Game Time...The Northwestern College volleyball team will make history this weekend as they play host to Trinity Christian (Ill.) on Saturday, April 17 in a NAIA Volleyball Championship Opening Round match. First serve at the Bultman Center is scheduled for 7pm. This will be the first time in program history the Raiders have had to play in a play-in match to get to NAIA Championship Final Site. 

 NAIA Volleyball Championship - Opening Round Game Info

• No.5 Northwestern (19-4) vs (RV) Trinity Christian (18-8)
• Saturday, April 17  7pm
• Bultman Center / Orange City, Iowa
• Watch | Live Stats
• Radio: Sioux County Radio, 93.9 FM
• Tickets on sale at game, beginning at 6pm Ticketing Info

The Rivalry...Saturday's opening round match will be the eighth all-time in the rivalry between Northwestern and Trinity Christian, dating back to the 1981 season. Northwestern is 6-1 against the Trolls, coming away with a win in the last five meetings. They have never met in the postseason.
        2017: NW wins 3-0
        2014: NW wins 3-2
        2005: NW wins 3-0
        2004: NW wins 3-0
        1990: NW wins 3-1
        1986: NW loses 0-2
        1981: NW wins 3-2

How They Qualified...Northwestern received one of the 36 auto bids by way of the GPAC Tournament runner-up finish. Trinity Christian also earned an automatic bid by way of its Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) Tournament runner-up finish. 

About the Championship...The 48-team championship field includes 36 automatic qualifiers, determined by regular-season champions or runner-ups, conference tournament title winners or runner-ups, or by conference selection, and 12 at-large selections that were determined by the final regular-season Women's Volleyball Coaches' Top 25 Poll announced Monday.

This year's championship will feature 24 opening round matches at campus locations on April 17; all 24 winners will move on to the final site, the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa, for a week long final tournament from April 27 - 30. 

Final site pools will be determined on Sunday, April 18, and released by 5pm.

                                Opening Round Pairings  (NAIA Press Release) 

Visiting Team		Host Team
St. Mary (Kan.)	at	Jamestown (N.D.)
IU East (Ind.)	at	Park (Mo.)
Benedictine Mesa (Ariz.)	at	Westmont (Calif.)
Georgetown (Ky.)	at	Indiana Wesleyan
Trinity Christian (Ill.)	at	Northwestern (Iowa)
Milligan (Tenn.)	at	Missouri Baptist
Bryan (Tenn.)	at	Marian (Ind.)
UC Merced (Calif.)	at	Eastern Oregon
Cottey (Mo.)	at	Central Methodist (Mo.)
Mobile (Ala.)	at	Keiser (Fla.)
Mayville State (N.D.)	at	Midland (Neb.)
The Master's (Calif.)	at	Corban (Ore.)
McPherson (Kan.)	at	Grand View (Iowa)
Olivet Nazarene (Ill.)	at	Providence (Mont.)
MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.)	at	Dordt (Iowa)
William Woods (Mo.)	at	Ottawa (Kan.)
Madonna (Mich.)	at	Viterbo (Wis.)
Texas Wesleyan	at	Bellevue (Neb.)
Bushnell (Ore.)	at	Rocky Mountain (Mont.)
Our Lady of the Lake (Texas)	at	Oklahoma City
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)	at	Cornerstone (Mich.)
Aquinas (Mich.)	at	IU Kokomo (Ind.)
Bethel (Ind.)	at	Reinhardt (Ga.)
Concordia (Neb.)	at	Xavier (La.)

NAIA Postseason History...Northwestern is making its fourth straight and 16th overall appearance at the NAIA Volleyball Championship, third most among this year's field (Georgetown - 21, Madonna - 19). They are 31-31 all-time at the championship and have reached the quarterfinals five times, most recently last season.

This will be the 11th team that current Northwestern head coach, Kyle Van Den Bosch, has taken to the championship. Ranked fifth in the final coaches' poll released earlier today, Northwestern received one of the 36 auto bids by way of the GPAC Tournament runner-up finish. Northwestern @ NAIA Championship

Trinity Christian, one of two teams from the CCAC in the 48-team field (Olivet Nazarene) is making its fourth straight and seventh overall appearance to the NAIA Championship. They are 2-4 in opening round matches, advancing to the final site in 2013 and 2018. The Trolls have a 3-9 record at the championship. 

Scouting Reports...

     (RV) Trinity Christian Trolls
    Overall Record: 18-8
    Chicagoland Collegiate Conf. Record: 14-3
    Head Coach: Becky Eller (1^st year)
        -former ass't at Trinity International
    Qualified by: Auto (CCAC Tment Runner-Up)
    NAIA Championship Appearances: 7
    Consecutive NAIA Appearances: 4th
    Record at NAIA Championship: 3-9
    Best Finish: 1-2 in pool play in 2018

    Team Stats (CCAC rank)
    Hitting % - .190 (4th)
    Kills / Set - 12.4 (4th)
    Aces / Set - 1.5 (8th)
    Blocks / Set - 1.6 (7th)

    Statistical Leaders:
    Kills / Set:
    Sarah Kiwan: 2.7 (all-conf)
    Anna Maatman: 2.7 (all-conf)
    Trisha Noonan: 2.5

    Hitting %:
    Taryn Hinken: .285
    Mady Zula: .267
    Brooke Veldman: .207

    Assists / Set:
    Amanda Lichtenstein: 9.62 (all-conf; Freshman of Year)

    Aces:
    Amanda Lichtenstein - 39
    Brianna Figeruroa: 35

    Blocks:
    Mady Zula: 58
    Taryn Hinken: 56

    Digs / Set:
    Brianna Figueroa: 4.2 (all-conf)
    Amanda Lichtenstein: 3.2
    Anna Maatman: 3.0

    #5 Northwestern Red Raiders
    Overall Record: 19-4
    GPAC Record: 13-3 (2^nd)
    Head Coach: Kyle Van Den Bosch (16^th  year)
    Qualified by: Auto (GPAC Tment Runner-Up)
    NAIA Championship Appearances: 16
    Consecutive NAIA Appearances: 4th
    Record at NAIA Championship: 31-31
    Best Finish: Quarterfinals (4x)

    Team Stats (GPAC rank / NAIA-if top 10)
    Hitting % - .266 (1st / 3rd)
    Kills / Set - 13.4 (4th)
    Aces / Set - 1.3 (4th)
    Blocks / Set - 2.3 (4th)
 
    Statistical Leaders:
    Kills / Set:
    Anna Wedel: 3.6 (2x All-American, NAIA Player of Year, 2x GPAC Player of Year)
    Makenzie Fink: 2.9 (2x All-American)
    A.J. Kacmarynski: 2.5 (All-American)

    Hitting %:
    Bekah Horstman: .366 (2x all-conf)
    Makenzie Fink: .331
    Emily Van Ginkel: .298 (3x all-conf)

    Assists / Set:
    Lacey Reitz: 11.3 (2x All-American, 4x all-conf, 2x GPAC Setter of Year)

    Aces:
    Taylor Meyer: 27
    Lacey Reitz: 21

    Blocks:
    Emily Van Ginkel: 77
    Macay Van't Hul: 68

    Digs / Set:
    Emily Strasser: 4.3 (3x all-conf)
    Anna Wedel: 2.9
    Lacey Reitz: 2.4