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Women's Volleyball NWC Athletic Communications

Rematch with Viterbo On Deck for Championship Match Berth

Match is set for 5:00 p.m. inside the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The top-ranked Northwestern College volleyball team (30-2, 14-2 GPAC) has already made history this season, advancing to their first-ever National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Semifinals but the run continues with a regular season rematch against the V-Hawks of Viterbo (Wis.) University (34-4, 12-0 NSAA) on Monday evening 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 Doug Broek and Dr. Byron Noordewier 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.

In the Quarterfinals, the Red Raiders met the Lions of Vanguard University (Calif.) who entered the match with a 29-1 record and was riding a 27-match win streak. Dropping the first set (18-25), the Red Raiders rattled off three-straight set victories (25-23, 25-22, 25-14) to win their first-ever NAIA Quarterfinals game. Northwestern dominated the third set with a .385 hitting percentage and recorded just one error in the set. The Red Raiders blocked 14 attacks, and Jazlin De Haan (Jr., Orange City, Iowa) led all attackers with her 15 kills.
The V-Hawks came to Sioux City as the North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) regular season and tournament champions. The V-Hawks hosted Bryan College (Tenn.) in La Crosse, having no problems in a straight sets victory. At the Tyson Events Center, Viterbo advanced out of Pool Play with a pair of 3-0 wins over Columbia International University (S.C.) and Southern Oregon. They enter the semifinals on a nine-match win streak with their last loss being to No. 12 Jamestown (3-1) on October 26 in North Dakota.

NORTHWESTERN NOTABLES
  • NWC is making their 19th all-time appearance in the NAIA tournament.
  • NWC advances to their first-ever appearance in the NAIA Semifinals with a 3-1 win over Vanguard (Calif.).
  • Jazlin De Haan has recorded a double-double in every match played inside the Tyson Events Center.
  • Northwestern holds a perfect 9-0 neutral site record so far this season.
  • The Red Raiders enter Monday on a 16-match win streak.
  • Liv Reitsma has had two double-doubles in the Tyson Events Center (Bellevue, Vanguard).
  • 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 blocked at a clip of 3.58 in the five matches in November.
  • Jazlin De Haan leads the GPAC in kills per set (4.68); that mark sitting SECOND in the NAIA.
  • Northwestern has TEN NAIA top-25 wins this season (10-2, .833 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 5.65.
  • Alysen Dexter leads the GPAC in service aces (55).
REGULAR SEASON MEETING
  • The two teams met in a NAIA top-10 clash back on September 26 in La Crosse, Wisconsin with NWC prevailing in a thrilling five set affair.
  • The defense shined for Northwestern, holding a top-10 offense (hitting%) to just a clip of .155, aided by 15 blocks and 102 digs.
  • Jazlin De Haan tallied career-highs in both kills (27) and digs (25) to will Northwestern to the road win.
  • She was also the first Red Raiders to notch 20+ kills in a match this season.
  • The Red Raiders held the advantage in most statistical categories: points (90-76), kills (71-61), blocks (15-11), assists (70-58), and digs (102-84).
  • Logan Miller had a career-high 25 assists.
  • Olivia Granstra notched a season-high 34 digs in the win.
  • Both teams recorded four service aces in the match.
SCOUTING THE V-HAWKS
  • Viterbo enters the match after a 3-1 win over GPAC-foe Midland in the Quarterfinals on Saturday evening.
  • The V-Hawks put down kills at a very efficient clip, sitting 11th in the NAIA in hitting percentage (.249).
  • In the regular season meeting (Sept. 26), Viterbo was held to a mere .155 hitting percentage against the Red Raiders.
  • They're also one of six NAIA teams to put down 14+ kills per set, sitting FIFTH at a clip of 14.29.
  • Kenzie Winker (Sr., OH) paces the team with her 4.06 kills per set mark (540 total kills), putting down a team-high 22 against NWC.
  • Jada Mitchell (So., MH) had the team's best hitting percentage at .370.
  • Maddie Connor (So., DS) has a team-high 55 service aces this season.
  • Kenidie McCabe (Jr., DS) leads the team with her 4.97 digs per set (666 total digs).
RED RAIDERS IN THE NAIA TOURNAMENT
  • The Red Raiders hold a 43-31 (.581) record in the national tournament (entering semifinals).
  • 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.
  • This season marks the first-ever trip in program history to the NAIA Semifinals for the Red Raiders.
  • VDB has led NWC now to 13 national tournament appearances and seven-straight.
NOTING THE SERIES
  • Viterbo leads the all-time series, 5-4.
  • The V-Hawks hold a 2-0 record against the Red Raiders in NAIA tournament play (2014, 2018).
  • NWC won the regular season meeting in La Crosse back on September 26 (3-2).
  • Northwestern has won four of the last five meetings.
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 match is set for 5:00 p.m. and the winner will advance to the NAIA championship match on Tuesday, December 5 at 7:00 p.m. and will play the winner of (2) Indiana Wesleyan and (3) Eastern Oregon.

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
Liv Reitsma

#9 Liv Reitsma

S
5' 8"
Sophomore
Logan Miller

#6 Logan Miller

S
5' 7"
Freshman

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
Liv Reitsma

#9 Liv Reitsma

5' 8"
Sophomore
S
Logan Miller

#6 Logan Miller

5' 7"
Freshman
S