Game Time...Second-ranked Northwestern is set to begin play at the 2019 NAIA Volleyball National Championship this week at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa. The Red Raiders open against Martin Methodist (Tenn.) in a pool B match-up on Tuesday night around 6:30pm. Matches against #18 Lawrence Tech (Mich.) and #14 Corban (Ore.) follow on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, both at 6pm.Â
  All of the matches can be followed via live stats, audio (KSOU) and video (via NAIA Network...payment required) at the following links:
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All-Time...Northwestern is 2-1 all-time against Corban, including a five-set win at this year's Red Raider Classic, the second match of the season. This will be the first match against both Martin Methodist and Lawrence Tech.Â
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History vs Corban:Â
    2019: 3-2 winÂ
    2018: 3-1 win
    2017: 3-2 loss
Championship Format... The 32-team, final site championship features eight pools of four teams each where the top two teams in each pool advance to a 16-team, single-elimination tournament. Pool play matches begin Tuesday, Dec. 3 and conclude Dec. 5 (with possible tie-breaker matches late Thursday night). The 16-team tournament begins Friday morning, followed by the quarterfinals on Friday night, semifinals on Saturday morning (available via ESPN3 and the NAIA Network) and the championship match on Saturday night (7pm), available live on ESPN3.
Championship History...Northwestern is making its third straight and 15th overall appearance at the NAIA Volleyball National Championship. They are 27-30 (47%) all-time at the championship and have reached the quarterfinals four times (1992, 2007-09). The Red Raiders have advanced out of pool play a total of eight times, including their last four appearances (2013, 2014, 2017 and 2018). This will be the Red Raiders' 10th trip to the championship under Head Coach
Kyle Van Den Bosch.Â
  Both Martin Methodist and Lawrence Tech are making their first appearance at the championship. Corban is making its fourth straight and fourth overall appearance, owning a 9-6 record at the championship. The Warriors have advanced out of pool play each year, reaching the quarterfinals in 2017.Â
Scouting Reports...
  Martin Methodist: 27-8 record; 12-1 (1st) in conference    Head Coach: Alison Williams (6th year)
The Red Hawks won both the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) regular season and postseason titles, earning one of the two auto bids from the conference into the championship field. They went 12-1 in the conference to finish one game ahead of Bethel (Tenn.) and join William Carey (conference tment runner-up) as the two teams from the SSACÂ to qualify for the championship. Martin Methodist defeated Milligan (Tenn.) in the opening round 3-1 to earn a spot to the final site. They are 27-8 overall, the most wins in program history, and have won seven straight heading into pool play.Â
Williams is in her sixth season as the head of the Red Hawks program, earning SSAC Coach of the Year honors this season. She was an assistant at Bryan College (Tenn.) for three years prior to coming to Martin Methodist. Williams returns six starters, nine players from a 2018 team that finished with a 22-12 overall record.Â
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By the Numbers (Conf.rank / NAIA rank-if top 10):
  Hitting Percentage: .181 (1st)
  Kills / Set - 12.2 (2nd)
  Aces - 149 (7th)
  Blocks / Set - 1.9 (2nd)
  Digs / Set - 19.4 (1st / 7th)
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Individual Leaders (Conf.rank / NAIA rank-if top 10):
  Rebecka Cronin (all-conference): 3.4 kills/set (4th), .165%, 26 aces, 2.9 digs, 64 blocks
  Lauren Martin (2x all-conference): 2.1 kills/set, .145%, 1.1 digs
  Kaitlyn Lund (all-conference): 1.9 kills/set, .250% (3rd), 114 blocks (3rd)
  Kara Nelms (all-conference): 2.1 kills/set, .180% (9th), 45 blocks
  Sydney Arnold (2x conf. setter of year, 4x all-conf) 9.5 assists/set (1st), 2.7 digs/set
  Hayley Brisendine (conf. libero of year; 2x all-conf.) - 6.6 digs/set (1st/2nd), 15 aces
     #18 Lawrence Tech Blue Devils: 32-2 record; 20-0 (1st) in conference    Head Coach: Ed Ruhl (3rd year)
The Blue Devils won both the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) regular and postseason titles for the first time in program history. They ran the table in conference play, going 20-0, and then went 3-0 to win the conference tournament and earn one of the WHAC's auto bids to the championship. They join Madonna (Mich.), the conference tournament runner-up, in the 32-team final site field. Lawrence Tech has won 16 consecutive matches and is 32-2 this season, a program record for wins in a season. They have lost to #12 Central Methodist (Aug. 31) and to (RV) Trinity Christian (Oct.11).
Ruhl, the WHAC coach of the year, is in his third season as the head of the Blue Devils program. He returns nearly everyone from a 2018 squad that finished third in the WHAC (14-6) and 22-12 overall.Â
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By the Numbers (Conf.rank / NAIA rank-if top 10):
  Hitting Percentage: .233 (1st)
  Kills / Set - 13.9 (1st / 9th)
  Aces - 259 (1st/9th)
  Blocks / Set - 1.3 (9th)
  Digs / Set - 20.3 (1st / 5th)
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Individual Leaders (Conf.rank / NAIA rank-if top 10):
  Zakia Hunt (3x all-conference): 3.4 kills/set (3rd), .344% (1st), 80 blocks
  Varvara Gromakova (2x all-conference): 2.1 kills/set, .239% (9th), 28 blocks
  Jessica Lodge (all-conference): 2.6 kills/set, .195%, 43 blocks
  Kristi Doherty (conf.Player/Setter of Year, 3x all-conf): 10 assists/set, 71 aces (1st/3rd), 3.7 digs/set
  Shelby Rasch (all-conf.) - 4.3 digs/set (6th), 26 aces
    #14 Corban Warriors: 20-8 record; 16-4 (3rd) in conference    Head Coach: Kim McLain (5th year)
One of three teams from the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) in the 32-team field, Corban finish third in the regular season with a 16-4 record. They finished behind top 10 teams and national qualifiers, Southern Oregon and Eastern Oregon. Corban received an at-large bid into the championship and is 20-8 this season. They have played a tough schedule, going 3-6 against teams ranked/receiving votes in the final poll.
McLain, the 2017 CCC Coach of the Year, is in her fifth season on the Warriors sideline. She returns nine players who saw significant time in the rotation from a 2018 team that finished 23-13, losing to Lindsey Wilson in the round of 16 at the championship.Â
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By the Numbers (Conf.rank / NAIA rank-if top 10):
  Hitting Percentage: .203 (3rd)
  Kills / Set - 12.4 (3rd)
  Aces - 160 (5th)
  Blocks / Set - 1.9 (6th)
  Digs / Set - 14.5 (6th)
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Individual Leaders (Conf.rank / NAIA rank-if top 10):
  Cassie Cunningham (all-conf): 2.7 kills/set (5th), .193%, 26 aces, 1.1 digs/set
  Avari Ridgway (all-conf): 2.5 kills/set (9th), .139%, 61 blocks
  Jacquelyn Clark: 1.9 kills/set, .328%, 76 blocks
  Jadyn Mullen: 5.7 assists/set, 34 aces (7th), 1.7 digs/set
  Kealani Ontai (2x all-conf.): 22 aces, 4.3 digs/set (5th)
No.2 Northwestern Red Raiders: 28-1, 16-0 (1st)Â Â Â Â Â Â Head Coach: Kyle Van Den Bosch (15th year)
The Red Raiders won their seventh GPAC regular season title, going a perfect 16-0 in league play, to earn one of the GPAC's two auto bids into the championship. They spent four weeks ranked first in the NAIA Coaches' poll before falling to second in the final two ratings. They are 28-1 on the season.Â
Van Den Bosch received GPAC Coach of the Year honors for the seventh time in his 15 years on the Red Raiders sideline. He is 426-119 in his tenure for a win percentage of .782.Â
    By the Numbers (Conf.rank / NAIA rank-if top 10):
  Hitting Percentage: .308 (1st/1st)
  Kills / Set - 14.2 (1st/3rd)
  Aces - 167 (4th)
  Blocks / Set - 2.3 (5th)
  Digs / Set - 14.3 (11th)
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Individual Leaders (Conf.rank / NAIA rank-if top 10):
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Anna Wedel (GPAC Player of Year) - 4.2 kills/set (2nd), .342 (2nd), 2.6 digs/set, 45 blocks
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Makenzie Fink (3x all-conf) - 3.1 kills/set (6th), .319% (5th), 26 aces, 68 blocks
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A.J. Kacmarynski (3x all-conf) - 2.5 kills/set, .225%, 38 blocks
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Bekah Horstman (2x all-conf) - 2.1 kills/set, .410%, 110 blocks (7th)
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Emily Van Ginkel (2x all-conf.) - 1.7 kills/set, .287%, 111 blocks (6th)
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Lacey Wacker (GPAC Setter of Year) - 11.9 assists/set (1st/1st), 41 aces (2nd), 2.1 digs/set
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Emily Strasser (2x all-conf) - 4.2 digs/set, 32 aces (6th)
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Ann Pater (all-conf) - 1.7 digs/set
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Bri Kleinwolterink - 1.2 digs/set
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Jadeyn Schutt - 22 aces
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Madison Hofman - 1.8 digs/set
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