aces, 5.9 digs/set
    
    #9 Rocky Mountain Battlin' Bears: 12-0 (1st), 28-4        Head Coach: Laurie Kelly (11th year)

Ranked ninth in the final coaches' poll, Rocky Mountain brings an impressive 28-4 overall record into pool play matches. They earned the second at-large bid into the championship field and received a first round bye to the final site. They won the Frontier Athletic Conference regular season title, going a perfect 12-0 in league play, but lost the conference tournament championship to Providence (Mont.). Rocky Mountain is one of two teams, along with Providence, in the field. The Bears are 7-4 against the field. 

Kelly is in her 11th season as the head coach at Rocky Mountain, returning six starters and nine players from last year's team that finished 23-11. Kelly previously spent 19 years as a high school coach and is a member of the Montana High School Hall of Fame. 

    NAIA Championship Appearances:  6                Record: 10-9 (coming into pool play)
    best finish: Quarterfinals in 2014; qualified in 2010, 2011, 2013-15, 2018
    
    Top Players:
    Hailey Copinga - Conf. Player of the Year - 2.9 kills/set, .241%, 116 blocks
    Olivia L'Ami - All-Conference - 2.9 kills/set, .183%, 55 blocks
    Naomi Bad Bear - 1.2 kills/set, .228%, 139 blocks
    Natalie Hilderman - Setter of the Year - 9.6 assists/set, 34 aces, 3 digs/set
   
#8 Northwestern College: 13-3 (T2nd), 24-7            Head Coach: Kyle Van Den Bosch (14th year)

The top seed in pool H, Northwestern is one of six teams from the GPAC at the 32-team final site, joining Dordt, Hastings, Midland, Jamestown and Morningside. The Red Raiders finished tied with Hastings for second in the GPAC with a 13-3 record, 24-7 overall. They qualified for the championship as the GPAC runner-up and are 6-7 against the 32-team field.

The Red Raiders are playing in their second straight and 14th overall national championship, ninth under the direction of coach Van Den Bosch. They are 25-28 all-time at the championship, reaching the quarterfinals three straight years (2007-09) and in 1992. 

    1991-92, 1994-96, 2006-10, 2013-14, 2017; best finish: quarterfinals in 1992, 2007-09

 Van Den Bosch owns the best winning percentage and ranks second in career wins in program history (395 - 116). 

  Seven Red Raiders were named all-conference, including three on the first team; Lauryn Hilger, Lacey Wacker and Makenzie Fink. Emily Van Ginkel and Bekah Horstman were second team, Josie Blankespoor and Emily Strasser were named honorable mention. Horstman was also named GPAC Freshman of the Year

By the Numbers... (GPAC Rank / NAIA-if top 10)
        Kills/Game: 14.2 (1st / 2nd)
        Hitting %: .289 (1st/4th)
        Aces: 181 (2nd)
        Digs/Set: 13.8 (11th)
        Blocks/Set: 2.1 (7th)

     Top Players:
        Lauryn Hilger - 4.6 kills/set (1st/ 3rd), .336 (2nd), 2.8 digs/set, 41 aces (1st)
        Makenzie Fink - 2.7 kills/set, .281% (8th), 38 aces (5th)
        Emily Van Ginkel - 2.0 kills/set, .285%, 87 blocks (9th)
        Bekah Horstman - 1.6 kills/set, .380%, 102 blocks (7th)
        Lacey Wacker - 11.7 assists/set (1st / 1st), 1.9 digs/set
        Emily Strasser - 3.8 digs/set (7th), 33 aces