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HOME OF NORTHWESTERN RED RAIDERS ATHLETICS
HONORING CHRIST THROUGH EXCELLENCE IN ATHLETICS
Nike
volleyball-vcsu-recap-081823
0
Valley City State VCSU 1-1
3
Winner Northwestern NWC 1-0
Valley City State VCSU
1-1
0
Final
3
Northwestern NWC
1-0
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 F
Valley City State VCSU 17 17 16 (0)
Northwestern NWC 25 25 25 (3)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | | NWC Athletic Communications

Offense, Blocks Propel Red Raiders to Sweep to Start Season

Red Raiders hit at a blistering .325 in sweep to start the season

ORANGE CITY, Iowa – The No. 5-ranked Northwestern College volleyball team (1-0, 0-0 GPAC) opened the 2023 season with a straight sets victory over Valley City State University (1-1, 0-0 NSAA) behind a team hitting percentage of .325 and 12 blocks.
 
If there was any anxiety in the first match of the season was being played in front of the home crowd, the Red Raiders quickly put it behind them. Trailing 5-3 early, Northwestern jumped out to a 10-5 lead with seven-straight points behind the serving of freshman setter Logan Miller (Jefferson, S.D.). Despite Valley City State fighting back and making the deficit down to two points, the Red Raiders would never relinquish the lead in the opening set. Northwestern tallied five of the last six points to take the first set, 25-17.
 
Northwestern kept the pressure on in the second set, starting with the serve and scoring the first four points as Alysen Dexter (Jr., Urbandale, Iowa) made her presence known with two massive swings. The Raiders would jump out to a 7-2 lead and would keep the Viking attack at bay, as digs were constant by the Northwestern backline. VCSU would use a small spurt of four-straight points in an attempt to get back into the match (15-12), but a pair of kills from Savonne Sterk (Jr., Lynden, Wash.) and Dexter would end the Viking threat. Northwestern would also go on to take set two, 25-17.
 
The Red Raiders put the game out of reach early in set three, using a team hitting percentage of .368 in the set, to win the match in straight sets. A run of 11-straight points for Northwestern put the game out of reach, leading 15-4 and forcing VCSU to use both of their time outs to just quell the Red Raider attack. In the run, had four kills as four different Raiders put down kills.
 
MATCH NOTES:
  • Northwestern tallied 48 kills on the match, hitting at a clip of .325 – hitting above .300 just four times last season.
  • The Red Raiders controlled the net all night long, recording 12 blocks as a team to VCSU's three.
  • NWC won the dig battle over the Vikings, 59-49; digging up nearly 50% (47.2) of VCSU's total swings.
  • Alysen Dexter paced the Red Raider offense with her 15 kills, Jazlin De Haan contributed 14 in the win.  
  • Zavyr Metzger and Macay Van't Hul kept the net on lock down with their six kills each, making it hard for VCSU to put together any momentum.
  • Playing in her first collegiate volleyball match, freshman Logan Miller led the team with her 21 assists.
  • Liv Reitsma followed closely behind with her 17 assists.
  • De Haan (23) and Olivia Granstra (16) both notched double-digit dig performances.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH
Zavyr Metzger
Up Next: The Red Raiders will conclude the Red Raider Invite tomorrow morning with an 11:00 a.m. first serve against the Trojans of Dakota State University (S.D.) inside the Bultman Center.

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