After a week
off of competition due to the Student Heart Conference, the Lady Pioneers made
their annual trip to the Archer Invite in Chicago at Moody Bible Institute (MBI). A
late arrival into Milwaukee on Thursday night forced a midnight check into a
hotel. The team was on a tight schedule as they were to play in Chicago the next day. In the morning, before leaving, the team discovered that
the entire three changes of uniforms along with the medical supplies had been stolen out of the
Northland trailer. Northland had no time to take care of the situation, but MBI graciously allowed the Pioneers to play in their old blue uniforms.
“It seems
every week we have a little adversity; but God often allows this to test our
character. Depending on whom you talk
to, MBI (or Northland) either finished in the championship or in the fifth
place match. I had a conscious goal of placing at least third and a
subconscious goal of not finishing last. We accomplished one of those,”
summarized Coach Herron.
In the first
match of the weekend, the Lady Pioneers were up against Moody, the host and nationally
NCCAA-ranked #4 team. The Pioneers did not come out focused, and they played
poorly, losing 12-25, 13-25, and 21-25. The second match of the
day was against Indiana University Northwest (IUNW). Northland has enjoyed moderate
success against this NAIA program in the past, but this time, a new coach and players
appeared. Coach Herron commented, “Their warm-ups alone told me that they were
well-coached and hard workers; their 2-15 record was deceiving.” With only one hitting
error in the first set, the Lady Pioneers took the game 25-16. Set two was close until
IUNW pushed a 14-10 lead. Some digging errors and poor passing gave away set two to
the Redhawks 25-23. Northland bounced back and took set three 25-21 after being
behind 19-22. Ellie Hodak and Beth Leeds led the way with nine kills between them. IUNW was able to turn up the heat at the net, however, and Northland's defense weakened; the Pioneers lost set four 17-25. In set five, the Lady Pioneers' serve receive
failed, and they fell behind 3-8. With no block and no offense, Northland gave away the
match 9-15. Captain Ellie Hodak commented, “We were really disappointed; we
wanted to accomplish our tournament goal of at least third.”
On Saturday,
the final day of the tournament, Northland played against a familiar
opponent: Grace Bible College (GBC). Coach Herron said, “Coach Spooner has done a
great job with his team in building confidence and commitment. I knew I would
need to have my group ready to play, regardless of where we were in the
tournament. This match has regional seeding implications." The first set was
close, with the score tied at 12, 16, 18, and 20. Northland fought well and took
the game 25-21. In set two, the Lady Pioneers came out with good confidence and gained
leads of 11-3, 18-6, 20-8, eventually moving on to a 25-9 win. GBC responded in set three,
coming back from a late 16-20 deficit to win 25-23. Beth Leeds commented, “We
got outscored 9-3 at the end of that set, and we were fired up to go back out
and swing away.” The GBC defense was ready, and the set was close up to a 14-14 score. Northland pushed a 21-17 lead with good passing and great set
selection from Alyse Sugimoto. Valerie Stauff had three straight kills to end the
set for Northland, who claimed a 25-19 win. Ellie Hodak led the way with fourteen kills followed by Stauff with twelve. Alyse Sugimoto had forty-five assists and was
named to the All-Tournament team for the Pioneers.
Northland
International University travels to UW Marathon on Monday, then hosts
Finlandia and UW Manitowoc on Tuesday for a tri-match starting at 4:00 p.m.
If you would
like to contribute to a fund to raise money to replace the Women’s Volleyball
uniforms, please contact the Northland Athletic Department at 715.324.6900 ext. 6900. Mention the Northland Women's Volleyball Uniform fund.