MITCHELL, S.D. — RV Dakota Wesleyan University Volleyball hosted the third-ranked Northwestern Red Raiders for Alumni Night as a part of the 2025 DWU homecoming weekend.
The Tigers and Red Raiders traded points early in the first set with each team’s offensive firepower on full display. Karly VanDerWerff led the way for Dakota Wesleyan, totaling 13 kills on the night. Neither team pulled too far ahead of the other until the middle portion of the frame, when Northwestern started to put together a few scoring runs. The Red Raiders maintained their pace as they won the first frame, 25-16. Despite the deficit, Kayleigh Hybertson continued to prove herself as one of the best setters in the nation, recording 41 total assists in three sets. With her performance, Hybertson also eclipsed 3,000 career assists, putting herself in the history books as one of just seven Tigers to pass the mark.
Dakota Wesleyan started the second set with the advantage, jumping out to an early 10-6 lead. The Red Raiders fought back, nearly evening the score on multiple occasions, but the Tigers held steady through the whole set. The offense was aided by Evy Knoblock, who recorded 10 total kills, alongside Emily Dale, who registered nine of her own. The frame went to extra points, where Northwestern ended up claiming the final two points to go up 2-0 in the match by a score of 27-25.
The Red Raiders took their momentum into the third set, being a step ahead of the Tigers early, but DWU kept clawing back to keep the score close. A 17-11 lead quickly tightened to 19-16 before Northwestern regained control of the frame. The defense found a surge from the back-to-back GPAC Defender of the Week, Elizabeth Tyler, who was all over the court to register 21 total digs, but the effort would not be enough to get the Tigers back in control of the match. The Red Raiders closed out the match, 3-0, with a 25-20 win in the third set. Dakota Wesleyan moves to 14-10 overall and 8-6 in GPAC play this season.
DWU Volleyball will be back in action against the Dakota State Trojans on Monday, October 27th at 7:00 PM for Senior Night.