Anna Wedel put down a match-high 18 kills in leading seventh-ranked Northwestern to a four-set win (25-22, 19-25, 30-28, 25-23) over #3 Grand View in the first match of the GoSarpy.Com Invite held at Bellevue University. Northwestern improves to 5-0 on the year; Grand View falls to 5-2.
The win snaps a four match losing skid against Grand View, who last defeated the Vikings in 2008.
Wedel has hit for double figures in every match this season and finished one shy of matching her season high. The junior had a busy night with 66 attempts at the net, hitting .136 for the match.
A.J. Kacmarynski totaled 13 kills in 39 attempts and
Bekah Horstman added 10 kills, hitting a team-best .240.
Trailing by one late in the fourth set (23-22), Northwestern scored the final three points on a kill from Wedel, a Grand View hitting error and a kill from
Makenzie Fink on match point. Neither team had more than a four-point lead in a very tight fourth set.
Northwestern hit .145 compared to .134 by the Vikings. Both team accounted for five blocks while Northwestern had the advantage in ace serves, 7-3.
Lacey Wacker commanded the offense with 49 assists to go with 14 digs, her second double-double of the season. Wedel (13 digs) also had a double-double while Strasser led Coach Van Den Bosch's squad with a season-high 20 digs.
The Red Raiders trailed just once in their 25-22 first set win; down 11-10, Northwestern scored six of the next eight points on kills from Fink, Kacmarynski (2), Wedel and an ace from Strasser. Grand View rallied to get within one (21-20) late but Horstman and Fink both put down kills to close the set.
Northwestern was out hit 19% - 4% in its 25-19 loss in set two. Grand View closed on a 13-5 after the Red Raiders led for most of the first half of the set.
Van Den Bosch's squad overcame an early four-point deficit to come back and win a tight third set in extra time, 30-28. The Red Raiders fought off four set points and, with the score tied at 28, used a Grand View miscue followed by a kill from
Emily Van Ginkel to win it.
Alexa Aldrich-Ingram and Emily Box led the Vikings with 15 kills each and Trystin Luneckas put up 42 assists and 15 digs.
Northwestern will play York and Evangel on Friday at the Classic.