Northwestern Opens GPAC Volleyball Tournament With Sweep Of Hastings

ORANGE CITY, IA (Dakota News Now) - Seventh-ranked Northwestern used a powerful, crisp offense to earn a 3-0 sweep over Hastings and advance to the GPAC semifinals. Individual game scores were 25-17, 25-21 and 25-10; the Raiders improve to 18-3 on the season and push their win streak against Hastings to five matches. Northwestern is 3-0 this spring.

Head Coach Kyle Van Den Bosch’s squad hit .494 over the three-set match, putting away 46 kills in 83 attempts while committing just five errors. The .494% is the fourth highest in program history and the second time this season that Northwestern hit over .400. (also vs Doane).

Set One: 25-17 win

Tied for the fifth time early in set one (6-6), a kill from Anna Wedel was the first point of a 3-0 run to put Northwestern in front for good
leading by three (16-13), Northwestern closed with an 8-4 run, getting kills by Wedel (3), Makenize Fink, Bekah Horstman and A.J. Kacmarynski
Fink and Wedel led Northwestern with six kills each in the first set

Set Two: 25-21 win

Northwestern built up a four-point lead (13-9) after a 3-0 run with Taylor Meyer at the service line
Hastings surged ahead later, 17-16, after their best surge (4-0) of the match to force a Raider timeout
back-to-back kills by Horstman and Emily Van Ginkel put Northwestern back in front moments later
tied at 21, a successful attack by Fink gave Northwestern the lead for good and sparked a 4-0 run to finish off set two

Set Three: 25-10 win

Following the first point by Hastings, Northwestern scored the next six points on kills by Wedel and Kacmarynski and four consecutive aces from Meyer
The Broncos cut the lead down to 7-3 but Northwestern responded with the next five points on two kills by Horstman, an ace from Fink and a couple of errors by Hastings

By the Numbers:

Northwestern had the advantage in hitting (49% - 17%), blocking (7-2), aces (9-1) and digs (36-25)
Fink put down a match-high 12 kills, hitting .611 from the rightside
Wedel totaled 11 kills and nine digs
Horstman added a season-high eight kills and put away five blocks
all five Northwestern attackers hit better than .320
Lacey Reitz lofted up 34 assists and totaled five kills in five attempts
Meyer matched her career high with five aces
Hastings was led by Emily Krolikowski with nine kills; Lucy Skoch added eight