Mount Marty at Northwestern

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Game Time... Northwestern goes for its 11th straight win tonight as the play host to Mount Marty in GPAC volleyball. The fifth-ranked Raiders are 23-2 overall and are one of two undefeated teams in the GPAC at 9-0. Mount Marty is 0-8 in conference play, 4-17 overall. Watch/Listen to the match tonight via the NWC webcast at the following link: Watch/Listen Now!

Last Time Out... The Raiders defeated both Concordia and Hastings on the road last weekend by 3-0 scores. In the win over the Broncos, Randa Hulstein totaled 16 kills and Hillary Hanno added 11 as the Raiders hit .259 for the match, recording 41 kills in 112 attempts with just 12 errors. Hulstein added five blocks and tied for the team lead with 12 digs. Hanno hit .242 on the outside for the Raiders, reaching double figures in kills with 11. Rylee Hulstein added eight kills, nine digs and five blocks. Kaitlin Beaver lofted up 36 assists and went a perfect 14-of-14 from the service line, including two aces. Janna Bloemendaal tied for the team lead with 12 digs while Delainye Woudstra totaled eight digs and went 11-for-11 from the service line.

After a 3-0 win over Grace University on Oct. 6, Mount Marty fell to Briar Cliff on Oct. 7 3-0 (25-17,25-21,25-20). Maggie Goree hit for a match-high 10 kills and hit .333 for the match. Kate Carda added six kills, two solo blocks and six digs. Jen Jerdee lofted up seven assists and registered three ace serves.

The Series...Since 1989, the Raiders hold a 25-1 record against Mount Marty. They have won 17 straight matches, dating back to 1996. Earlier this year, Northwestern defeated Mount Marty 3-0 (25-15,25-13 and 25-19). Randa Hulstein led the way with eight kills and five blocks, becoming the school's all-time leader in blocks in the process. Hillary Hanno added seven kills as the Raiders hit .316 for the match. Kaitlin Beaver lofted up 28 assists and added five ace serves. Mount Marty was led by Maggie Goree and Kate Carda who posted four kills each.

Scouting Report...First year head coach Albert Fernandez's squad comes in with a 4-17 overall record, 0-8 in the GPAC. They recorded wins over York (3-0), Presentation (3-0), Buena Vista (3-2) and Grace (3-0).

MMC returns 14 players from a 2008 squad that finished 10th in the league (3-13) and closed the season with a 14-21 overall record. Carly Benson, one of three seniors, earned honorable mention all-GPAC honors last year and returns at the libero position. Benson leads the team in digs (5.2) and serve receive (93%). Junior middle hitters Maggie Goree and Krista Hohn are the top returning hitters, averaging 1.6 kills per set. Hohn leads the team lead with 44 blocks. Two freshmen, Tina Rowbotham and Kate Lingscheit, start in the regular rotation for Coach Fernandez's squad. Rowbotham takes over at setter and averages 5.5 assists per set and guides an offense that hits.152. A 6-0 outside hitter, Lingscheit leads MMC in kills (2.0) and ranks second with 36 blocks.

Raider Notes... Northwestern continues to be among the top hitting teams in the NAIA, ranking fifth in the nation with a .308 kill percentage. Randa Hulstein leads the GPAC and ranks sixth in the nation with a .402 hitting percentage. She is averaging 3.9 kills per set and ranks fourth all-time with 1,570 career kills, trailing Megan Meyer (1,872), Krista Bundt and Amy Schutt (2,483). Hillary Hanno averages a GPAC leading 4.05 kills per set, ranking sixth in the GPAC with a .332 kill percentage. Rylee Hulstein averages 2.1 kills per set while Bobbie jean Rich (1.3) and Jennifer Jansen (1.1) are the other top hitters. Kaitlin Beaver is sixth in the NAIA averaging nearly 11 assists per set. The Raiders are among the top serving teams in the league, averaging 2.1 ace serves per set. Heather Goehring (39), Randa Hulstein (36) and Kaitlin Beaver (33) all rank in the league's top 10 in ace serves. Janna Bloemendaal (3.0) and Delainye Woudstra (2.7) are the top defensive players for Coach Van Den Bosch's squad.

Up Next... Northwestern will play its final home games of the regular season this weekend as they host Nebraska Wesleyan on Friday night followed by a Saturday showdown with Doane.