Raiders fall in NAIA championship

SIOUX CITY, I.A. (NWC) – It was a hard-fought battle at Tyson Events Center on Tuesday, but Northwestern came up short against Indiana Wesleyan in the NAIA Championship, falling in four sets.

IWU 3, NWC 1 (23-25, 25-23, 18-25, 19-25)

How It Happened
The opening set was a nail-biter, with Northwestern and Indiana Wesleyan trading points early. The Wildcats edged ahead, capitalizing on some attack errors to take an 11-7 lead. Even after a timeout, Indiana Wesleyan stretched the lead to 19-13, with steady performances from Eva Joldersma and Marissa Mullins. Northwestern rallied late, closing a five-point gap to tie at 23-23, highlighted by a service ace from Stella Winterfeld and a clutch kill by Zavyr Metzger. However, Indiana Wesleyan clinched the set 25-23, thanks to Joldersma’s decisive kill and a block by Marin Sanchez.

Northwestern bounced back in the second set with a narrow 25-23 win. Winterfeld started strong with back-to-back kills, both assisted by Liv Reitsma, giving the Red Raiders an early edge. The Wildcats fought back, tying the game at 9-9 and moving ahead 15-12 after a series of attack errors by the Raiders. But Northwestern found their footing with a key service ace by Maggie Bloom at 23-23, followed by another kill from Winterfeld to reach set point. Bloom then sealed the set with another ace, tying the match and getting the NWC-dominant crowd on its feet.

The third set saw Indiana Wesleyan take a 25-18 victory. It was a tight set with both teams trading points. Shae Williams stepped up for the Wildcats with crucial kills, helping her team inch ahead. The Raiders later forced an IWU timeout at 20-17 to make it interesting, but the Wildcats continued their run and Joldersma finished the set with a decisive kill.

In the fourth set, the Wildcats sealed the match with a 25-19 win. Abbigail Porter was instrumental, setting up key plays with assists on kills by Mullins, Jessica Ickes, and Joldersma. Despite a strong showing from Winterfeld, with several kills assisted by Reitsma, Indiana Wesleyan’s consistent offense proved too much. Williams contributed three consecutive points in a late surge, extending the lead to 17-14. The set and match concluded with a block by Ickes and Williams to secure the championship for Indiana Wesleyan.

MATCH NOTES:

• Stella Winterfeld led Northwestern with 20 kills and 18 digs.
• Rylie Franken posted 10 kills and four blocks.
• Maddy Sampson recorded nine kills on the night, hitting .421.
• Zavyr Metrzger notched six blocks to go with eight kills.
• Liv Reitsma dished out 32 assists and had nine digs.
• Nyah Potthoff had a double-double of 19 assists and 16 digs.

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