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2007 Season Review

The 2007 Northwestern College volleyball season was indeed a memorable one. Head Coach Kyle Van Den Bosch, in his third year at the helm, led his team to their second straight national tournament berth, sixth overall. The Red Raiders wrapped up pool play with a 2-1 mark and advanced to a play-in game for the right to go to the Elite Eight. In one of the most dramatic matches in recent years, Northwestern came back from a 2-1 deficit to knock off seventh seed and host Columbia, 3-2. The Red Raiders scored the final six points in the decisive game five to advance to just their second  ever Elite Eight. Coach Van Den Bosch’s squad lost to second seed and national runner-up California Baptist, 3-0, to end their season with a 31-12 overall record.

The season opened with five straight wins, including four wins in the Red Raider Classic. Coach Van Den Bosch then went west to play in the Concordia (Calif.) Tournament where they played two of the top five teams in the nation, Concordia and California Baptist, and finished with a 1-3 mark. They returned home to host GPAC rival Morningside in what would be the first of three classic meetings against the Mustangs. The visitors came out victorious, 3-2, in a match that lasted over 2:30 hours.

Northwestern won nine of their next 11 matches as they closed the month of September, which included wins over #22 Bellevue and #25 Texas Brownsville. After back-to-back GPAC losses to Hastings and Dordt (Oct. 3) that dropped NWC to 3-3 in the league, Coach Van Den Bosch’s squad won 10 straight matches to finish just one game in back of regular season champion Morningside. They picked up huge road wins at Briar Cliff, Morningside, and Doane and closed the season with a thrilling 3-2 win at Dordt.

Seeded second heading into the GPAC tournament, Northwestern continued their winning ways as they recorded home wins over Concordia and Hastings. In the GPAC Finals, the Red Raiders travelled to Morningside to take on the top-seeded Mustangs where they suffered a 3-0 loss but qualified for the six-team regional tournament in Sioux Falls.

Facing Dordt in the first round at the Region III Championships, Northwestern won the first game but lost the final three to the Defenders to fall to the loser’s bracket. Up next was perennial powerhouse and seventh-ranked Dickinson State. Facing elimination, the Red Raiders dominated the Blue Hawks from start to finish earning the 3-0 win and joined both Dordt and Dickinson State with 1-1 records. In a one game playoff with their season on the line, Northwestern defeated the Blue Hawks once again, 30-24, to advance to the regional championship. Coach Van Den Bosch’s squad fell in the championship contest, 3-1, to defending national champion National American.

Northwestern earned the 10th seed in the 20-team field and began pool play against #11 Westminster (Utah). The Red Raiders won game one but lost the next two, 30-28 and 30-25. Coach Van Den Bosch’s squad, however, battled back and won the final two games, winning 15-13 in a thrilling game five. Northwestern had little trouble with 20th seed SUNY Canton (N.Y.) but then had to face top-seed Fresno Pacific (Calif.). The Red Raiders battled but fell, 3-0, to advance to the play-in game of the Elite Eight.

Megan Meyer, a senior from Aplington, Iowa, headlined a list of six Red Raider players who earned all-conference honors in 2007. Meyer was named GPAC Player-of-the-Year and also third team NAIA All-American. She finished in the top five in several statistical categories, including the all-time leader in digs with 1,758. Sophomore Rachel Gosselink (Urbandale, Iowa) and freshman Kaitlin Beaver (Sioux Center, Iowa) also earned first team accolades. Beaver was named to the all-national tournament team as well. Randa Hulstein (Sioux Center, Iowa) and Hillary Hanno (Sioux City, Iowa) earned second team honors and Karrisa Davelaar took home honorable mention honors. Three Red Raiders, Meyer, Colette Veldhorst (Oostburg, Wis.) and Krista Hibma (Sheldon, Iowa) were named NAIA Scholar Athlete. Coach Van Den Bosch was named GPAC Coach of the Year as well in 2007.