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Northwestern College
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Nike
vb-recap-cune-241116
2
Concordia (NE) CUNE 24-3
3
Winner Northwestern NWC 30-0
Concordia (NE) CUNE
24-3
2
Final
3
Northwestern NWC
30-0
Winner
Set Scores
Team 1 2 3 4 5 F
Concordia (NE) CUNE 25 18 25 17 11 (2)
Northwestern NWC 19 25 18 25 15 (3)

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

Five-Set Thriller Brings Raiders Second Consecutive GPAC Title

ORANGE CITY, Iowa - In a highly-anticipated matchup between the top two teams in the country, Northwestern took down Concordia in five sets for the GPAC tournament title. The victory marked the Raiders' second consecutive GPAC tournament title, further cementing their dominance as they head into the NAIA tournament with a perfect 30-0 record.

"That was quite a match," head coach Kyle Van Den Bosch stated, noting the team's resilience. "We talked about the heart of a champion all day, and I thought our girls just played with quite a bit of that down the stretch."

In the first set, Concordia emerged with a 25-19 victory. The set saw an initial back-and-forth exchange, with the Raiders taking an early lead at 4-3. The Bulldogs then established a significant advantage, going on a 9-1 run to take a 12-7 lead. The Raiders attempted a comeback with several kills from Jazlin Douma, but the Bulldogs' consistent scoring and service aces helped them maintain their lead, eventually closing out the set.

In the second set, the Raiders and Concordia exchanged points early on, with the score tied at 5-5 after a series of kills and errors by both teams. The Raiders then pulled ahead with a 4-0 run, highlighted by a service ace from Jori Hajek to make it 9-5. Concordia responded by narrowing the gap to 13-12, but the Raiders capitalized on errors and effective plays, including multiple kills by Douma, to extend their lead. The Raiders maintained their advantage despite Concordia's efforts, ultimately winning the set 25-18.

In the third set, the Bulldogs started strong with a 4-0 run. The Raiders called a timeout but struggled to regain momentum as the Bulldogs continued to extend their lead to 10-5, contributing multiple blocks on the run. Northwestern attempted a comeback with Douma securing several kills, narrowing the gap to 21-15. However, the Bulldogs maintained control, eventually sealing the set with a 25-18 victory.

The Raiders secured a 25-17 victory over the Bulldogs in the fourth set. The set began with the Raiders capitalizing on an attack error, but the Bulldogs quickly responded with a kill. Northwestern then went on a significant run, scoring five consecutive points, largely due to attack errors by the Bulldogs and a kill by Douma, prompting the Bulldogs to call a timeout. Despite the Bulldogs' efforts to close the gap, the Raiders maintained control, with Douma consistently contributing to the scoreboard and Maddy Sampson adding crucial points. The set concluded with the Raiders' Savonne Sterk sealing the win with a kill.

In the fifth set, the Raiders took an early lead with an opening kill by Emma Westphal. The Bulldogs responded with a series of points, including a kill a service error from the Raiders, to bring the score to 4-2 in their favor. The Raiders then capitalized on attack errors and a series of kills by Douma to regain and extend the lead to 10-7, prompting a Concordia timeout. Despite some successful plays by the Bulldogs, the Raiders maintained their advantage, closing the set with a 15-11 victory, with Douma and Sampson securing the GPAC title with an assisted block. Douma's performance was pivotal, as she recorded a program-record 33 kills in the match.

Reflecting on the pivotal moments, Van Den Bosch added, "I thought towards the end of the third set, we started to get a little momentum which I thought carried over to the fourth." Despite being down two sets to one, Van Den Bosch emphasized, "We said, hey, we've been in this spot before panic. Let's just do what we do. The girls showed a lot of heart."

GAME NOTES
  • Northwestern secures its fifth GPAC tournament title under Kyle Van Den Bosch.
  • Jazlin Douma set a new program record with 33 kills, doing so on a .309 efficiency.
  • Douma added 17 digs and seven blocks.
  • Maddy Sampson had nine kills and nine blocks. Her blocks total secured a career-high.
  • Jori Hajek led the team with 20 digs.
  • Liv Reitsma and Logan Miller were stellar in the setting position, tallying 29 and 27 assists, respectively.
  • Northwestern hit .223 and held Concordia to a .142 clip.
Don't forget to follow Northwestern College Athletics on Facebook @nwcraiders, Twitter @nwcraiders, and Instagram @nwcraiders! #RaidersStandOut
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