Courtesy of Midland Athletics
FREMONT, Neb. – It was a battle of ranked teams on Saturday as No. 18 Midland University hosted No. 7 Northwestern College inside the Wikert Event Center. The Warriors battled the Red Raiders throughout but ultimately fell in straight sets, 25-17, 25-14, 25-19, in Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) play.
Northwestern, which defeated No. 2-ranked Concordia the night before, continued its hot streak in the opening set. The Raiders jumped out to a 13-3 lead before Midland settled in and started to claw back. The Warriors used an 8-3 run to pull within four, but the Raiders regrouped to close out the set, 25-17.
The visitors hit .361 in the first set with 17 kills and four errors while holding Midland to a respectable .184 attack percentage with 12 kills and five errors.
In the second set, the Warriors held a narrow early edge, using a five-point swing to go up 6-4. The Raiders responded with a strong run of their own, going from two down to nine points up at 16-7. From there, they withstood all attempts by Midland to rally and took the set, 25-14.
Northwestern hit .267 in the frame while Midland was limited to its lowest mark of the match at .061. The Raiders were efficient with just four errors against 12 kills, while the Warriors tallied eight errors and 10 kills.
Needing to win the third to extend the match, Midland was unable to find its rhythm. Northwestern scored the first four points and once again staved off any Warrior rally. Midland had just three sustained rotations in the set, producing runs of three, two, and three. The Raiders closed out the match with a 25-19 win — their 12th sweep of the season.
Midland posted its best attacking numbers of the afternoon in the third, hitting .258 with 13 kills. Northwestern also had its best set statistically, hitting .387 with 16 kills.
The Warriors’ attack was directed by Brena Mackling and Jaysa Wentzlaff, who recorded 14 and 12 assists, respectively, guiding the team to a .167 hitting percentage. Four players registered five or more kills, led by Brooklynn Snyder with 12. She was followed by Abree Plueger with seven, Abby Spidle with five, and Macey Jackson with five.
Defensively, Midland tallied three blocks. Avery Couch recorded a solo block, while Spidle notched a pair of block assists, teaming up with Plueger and Lauren Jones. In the back row, Delainey Cast and Claire Johnson led the team with eight digs each.
Midland (13-7, 8-2 GPAC) will look to rebound from the loss next week as it returns to its traditional Wednesday-Saturday schedule. The Warriors will travel to face Doane (12-12, 3-7 GPAC) midweek before heading to Dordt (15-6, 6-4 GPAC) next weekend. First serve in Crete is set for 7:30 p.m. on October 15.
