Red Raiders advance at NAIA national volleyball tourney
Posted: Thursday, November 29, 2007
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Northwestern College's volleyball team has advanced out of pool play at the NAIA national tournament.
Heading into today's action at Columbia College, the 10th-seeded Red Raiders of Coach Kyle Van Den Bosch are undefeated in Pool A play. Winners over Westminster College and SUNY-Canton, Northwestern will take a 30-10 record into this afternoon's 1:30 match against top-seeded Fresno Pacific.
Fresno Pacific (33-1) swept each of its Pool A opponents, Westminster and SUNY-Canton. Northwestern's opponent dropped last year's title match at the national tournament to National American University, a squad that's seeded fifth.
Even if Northwestern falls to Fresno Pacific, they'll still advance out of pool play, as the runner-up team in Pool A. The 10-team single-elimination play will start Friday.
Van Den Bosch said earlier this week he believes his club learned from last year's pool-play loss at the national tournament to Fresno Pacific.
"You have to serve aggressive to get them out of their system and you have to receive their jump serves," said Van Den Bosch. "Last year, we played even with them until about the 20th or 21st point, then they took off from us.
"Of course, you want to see the best of the best to see where your team lies. It's good for a young team like ours to see competition like that."
Northwestern opened pool play Wednesday with a 30-23, 28-30, 25-30, 30-24, 15-13 win over Westminster. Senior outside hitter Megan Meyer, the Great Plains Athletic Conference player of the year, provided 25 kills and 20 digs.
Bobbie Jean Rich, a 6-1 freshman outside hitter, supplied 19 kills and four block assists. Classmate Kaitlin Beaver, a 6-foot outside hitter, added 18 kills.
Sophomore setter Rachel Gosselink dished 59 assists. Freshman middle hitter Hillary Hanno, a starter for the Bishop Heelan High School squad that won the 2006 Class 3A state title, had nine kills, one solo block and five block assists while sophomore defensive specialist Janna Bloemendaal had 28 digs and two ace serves.
Northwestern followed with a 30-12, 30-12, 30-7 sweep over SUNY-Canton, as Meyer and 6-1 sophomore middle hitter Randa Hulstein each slammed 11 kills.
Gosselink had 44 assists while Bloemendaal, Hanno and sophomore Delainye Hardersen each recorded two ace serves.
Defensively, senior Karrisa Davelaar had 14 digs while Bloemendaal added 11. The front row defense featured the strong blocking of Hulstein (4 solos, 1 assist) and Beaver (1 solo, 3 assists).
National American, which defeated Northwestern in four games Nov. 17 to win the NAIA Region III title, opened Pool E play Wednesday with a 30-28, 30-28, 30-18 win over Bellevue as Daniela Oliviera supplied 20 kills, 11 digs and three block assists.
Heading into today's action at Columbia College, the 10th-seeded Red Raiders of Coach Kyle Van Den Bosch are undefeated in Pool A play. Winners over Westminster College and SUNY-Canton, Northwestern will take a 30-10 record into this afternoon's 1:30 match against top-seeded Fresno Pacific.
Fresno Pacific (33-1) swept each of its Pool A opponents, Westminster and SUNY-Canton. Northwestern's opponent dropped last year's title match at the national tournament to National American University, a squad that's seeded fifth.
Even if Northwestern falls to Fresno Pacific, they'll still advance out of pool play, as the runner-up team in Pool A. The 10-team single-elimination play will start Friday.
Van Den Bosch said earlier this week he believes his club learned from last year's pool-play loss at the national tournament to Fresno Pacific.
"You have to serve aggressive to get them out of their system and you have to receive their jump serves," said Van Den Bosch. "Last year, we played even with them until about the 20th or 21st point, then they took off from us.
"Of course, you want to see the best of the best to see where your team lies. It's good for a young team like ours to see competition like that."
Northwestern opened pool play Wednesday with a 30-23, 28-30, 25-30, 30-24, 15-13 win over Westminster. Senior outside hitter Megan Meyer, the Great Plains Athletic Conference player of the year, provided 25 kills and 20 digs.
Bobbie Jean Rich, a 6-1 freshman outside hitter, supplied 19 kills and four block assists. Classmate Kaitlin Beaver, a 6-foot outside hitter, added 18 kills.
Sophomore setter Rachel Gosselink dished 59 assists. Freshman middle hitter Hillary Hanno, a starter for the Bishop Heelan High School squad that won the 2006 Class 3A state title, had nine kills, one solo block and five block assists while sophomore defensive specialist Janna Bloemendaal had 28 digs and two ace serves.
Northwestern followed with a 30-12, 30-12, 30-7 sweep over SUNY-Canton, as Meyer and 6-1 sophomore middle hitter Randa Hulstein each slammed 11 kills.
Gosselink had 44 assists while Bloemendaal, Hanno and sophomore Delainye Hardersen each recorded two ace serves.
Defensively, senior Karrisa Davelaar had 14 digs while Bloemendaal added 11. The front row defense featured the strong blocking of Hulstein (4 solos, 1 assist) and Beaver (1 solo, 3 assists).
National American, which defeated Northwestern in four games Nov. 17 to win the NAIA Region III title, opened Pool E play Wednesday with a 30-28, 30-28, 30-18 win over Bellevue as Daniela Oliviera supplied 20 kills, 11 digs and three block assists.
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