Sioux Falls at Northwestern

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Game Time…Sixth-ranked Northwestern resumes conference play this evening as they play host to the U. of Sioux Falls at 6/7:30pm in the Bultman Center. The visiting Cougars are 11-8 overall, 1-1 in the GPAC, while the Raiders are 13-2 overall, 3-0 in conference play.

The Coaches…Lisa Mathes-Peters is 55-85 over her four-year tenure as the head coach of the USF volleyball program. Prior to coming to USF, she spent two years as head coach at Des Moines Area Community College. Head Coach Kyle Van Den Bosch holds an impressive 118-38 record during his four-year tenure, winning nearly 76% of his matches, the best in the program’s history.

The Series… Since 1989, Northwestern holds a 20-2 advantage in the all-time series, winning the last 11 matches.

Last Year…The Raiders swept both meeting last season, winning by a 3-0 score both times. In the first match-up, the Raiders won 25-8,25-19,25-14 in Sioux Falls, S.D. behind 17 kills by Hillary Hanno. Randa Hulstein added 12 kills for NWC, which hit .386 for the match. USF was led by Danielle Roers and Amber Sneller with six kills each. Northwestern  then defeated the Cougars 25-18,25-22 and 25-19 in Orange City as the Raiders hit .252. Hanno led the way with 13 kills followed by Kate Buyert and Rylee Hulstein who both added 11. Roers led USF with seven kills.

USF News and Notes… The Cougars return seven key players from a 2008 team that finished with a 15-24 record, 2-14 in the GPAC. This season, USF holds an 11-8 record, 1-1 within the conference. Last weekend, they went 2-2 at the Mustang Classic held in Sioux City, Iowa. The first day, USF faced to two talented teams, losing to Hastings College (16-1) and Wayland Baptist College (11-0) by 3-0 scores. Day two brought better fortune as they posted a 2-0 record for the day. The Cougars defeated Ashford College in five and Missouri Valley College 3-1. Rachel Heeney had 117 digs in the four matches combined, including a school-record 46 against Ashford College. Danielle Roers totaled 42 kills, while Samantha Haffke and Amber Sneller led with 69 and 67 assists.

Danielle Roers, an honorable mention all-GPAC player in 2008, leads USF averaging 2.6 kills and digs per set. The junior is hitting .204 and has 20 aces. Amber Sneller is hitting a team-best .231, averaging 2.3 kills per set and ranks second with 48 ace serves. Sneller also serves as one of the two setters, averaging 4.4 assists per game. Alyssa Chambers (1.4) and Megan Boomgarden (1.4) boast a formidable 1-2 combination in the middle and lead the team with 61 and 34 blocks, respectively. Freshman Sarah Kohler (1.5 k/set)is the other top hitter in her first season at USF. Samantha Haffke makes the switch to setter this year after playing in the backrow in 2008. She averages 4.9 assists and 2.3 digs per set. Rachel Heeney has a team-best 53 ace serves to go with a team-high 6.3 digs per set.

Red Raider Notes…Northwestern dropped one spot in this week’s NAIA rating to sixth after going 3-1 at last weekend’s Holiday Inn Express Classic. The Raiders defeated 17th-ranked Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) in the opening match, 3-1 then swept past Freed-Hardeman University (Tenn.) 3-0.On Saturday, the Raiders defeated #13 Bellevue (Neb.) in the first match 3-1 followed by a five-set thriller in which they lost to Georgetown, 3-2. Randa Hulstein and Hillary Hanno earned all-tournament honors after averaging 4.5 and 4.4 kills per set respectively while Beaver lofted up 11.1 assists per set.

The Raiders are leading the conference in hitting (.305) and showcase the two leading hitters in the GPAC, Randa Hulstein (4.2/set) and Hillary Hanno (3.9). Northwestern ranks second in the GPAC with 113 aces, led by Kaitlin Beaver with 24. Beaver also lofts up 10.2 assists per set.