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Volleyball

Volleyball advances to NCCAA region championship after 3-1 win over Bethel (Ind.)

Box Score

PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. (Nov. 21, 2008) – The Northwestern College volleyball team advanced to the championship game of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) North Central Region Tournament on Friday, defeating second-seeded Bethel College (Ind.) 3-1. The Eagles, who entered the tournament as the third seed, played one of their best matches of the year against one of the team's best opponents to boost their season record to 27-5. Northwestern has now won nine straight matches.

After losing the first set 25-23, the Eagles won the next three sets, including a 28-26 fourth set, to claim the match victory. Northwestern hit .297 for the match behind stellar efforts from the team's two seniors in Kathryne Engel (Wayzata, Minn./West Lutheran) (Wayzata, Minn./West Lutheran) and Laura Bicket (Zion, Ill./Zion-Benton Township) (Zion, Ill./Zion-Benton Township). Engel posted 17 kills in the match, while Bicket added 14.

Sarah Whitmore (Prior Lake, MN/Prior Lake Christian) (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake Christian) and Steph Koth (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing) (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing) were the third and fourth Eagles to post double-digit kills with 12 and 11, respectively. As a team, Northwestern owned a 64-41 advantage in kills over their opponent.

Hillary Slagter (Prinsburg, Minn./Central Minnesota Christian) (Prinsburg, Minn./Central Minnesota Christian) (30) and Leah Kostek (West Des Moines, Iowa/Des Moines Christian ) (West Des Moines, Iowa/Des Moines Christian) (24) combined for 54 assists in the match, setting the table for the team's offense.

Danielle Rhodes (Iowa City, Iowa/City) (Iowa City, Iowa/City) paced Northwestern with 22 digs, while Koth added 18. Whitmore had five blocks to lead the Eagles, while Elissa Sandstrom (Cloquet, Minn./Carlton) (Cloquet, Minn./Carlton) added four.

Stephanie Harwood had 18 kills to lead Bethel, whom Northwestern has seen numerous times in the last three years at the NCCAA National Tournament, which the Eagles used to host.

A win over tournament-host Trinity Christian College tomorrow would punch Northwestern's ticket to suburban Denver, Colo., where Colorado Christian University will host the NCCAA National Tournament on Dec. 4-6. Trinity Christian defeated Trinity International University 3-0 earlier in the day on Friday. The NWC-Trinity Christian match is slated for a 3:30 p.m. CST start.
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