Game Time... Second-ranked Northwestern returns home and will host Dakota Wesleyan in a GPAC match-up Tuesday night at the Bultman Center. First serve is scheduled for 7:30pm. Northwestern is unbeaten this season, coming into Tuesday's match with a 4-0 record in the GPAC, 15-0 overall. DWU is 1-3 in the conference, 14-3 overall. 

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

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

All-Time...Northwestern holds a 36-1 advantage in the all-time series against DWU, dating back to the 1990 season. 

Earlier This Season...Emily Van Ginkel put down 14 kills in leading No.7 Northwestern to a 3-1 (22-25, 26-24, 25-15, 25-20) win over Dakota Wesleyan in the GPAC opener for both teams played Sept. 4 at the Corn Palace. 

Van Ginkel, who finished one kill shy of matching her career high, hit .500 for the match (14 kills, 1 error, 26 attempts) and registered a team-best 4.5 blocks. Emily Strasser led an inspired effort in the backrow with a career-best 33 digs to go with four aces. 

Northwestern hit .214 for the match, over .300 over the final two sets, and held the edge in blocks (14-7) and ace serves (7-2). 

First Set..25-22 DWU:
Northwestern rallied from an early six-point deficit to tie the first set at 16 following a successful attack by A.J. Kacmarynski. The set was tied four more times over the next bit as the teams traded points. Knotted for the final time at 20, DWU went on a 3-0 run to take set one, 25-22. The host Tigers hit .229 and held Northwestern to 18%. 

Second Set...26-24 NW:
Trailing by nine (14-5) and out of timeouts, Red Raider freshman Jadeyn Schutt served five consecutive points, including a pair of aces, to begin an improbable NW comeback. A couple of Northwestern errors pushed DWU's lead back to seven (19-12) but a 5-0 spurt behind the serving of Strasser and kills from Horstman and Fink trimmed the lead down to 19-17. A successful attack from Anna Wedel tied the set at 21 and a block by Van Ginkel put Northwestern in front for the first time, 24-23. Two more kills by Van Ginkel with the score tied at 24 gave the Red Raiders the win and tied the match at 1-1.

Third Set: 25-15 NW: 
Northwestern led from start to finish in winning set three 25-15. The Red Raiders took control at the net, limiting DWU to a negative hitting percentage, with a total of six blocks. 

Fourth Set: 25-20 NW: 
Northwestern sealed the win with a 25-20 victory in the fourth, hitting a match-best 34% at the net. 

Four Red Raiders hit for double figures as Wedel (13), Kacmarynski (12) and Fink (10) joined Van Ginkel with 10+ kills. Lacey Wacker put up 49 assists and Wedel notched another double-double with 14 digs. 

DWU was led by Emily Brunsing with 15 kills; Rebecca Frick added 10 kills and 11 digs. 

Scouting Reports...

    Dakota Wesleyan Tigers: 1-3 (10th), 14-3 overall        Head Coach: Lindsay Wilber (6th year)

DWU has gone 6-2 since its loss to Northwestern on Sept. 4 and has won four straight heading into Tuesday night's rematch. The Tigers have wins over Dakota State, Mount Marty, Sterling and York, all by 3-0 scores, during their streak. They have lost matches to Briar Cliff (3-1) and #13 Jamestown (3-0) and are 14-3 this season.

Wilber has been the head of the Tigers volleyball program since 2014 and has guided DWU to a pair of winning seasons in her five previous years. Now in her sixth season, Wilber returns five starters and nine players from a 2018 team that went 5-11 in the GPAC (T7th), 17-14 overall. They were picked ninth out of 12 teams in the GPAC preseason poll. 

    By the Numbers (GPAC / NAIA rank - if top 10)
    14.4 kills / set - 1st / 2nd
    .267 hitting % (2nd / 3rd)
    96 aces (5th)
    21.5 digs / set (1st / 2nd)
    2.6 blocks / set (1st)

    Individual Leaders:
    Rebecca Frick (2x All-GPAC) - 4.7 kills/set (1st/4th), .283%, 4.2 digs/set, 30 blocks
    Emily Brunsing (All-GPAC) - 2.7 kills/set, .309% (8th), 60 blocks (7th)
    Brittany Berquist - 2.1 kills/set, .273%, 62 blocks (5th)
    Jadie DeLange (transfer from BHSU) - 2.3 kills/set, .184%, 25 blocks
    Bridgett Knobbe - 11.2 assists/set (2nd / 5th), 21 aces, 31 blocks
    Mallory Cooper - 5.1 digs/set (2nd)

    #2 Northwestern Red Raiders - 4-0, 15-0 overall        Head Coach: Kyle Van Den Bosch (15th year)

The Red Raiders are one of three teams still unbeaten in GPAC play, joining Jamestown and Midland with 4-0 records. They are one of two teams, along with Indiana Wesleyan, left unbeaten in the NAIA, owning a 15-0 record. Northwestern is 4-0 against ranked teams, earning wins over Corban, Grand View, Viterbo and Dordt.

    By the Numbers (GPAC / NAIA rank - if top 10)
    14.0 kills / set - 3rd / 6th
    .309 hitting % (1st / 1st)
    104 aces (1st)
    13.5 digs / set (12th)
    2.1 blocks / set (8th)

    Individual Leaders:
    Anna Wedel - 3.9 kills/set (3rd), .318% (6th), 2.4 digs/set, 18 blocks
    Makenzie Fink - 2.9 kills/set (10th), .315% (7th), 31 blocks
    A.J. Kacmarynski - 2.6 kills/set, .239%, 16 aces
    Emily Van Ginkel - 1.8 kills/set, .321%, 47 blocks
    Bekah Horstman - 2.0 kills/set, .394%, 52 blocks
    Lacey Wacker - 11.6 assists/set (1st / 1st), 24 aces (1st)
    Emily Strasser - 23 aces (3rd), 4.1 digs/set (9th)