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Women's Volleyball NWC Athletic Communications

Northwestern to Play No. 10 Vanguard in NAIA Quarterfinals

Match is set for 11:00 a.m. inside the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The top-ranked Northwestern College volleyball team (29-2, 14-2 GPAC) will be making their fourth trip to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Quarterfinals in five seasons after a pair of victories in Pool Play. The Red Raiders will square off with No. 10-ranked Vanguard (Calif.) University (29-1, 14-0 GSAC) tomorrow morning, Saturday, December 2 inside the Tyson Events Center.

You can catch the action live on the NAIA Network (now for free), or listen on KSOU Radio (93.9 FM) with Matt Bos on the call.

HOW THEY GOT HERE
Northwestern won their first Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) tournament title since 2014 with a thrilling five-set win over No. 4-ranked Concordia (Neb.) on November 11 inside the Bultman Center, marking just the fourth five-set match for the Red Raiders this season. In Pool Play, the Red Raiders picked up wins over St. Ambrose (Iowa) (3-1) and No. 18-ranked Bellevue (3-0) to advance to bracket play of the national tournament.
Holding an impressive 29-1 record entering the Quarterfinals, the Lions of Vanguard ran the table in the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) with a 14-0 record. They picked up a straight-sets win over The Master's (Calif.) and a hard-fought 3-2 win over Menlo (Calif.) to clinch a GSAC tournament title and automatic bid to the NAIA tournament. The Lions would face Benedictine Mesa (Ariz.) in the Opening Round, picking up their second-straight five-set win in Santa Ana, California on their home floor.

The Lions, the winners of Pool H, picked up Pool Play victories over Saint Katherine (Calif.) (3-1) and No. 8-ranked Missouri Baptist (3-0). On the final day of Pool Play, it was a top-10 NAIA showdown that saw the Lions control from start to finish. Callie Bickmore (Sr., OH), who sits second on the team in kills per set, led the team with her nine kills against the Spartans. Bailey Olbur (Sr., MH) recorded six blocks at the net, contributing to the team's 10 on the match.

NORTHWESTERN NOTABLES
  • NWC is making their 19th all-time appearance in the NAIA tournament.
  • NWC advances to their fourth NAIA Quarterfinals in five seasons.
  • The Red Raiders have hit at a clip of .281 in their three NAIA tournament matches.
  • Northwestern holds a perfect 8-0 neutral site record so far this season.
  • The Red Raiders enter Saturday on a 15-match win streak.
  • NWC had eight GPAC All-Conference honorees; highlighted by three major awards – Player of the Year (Jazlin De Haan), Co-Defensive Player of the Year (Zavyr Metzger), and Coach of the Year (Kyle Van Den Bosch).
  • Announced on Thursday, the Red Raiders had three major AVCA All-Region honors: Player of the Year (Jazlin De Haan), Coach of the Year (Kyle Van Den Bosch), and Assistant Coach of the Year (Lacey Reitz).
  • NWC leads the NAIA in blocks per set as a team (3.54), while Zavyr Metzger leads all NAIA individuals with her 2.00 blocks per set mark.
  • Metzger continues to lead all four-year collegiate volleyball divisions (NCAA DI, DII, DIII, NAIA, NCCAA DI, DII) in blocks per set.
  • October was a phenomenal month for the Red Raiders, as they blocked at an impressive clip of 3.74 blocks per set; the highest of the three full months of the season (Aug., 2.80; Sept., 3.62).
  • November is giving the month of October a run for its money, as the Red Raiders have blocked at a clip of 3.58 in the four matches in November.
  • Jazlin De Haan leads the GPAC in kills per set (4.71); that mark sitting SECOND in the NAIA.
  • Northwestern has NINE NAIA top-25 wins this season (9-2, .818 win%).
  • The Red Raiders completed three undefeated months this season: August (5-0), October (8-0), and November 5-0).
  • NWC's 24 sweeps now sits in sole possession of second-place in program history.  
  • Olivia Granstra continues to sit second in the league in digs/set at 5.68.
  • Alysen Dexter leads the GPAC in service aces (53).
SCOUTING THE LIONS
  • The Lions sit seventh in the NAIA with their 13.92 kills per set mark.
  • Sophomore OH Morgan Cole paces the team with her 350 kills (3.24/set).
  • Rachel Lim (Jr.) and Madeline DeLucia (Sr.) share the setting duties with marks of 6.55 and 5.14 per set, respectively.
  • On the blocking front, senior MH Bailey Olbur leads the team with her 103 on the season (0.97/set).
RED RAIDERS IN THE NAIA TOURNAMENT
  • The Red Raiders hold a 42-31 (.563) record in the national tournament (entering Quarterfinals).
  • They picked up their 40th all-time win in the national tournament with the 3-0 sweep of the College of the Ozarks in the Opening Round (Nov. 18).
  • Northwestern has now made EIGHT appearances to the NAIA Quarterfinals, seven have been done by Van Den Bosch at the helm.
  • VDB has led NWC now to 13 national tournament appearances and seven-straight.
AVCA ALL-REGION HONORS (WEST CENTRAL REGION)
  • PLAYER OF THE YEAR: JAZLIN DE HAAN
  • COACH OF THE YEAR: KYLE VAN DEN BOSCH
  • ASSISTANT COACH OF THE YEAR: LACEY REITZ
  • Olivia Granstra – All-Region
  • Alysen Dexter – All-Region
  • Zavyr Metzger – Honorable Mention All-Region
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for the national tournament Final Site can be purchased through the link above, through the Tyson Events Center's website (linked above and on the schedule page).
Adults will be charged $15 per match, K-College students will be charged $8. The full tournament pass adult price is set at $60.

GAME INFORMATION
The Pool Play at the Final Site of the 2023 NAIA national tournament will once again be held at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City. The match is set for 11:00 a.m. and the winner will advance to the semifinals on Monday, December 4 at 5:00 p.m. and will play the winner of (13) Midland and (5) Viterbo (Wis.). 

Don't forget to follow Northwestern College Athletics on Facebook @nwcraiders, Twitter @nwcraiders, and Instagram @nwcraiders! #RaidersStandOut
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Players Mentioned

Jazlin Douma

#13 Jazlin Douma

OH
5' 11"
Junior
Alysen Dexter

#11 Alysen Dexter

OH
6' 0"
Junior
Olivia Granstra

#4 Olivia Granstra

DS
5' 7"
Junior
Zavyr Metzger

#10 Zavyr Metzger

MH
6' 1"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Jazlin Douma

#13 Jazlin Douma

5' 11"
Junior
OH
Alysen Dexter

#11 Alysen Dexter

6' 0"
Junior
OH
Olivia Granstra

#4 Olivia Granstra

5' 7"
Junior
DS
Zavyr Metzger

#10 Zavyr Metzger

6' 1"
Sophomore
MH