Game Time...Northwestern College is set to host Morningside Tuesday night for a conference volleyball match. First serve is scheduled for 7:30pm. Northwestern is currently in second place in the GPAC standings with an 11-2 record, 13-2 overall; Morningside is fifth in the GPAC with a 7-6 record, 9-8 overall. 

    Follow the match live at this link: Watch / Listen | Stats

All-Time...Northwestern holds a 25-11 advantage in the all-time series, going 8-2 in its last 10 match-ups against the Mustangs. 

Earlier This Season...Anna Wedel put away 20 kills and Northwestern hit .360 as a team in its 3-0 win (25-11, 25-22, 25-15) against Morningside in a match played Oct. 2 in Sioux City, Iowa. Makenzie Fink added 10 kills, hitting over .300, on the rightside, and A.J. Kacmarynski accounted for nine kills in 30 swings, hitting at a .267 clip.

Lacey Reitz orchestrated a Raider offense that hit .360 for the match, lofting up 47 assists to go with 12 digs. Van't Hul, making her first collegiate start, put away eight kills and assisted on four blocks. Emily Strasser led the backrow play with 17 digs.

Morningside hit .144 , led by Krista Zenk with 14 kills. 

Scouting Reports...

    Morningside Mustangs: 7-6 (5th), 9-8                Head Coach: Jessica Squier (1st year)

Morningside won both matches played last week, defeating Peru State in non-conference action and Doane in a GPAC match. Since their 3-0 loss to the Raiders, the Mustangs are 6-2, winning four by 3-0 scores. They are currently fifth in the GPAC with a 7-6 record, 9-8 overall, with three matches to go in the regular season.

Squier is in her first season as the Mustangs head coach, taking over the program after an eight-year stint in the same role at Northeastern Community College. Squier played for Morningside one season, earning All-American honors as the team's setter. She inherits a Morningside team that returns four starters, seven players, from a 2019 team that finished tied with Doane for sixth place in the GPAC with an 8-8 record, 17-13 overall. They went 1-2 in pool play at the NAIA National Championship, losing to Park and Providence and defeating Oklahoma City.

    By the Numbers (GPAC rank):
    Hitting Percentage - .207 (8th)
    Kills / Set - 12.9 (6th)
    Aces - 68 (9th)
    Digs - 19.2 (2nd)
    Blocks / Set - 1.3 (12th)

    Individual Leaders (GPAC rank):
    Krista Zenk (All-Conf) - 3.7 kills/set (1st), .209%, 3.6 digs/set
    Kaelyn Giefer - 2.8 kills/set
    Caitlin Mackovicka  (All-Conf) - 2.6 kills/set, .295% (6th), 1.7 digs/set
    Sabrina Creason - 10.7 assists/set (5th/9th), 14 aces, 2.3 digs/set
    Kayla Harris (All-Conf) - 10 aces, 5.8 digs/set (1st)

    Northwestern College: 11-2 (2nd), 13-2 overall            Head Coach: Kyle Van Den Bosch (16th year)

The Raiders earned a five-set win against Midland last time out, rallying from a 2-0 deficit against the Warriors. They are second in the GPAC with an 11-2 record and can clinch a top three league finish with a win against Morningside. 

    By the Numbers (GPAC rank):
    Hitting Percentage - .272 (1st / 5th)
    Kills / Set - 13.8 (2nd)
    Aces - 60 (8th)
    Digs - 16.3 (5th)
    Blocks / Set - 2.3 (4th / 9th)

    Individual Leaders (GPAC rank):
    Anna Wedel (2x All-American) - 3.7 kills/set (2nd), .261%, 2.9 digs/set
    Makenzie Fink (All-American) - 3.1 (9th), .350 (3rd), 13 aces, 35 blocks
    Emily Van Ginkel (2x all-conf) - 2.4 kills/set, .279%, 57 blocks (8th)
    Lacey Reitz (2x All-American) - 11.6 assists/st (2nd / 2nd), 11 aces, 2.4 digs/set
    Emily Strasser (2x All-Conf) - 4.8 digs/set (4th)
    Olivia Granstra - 2.04 digs/set