Dana at Northwestern

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Game Time... Fifth-ranked Northwestern will host a pair of GPAC matches this weekend as they take on Dana on Friday night followed by a Saturday match-up against Midland Lutheran on Saturday. The Red Raiders are 18-2 overall, 4-0 in the GPAC. Dana is 13-7, 4-3 in the league and Midland Lutheran is 4-11 overall, 0-6 in the GPAC. Friday night's match-up is at 7:30 and Saturday's game is at 5:00pm with the junior varsity preceding both matches.

All-Time Series... Since 1989, Northwestern holds a 38-5 advantage in the series against Midland Lutheran and is 30-0 against Dana.

Scouting Report... Dana comes into Friday night's match-up with a 13-7 overall mark, 4-3 in the GPAC. After a season opening win over College of St. Mary (Neb.), the Vikings lost four straight at the Red Raider Classic but then won eight straight, including a 3-1 win over GPAC rival Concordia on Sept. 9. Since then, they are 4-3 with wins over Midland Lutheran, Mount Marty, Nebraska Wesleyan and Grace and losses to Morningside, Briar Cliff and Doane. They defeated Grace University last time out (Sept. 30) 3-0.

Rayna Cain is in her fourth season as the head coach and returns all but two starters off a 2008 team that finished eighth in the GPAC (5-11), 16-20 overall. They lost to Northwestern in the first round of the GPAC Tournament last year, 3-0. As a team, the Vikings rank eighth in the conference in kill percentage (.193), aces (1.4/set) and lead the conference in blocks (3.8 per set).

The Vikings return a strong cast at middle hitter in April Fitch and Kali Brayfield. A 5'11 senior, Brayfield earned second team all-GPAC honors in 2008 and ranks first in the conference this year with 1.4 blocks per set. She is hitting .226 and averages 2.21 kills per set. Fitch, a 5'11 junior, is sixth in the conference averaging 1.1 blocks per set to go with 1.1 kills per set. Megan Higgins returns on the outside to lead the Vikings in kills (2.2), hitting .182. Freshmen Amanda Kisker (1.4) and Katie Dettmer (2.0) are the other top hitters for the Vikings. Junior Stephanie Connell returns as one of the two Vikings' setters, and along with freshman Wendy Boller, average nearly nine assists per set. Amberly Heslinga and Brayfield are the top servers with 28 and 25 aces. Erin Shanahan, a 5-7 junior, returns at the libero and averages a team-best 4.9 digs per set. She earned GPAC Libero-of-the-Week earlier this year.

Midland Lutheran: The Warriors and first-year head coach Terry Gamble are 4-11 overall and winless in the GPAC with an 0-6 record. Gamble takes over for Kristin Lebeda, who resigned last spring, and comes to MLC after serving as the head coach at Iowa Western Community College. He inherits a Warrior squad that returns seven players off a 2008 team that finished 2-14 in the GPAC (13th), 7-25 overall.

Midland Lutheran opened the season with a 1-3 record at the St. Ambrose Tournament and followed with a 2-2 record at the Bellevue Classic. They defeated both Manhattan Christian and Bethel and lost to Benedictine and Bellevue. Since then, they are 1-6 with losses to GPAC teams Hastings, Briar Cliff, Dana, Morningside, Doane and Nebraska Wesleyan. Their only win was a 3-0 non-conference victory over College of St. Mary. Last time out, they fell 3-1 (27-29, 25-18,25-21 and 30-28) to the Prairie Wolves on Sept. 26.

The Warriors rank seventh in the GPAC in both kills (11.9) and kill percentage (.197). They are third in the league in digs (18.3 per set). Outside hitter Amanda Hunt and middle hitter Halie Wewel lead MLC, averaging 3.7 and 3.3 kills per set. Hunt, a 5-10 senior, earned second team all-GPAC honors in 2008, and also averages 2.8 digs per set. Wewel, a 6-2 sophomore, played at Southwest Minnesota State in 2008 and leads the team with 49 blocks. Nessa Blau is second on the team with 24 blocks to go with 1.8 kills per set and a team-best .254 kill percentage. Kaylie Heberly ranks fourth in the GPAC with 9.2 assists per set and averages 2.3 digs per set. Britni Putnam returns at the libero position and leads the team with 4.1 digs per set. She earned honorable mention all-GPAC honors in 2008.

Red Raider News and Notes... Northwestern is one of two teams undefeated in GPAC play as the Raiders put their 4-0 record on the line. They won their last 30 matches and have not lost since a 3-0 setback to Dordt in 2007.

The Raiders improved to 18-2 overall with four wins last weekend at the Bellevue Classic. In addition to wins over Bethany and MidAmerica Nazarene, the Raiders defeated 13th-ranked Bellevue (3-2) and fifth-ranked Georgetown (3-1). Hillary Hanno, Randa Hulstein and Kaitlin Beaver earned all-tournament honors with Beaver named the most valuable player. Both Hanno and Beaver were named GPAC Players of the Week for their play.

Northwestern leads the conference in kill percentage (.299) and ranks third in kills (13.3) and fourth in blocks (2.4). Randa Hulstein ranks second in both kills (4) and kill percentage (.401) while ranking fifth in blocks (1.1). She also has a team-best 33 ace serves. Hillary Hanno leads the GPAC with 4.1 kills per set while hitting .317 on the outside. Rylee Hulstein averages 2.1 kills per set on the outside to go with 2.4 digs per set. Kaitlin Beaver lofts up 10.7 assists per set and ranks second on the team with 24 aces. Janna Bloemendaal (3.1) and Delainye Woudstra (2.6) anchor the backrow, leading the team in digs.

Up Next... Northwestern hosts Dakota Wesleyan this Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 7:30 pm.