DWU drops conference opener to No. 7 Red Raiders in four sets

MITCHELL, S.D. – After taking the opening set in front of a raucous home crowd, the Dakota Wesleyan University volleyball team did not have enough as they fell to No. 7 Northwestern College in four sets in Great Plains Athletic Conference action on Wednesday in the Corn Palace.

 Set scores were: 25-22, 24-26, 15-25, 20-25.

 In the opening set, DWU jumped out to an early lead following four-straight kills by Brittany Bergquist (Wolsey, S.D.), Jadie DeLange (Monument, Colo.), Chaydon Metzger (Larchwood, Iowa) and Emily Brunsing (Wagner, S.D.).

 Later in the set, the Red Raiders (8-0, 1-0 GPAC) took a 19-18 lead. However, the Tigers (8-1, 0-1 GPAC) regained the lead, 23-20. Moments later, Rebecca Frick (Yankton, S.D.) and Bergquist brought the Tiger faithful to their feet with a block that sealed the opening set victory.

 The Tigers roared out to a fast start in the second set as they strung together a 7-0 run that was capped off by a Bridgett Knobbe (Norfolk, Neb.) kill. With DWU leading 14-5, NWC went on a run of its' own, stringing together five-straight points.

 After consecutive attacking errors by the Red Raiders, they went on a 5-0 run to pull within two points. Northwestern took the lead late in the second set, but Frick notched a kill to tie the set at 24. But the Red Raiders pulled away with the second-set victory.

 Northwestern carried the momentum into the third set, winning by 10 points. After the Red Raiders jumped out to a seven-point lead in the fourth set, Bergquist and Brunsing recorded a pair of kills to pull the Tigers within four points. But it was not enough as the Red Raiders took the fourth set and the victory. 

 Brunsing led the team with 15 kills, five digs and a block, as Frick added 12 kills and 17 digs. Mallory Cooper (Orchard, Neb.) notched 21 digs, while Dannielle Burns (Raymond, Minn.) chipped in 19 digs. Knobbe finished with 38 assists and seven digs and Bergquist recorded nine kills and 1.5 blocks.

 The Tigers step out of conference play as they take on Presentation College and York College at noon and 4 p.m. on Saturday in the Corn Palace.