The Event...Seventh-ranked Northwestern is set to play in their final weekend tournament, the Holiday Inn Express Classic, hosted by Viterbo University in LaCrosse, Wis. The Red Raiders will play four matches in two days, beginning with William Woods at 3pm. They follow with a night match against Waldorf at 6pm. Saturday's matches include Taylor (Ind.) at 1pm and #5 Viterbo (Wis.) at 4pm. 

    Follow the stats for the matches at this link: Live Stats

    Watch three of the matches (William Woods, Taylor and Viterbo) at this link: Watch Now!

All-Time...Northwestern is 5-0 all-time against William Woods, defeating the Owls in 2014 (2x), 1998, 1996 and 1995. The Red Raiders are 5-0 all-time against Waldorf, defeating the Warriors in 2018, 2017, 2010, 2007 and 2004. They are 2-1 against Taylor, earning wins in 2015 and 1999 and losing to 2011. The Red Raiders are 0-4 against Viterbo, losing to the V-Hawks in 2018, 2015, 2014 and 2011. 

Scouting Reports...

    William Woods Owls: 4-4        Head Coach: Doug Tabbert (1st year)

The Owls are off to a 4-4 start this season, defeating Baker (Kan.) in four sets last time out to move to .500. They are 0-1 against teams from the GPAC, losing to Hastings in three sets on August 31. 

Tabbert is in his first season at head coach, coming to William Woods after a two-year stint as the assistant at Benedictine. He also was the head coach at Cameron College, an NCAA D-II institution. Tabbert inherits an Owls team that has six starters and eight players from a 2018 team that finished fourth in the American Midwest Conference at 9-3, 20-16 overall. They were picked fourth in the AMC preseason poll. 

        By the Numbers:
        11.4 kills/set
        .172 hitting %
        40 aces
        1.94 blocks/set

        Individual Leaders:
        Ally Konarzewski - 2.2 kills/set, .264%, 2.4 digs/set
        Nise Salima - 2.8 kills/set, .128%
        Kate Doerhoff (All-Conference)  1.9 kills/set, .134%
        Jaclyn Zahn (All-Conference) 1.2 kills/set, 37 blocks
        Remie Johnson (All-Conference)  7.6 assists/set, 11 blocks
        Kayton Coffee - 9 aces, 3.1 digs/set

    Waldorf Warriors: 4-3            Head Coach: Bri Ebenhoe (3rd year)

The Warriors began the season with four consecutive wins but followed with three straight losses, including two from GPAC teams Concordia and Briar Cliff. They are 4-3 overall heading into the weekend. 

Ebenhoe, now in her third season as the head of the Waldorf program, returns six starters and seven players from 2018 team that finished 3-11 in the North Star Athletic Association, 6-21 overall. 

        By the Numbers:
        10.9 kills/set
        .161 hitting %
        61 aces
        1.85 blocks/set

        Individual Leaders:
        Kyra Platzek (All-Conference) 3.7 kills/set, .211%, 13 blocks
        Emily Zastoupil - 1.7 kills/set, 14 blocks
        Savenna Cordle - 1.4 kills/set, 22 blocks
        Elisabeth Ramm - 8.1 assists/set
        Kelsey Sederquest - 18 aces, 4.4 digs/set

    Taylor Trojans: 9-4            Head Coach: Erin Luthy (4th year)

Taylor is off to a 9-4 start in 2019 and has won five straight matches heading into the weekend. Since losing to Doane on August 24, they have rattled off wins against Sienna Heights, Roosevelt, Northwestern Ohio, IU East and Huntington. 

Luthy, in her fourth season as head coach, returns seven starters and 10 players from a 2018 team that finished fifth in the Crossroads League at 10-8, 17-17 overall. 

        By the Numbers:
        12.5 kills/set
        .181 hitting %
        75 aces
        1.45 blocks/set

        Individual Leaders:
        Amanda Adams (All-Conference) 2.9 kills/set, 16 blocks, 15 aces
        Ryan Czerniak (All-Conference)  2.3 kills/set, .288%, 15 blocks
        Julia Pomerenke  1.9 kills/set, .263%, 36 blocks
        Kacy Bragg  6 assists/set, 13 aces
        Samantha Korn (All-American)  4.9 digs/set

    #5 Viterbo V-Hawks: 11-2            Head Coach: Ryan DeLong (15th year)

The fifth-ranked V-Hawks are 11-2 so far this season, winning nine straight matches to start the year. They lost to both Midland and Missouri Baptist but followed with a pair of wins since. 

De Long, a five-time conference coach of the year, has over 450 wins and a win percentage of 78% during his time as head coach. Now in his 15th season, DeLong returns nearly everyone from a 2018 team that lost in the NAIA National Semifinals and ended with a 33-8 overall record. 

        By the Numbers:
        12.8 kills/set
        .238 hitting %
        88 aces
        1.9 blocks/set

        Individual Leaders:
        Miah Garant (All-American) 4.1 kills/set, .354%, 43 blocks
        Katie Frohmader (All-Conference) 3 kills/set, .223%, 15 blocks
        Maya Roberts  2.5 kills/set, .262%, 24 blocks
        Abbey Johnson 5.5 assists/set, 11 aces
        Rachel Frankowski 3.7 digs/set

    #7 Northwestern News and Notes...
        8-0 on season, 1-0 in GPAC
        defeated Dakota Wesleyan 3-1 last time out, GPAC Opener
        2 wins over ranked teams this season (#3 Grand View, #19 Corban)
        lead NAIA with .312 hitting percentage
        GPAC preseason #1
        Head Coach Kyle Van Den Bosch earned 400th career win vs Baker earlier this season

        By the Numbers:
        14.7 kills/set
        .312 hitting %
        66 aces
        1.8 blocks/set

        Individual Leaders:
        Anna Wedel - 3.9 kills/set, .285%, 2.2 digs/set
        Makenzie Fink - 3.3 kills/set, .324%
        A.J. Kacmarynski - 3.3 kills/set, .283%
        Emily Van Ginkel - 1.7 kills/set, .319%, 19 blocks
        Bekah Horstman - 2.4 kills/set, 26 blocks
        Lacey Wacker - 12.4 assists/set, 16 aces
        Emily Strasser - 17 aces, 4.5 digs/set