Dordt at Northwestern

• PREVIEW
• BOXSCORE

Game Time... Fifth-ranked Northwestern hosts 14th-ranked Dordt Saturday night in a key GPAC volleyball match in the Bultman Center. Play scheduled to get underway at 7:30 pm. The Raiders are 1-0 in the GPAC and 8-1 overall while the Defenders are 10-0 on the season, 1-0 in league play.

The Series... Since 1989, Northwestern are 28-34 against the Defenders but 6-4 in the last 10 match-ups (since 2005). The Raiders swept both matches in 2008, playing five set-thrillers in each of the two meetings. In fact, three of the last five matches have gone to five sets.

Last Year...Northwestern defeated Dordt 3-2 (25-20,17-25,25-14,22-25 and 15-13) on Oct. 7 in the Bultman Center. Randa Hulstein hit .366 and recorded a match-high 22 kills and 22 digs while Rylee Hulstein added 11 kills and 12 digs. The Raiders totaled 34 blocks, led by Kate Buyert with nine and Bobbie jean Rich with eight. Dordt was led by Kendra Potgeter with 14 kills while Kristin DeRonde posted 11 kills and three blocks. In their second match-up, NWC won the first two sets (25-15, 25-21) but the Defenders came back to take sets three and four (25-18, 25-22) to force a decisive fifth set. The Raiders took set five, 15-11, to cap off an undefeated (16-0) GPAC regular season. Randa Hulstein led NWC with 14 kills and seven blocks, Rylee Hulstein totaled 14 kills and 21 digs and Hillary Hanno added 11 kills. Janna Bloemendaal had 18 digs and Kaitlin Beaver lofted up 46 assists. Dordt was led by DeRonde with 16 kills and Potgeter totaled 12 kills and two blocks.

Dordt News and Notes... The Defenders are undefeated in 2009, coming into tonight's match with a 10-0 record. They went 4-0 at the Red Raider and College of St. Mary Classic, knocked off Briar Cliff (3-0) in non-conference play and defeated USF last time out, 3-2 (20-25, 25-19, 17-25, 25-16 and 15-9). Loy Griess led the way with 15 kills and Potgeter added 10 kills and eight blocks. Dorinda Hibma led the defense with 27 digs and two aces.

Dordt is coming off a 2008 season in which they finished 32-10 and was one of four GPAC teams to qualify for the national tournament. They ended GPAC play in third place with a 13-3 mark and return eight starters from last year. Kendra Potgeter earned All-American honors in 2008 and leads the Defenders with 3.2 kills and 1.5 blocks per set this season. April Solsma, a 6-0 sophomore, averages 1.7 kills per set and is hitting .306. Both setters return for Head Coach Tom Van Den Bosch's squad in Cassie Huizenga (5.2 assists/set) and Jessica DeStigter (5.1 assists/set). Dorinda Hibma, a two-time second team all-GPAC player, returns at the libero position and averages 5.7 digs per game and has 14 ace serves. Brandee Schaap, a 5-7 sophomore, leads the team with 16 ace serves. Freshmen Brittany Landegent (1.9), Jana Van Zanten (3.15) and Loy Griess (1.6) are the other top hitters for the Defenders.

Raider News and Notes... Fifth-ranked Northwestern is 8-1 this season and opened conference play with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-14) win over Dakota Wesleyan in Mitchell, S.D.

Hillary Hanno led the offense with 11 kills on the outside, posting a kill efficiency of .214. Bobbie jean Rich and Randa Hulstein added eight kills and Jennifer Jansen added seven kills, hitting .385 for the three sets. Kaitlin Beaver lofted up 30 assists and went 14-for-15 from the service line. Northwestern hit .271 for the match and held the DWU offensive attack to just a .091 kill percentage. The Raiders totaled 11 blocks, led by Rich with five and Jansen with three.

Defensively, Janna Bloemendaal led the way with 13 digs and was perfect (16/16) in serve receive while Randa Hulstein added 11 digs. Both Delainye Hardersen (11/11) and Heather Goehring (9/9 with two aces) served 100%.

Leading Northwestern this season is Randa Hulstein, who leads the GPAC in kills (4.2), kill efficiency (.454) and ace serves (18). The NAIA All-American and GPAC Player-of-the Year ranks second in NWC history with 610 career blocks, six shy of setting the record (Krista Westra-1995-98). Hillary Hanno ranks second in the GPAC in kills (3.9) and is second in kill percentage (.386). Bobbie jean Rich leads the conference with 19 blocks and averages 1.3 kills per set, hitting .294. Kaitlin Beaver is third in the conference in assists (9.8) and ranks fifth in ace serves (15). Leading the back row are seniors Janna Bloemendaal (3.24 digs/set) and Delainye Woudstra (1.8 digs/set). Bloemendaal ranks sixth all-time in career digs (1,533).

Up Next... The Raiders travel to Yankton, S.D. to play Mount Marty at 6/7:30 pm.