Tigers battle No. 2 NWC to four sets

ORANGE CITY, Iowa – The Dakota Wesleyan University volleyball team hit the road to take on No. 2 Northwestern College and fought through four tightly contested sets before dropping the Great Plains Athletic Conference battle on Tuesday in Orange City, Iowa.

 Set scores were 21-25, 25-14, 22-25, 24-26.

 In the opening set, NWC (16-0, 5-0 GPAC) jumped out to a 5-1 lead. But the Tigers (14-4, 1-4 GPAC) tied the set at 10 with consecutive kills by Jadie DeLange (Monument, Colo.).

 DWU took a 17-15 lead moments later after Rebecca Frick (Yankton, S.D.) put away an attack. However, the Red Raiders strung together a run to put DWU away in the opening frame.

 The second set was all Tigers thanks to precision attacking by Emily Brunsing (Wagner, S.D.) who gave them a 14-8 lead midway through the set. DWU did not look back as they went on an 8-2 run after a Brittany Bergquist (Wolsey, S.D.) kill put them up by 10 points. Frick capped off the dominating second set with a kill that tied the game at one set apiece.

 In the third set, DeLange and Brunsing recorded kills that gave the Tigers an early lead. Thanks to consecutive errors by the Red Raiders, DWU held an 11-5 lead. NWC went on to tie the game at 16, before taking a 19-16 lead late in the set.

 However, the Tigers would not go away as they scored three-straight points after a Chaydon Metzger (Larchwood, Iowa) kill tied the set once again. DWU was unable to close it out as the Red Raiders stole the set.

 In the fourth set, DWU once again took a lead midway through as Frick gave the Tigers a 14-10 advantage. NWC went on a quick 6-0 spurt that gave them two-point lead. DWU returned the favor as they went on a 5-1 run to take a two-point lead of their own.

 After the Red Raiders took a 23-20 lead, Frick tied the set moments later at 23. But NWC closed out the set with consecutive kills to down the Tigers.

 Frick tallied a season-high 23 kills along with 11 digs, while Brunsing added 14 kills and four block assists. Bridgett Knobbe (Norfolk, Neb.) notched 51 assists, as DeLange recorded 15 kills and Mallory Cooper (Orchard, Neb.) finished with 24 digs. Bergquist and Metzger each tallied five kills and two block assists, while freshman Mariah Gloe (Watertown, S.D.) added 11 digs.

 The Tigers host No. 19 Dordt University for a GPAC matchup at 3 p.m. on Saturday in the Christen Family Athletic Center.