Monthly Archive for October, 2010

Wednesday Musings

Published on October 27, 2010 in Uncategorized. Closed

The soccer playoff picture is a bit clearer for the Dordt College soccer teams after  a sweep on the road of Briar Cliff on Tuesday.  The women raced to a 4-0 lead and won 4-1 while the men were 1-0 winners after a goal by Scott Van Wylen.  Regular season finishers for both teams.

The women are 6-3-2 in the GPAC and 12-4-2 overall and locked at the fourth seed for the post-season tournament which begins on Tuesday, November 2.  Only one team, Sioux Falls, can catch them from behind with Dordt’s 20 points in the standings (three points for a GPAC win, one point for a tie and no points for a loss).  Even if Sioux Falls matches the Defenders by getting a win on Saturday Dordt holds the tie-breaker on them by virtue of the head to head win earlier this season.

The men could finish as high as fourth, but likely will finish in the 5-6-7 slots.  To finish fourth the Defenders need Briar Cliff to lose to Concordia and Morningside needs to lose to Midland and Mount Marty.  Dakota Wesleyan can catch Dordt in points but Dordt would own the tie breaker in the event of a tie between the two.  A three-way tie and things get a little more complicated.

Volleyball is playing right now to put pressure on the top two NAIA teams in the league, Northwestern and Doane.  Right now the Defenders have a pretty secure grip on the #3 seed for the post-season tournament with three matches to go.  That post-season tournament starts on Saturday, November 6 with the top-five teams in the tournament getting byes to the quarterfinal round on Tuesday, November 9.

Lots of action to be decided at this point and an exciting time of the year.

Closing in on the start of the men’s basketball season this weekend.

Michelle Steiger earned runner of the week honors from the GPAC as she was the top finisher from the conference in the Mount Marty Invite this past weekend.

Women’s basketball had a busy weekend scrimmaging five times at the Grand View jamboree in Des Moines and the men scrimmaged a team from Iowa Lakes this past Tuesday.  Sounded like the coaches were happy with the play both days and are looking forward to the start of the respective seasons.

Baseball hosted a skills camp this past Saturday and have two more sessions planned for November 6 and 13.

Time for volleyball……………..

Men’s Soccer

Published on October 22, 2010 in Uncategorized. Closed

What’s left for the Defenders and their quest for a top-8 finish in the GPAC and a berth in the post-season?   Here you go.

The real battle if for the the last five spots in the post-season…remember we throw Nebraska Wesleyan out of the equation as they are NCAA Division III for post-season purposes:

Briar Cliff (4-3-2) 14 points–have to play Dordt and Concordia

Concordia (4-4)  12 points–have to play Morningside, Hastings, Briar Cliff

Morningside (3-4-1)10 points-must play Concordia, Mount Marty and Midland

Dordt (3-5-1)  10 points–must play Doane and Briar Cliff

Northwestern (3-6-1) 10 points must play Hastings.

Midland (3-5) 9 points-must play Dakota Wesleya, Nebraksa WEsleyan and Morningside

Dakota Wesleyan (3-5)9 points- must play Midland, Sioux Falls and Nebraska Wesleyan

Mount Marty (1-8) 3 points-must play Morningside and Hastings

Remember–three points for  a win, one point for a tie and zero points for a loss.

Bottom line, a win by the Defenders on Saturday or Tuesday and things look pretty good.  Win both and they are likely in.  We’ll know a lot more after Saturday and will be able to really narrow things down after the Tuesday night game with Briar Cliff.

Time to head out for Sioux Falls and volleyball.

Overlap

Published on October 21, 2010 in Uncategorized. Closed

We’re into the season that SID’s both live for and dread…overlap time.

A potpourri of sports to choose from as the fall seasons wind down and the winter seasons get revving.  I’ve taken the golf schedules off my wall but have added hockey (started already), men’s basketball (starting in one week), women’s basketball (starting in two weeks) and jv men’s and women’s basketball (starting in two weeks).

Tomorrow we take pictures for the print program and for the basketball websites.  Hope to have profiles and pictures up next week.

Previews are up for the weekend of action–plenty of it by the way.  Hockey has two games at the Vernon against Northwest Health Sciences–they’ve got the most original nickname I’ve heard in a while….the Naturals.  Volleyball plays at Sioux Falls Friday and hosts Briar Cliff at the De Witt to wrap up the weekend.  Cross country runs in their biggest annual event of the year at Mount Marty on SAturday.  Other meets are bigger, but this is the largest meet Dordt runs in year in and year out.

Football travels to Midland on Saturday to face a team that has been playing well as of late–three wins in a row.  Run a no huddle offense and a very tight, physical defense.  Soccer hosts Doane as the women try to bounce back from a tie against Mount Marty that they felt slip away and the men play the team that stands second in the league.  A win by the men puts them in a very good position for the post-season playoffs while a loss will put a lot of weight on the season ender against Briar Cliff…..odd schedule this year in that Dordt had a bye date in the league last Saturday and two weeks later get another one.

Men’s basketball went to Minnesota West in Worthington on Monday…sounded like they accomplished what they wanted to in getting on the floor with an opponent in a scrimmage setting.  Always different to see what another team has to offer.  Will get another scrimmage in early next week before heading to Mayville, North DAkota on Friday, October 29 for a 3:00 game.  Women will take the full squad–jv and varsity to Des Moines this weekend for a scrimmage jamboree.  Drive up early Saturday, play lots of basketball, return home in the evening.  Here’s hoping for safe travels.

Throw into the mix that the Dordt baseball team is offering a skills camp this Saturday and on two other days and it will be a busy weekend.  I don’t know if I’m just busier, or what the deal is, but I’m having a hard time finding time to write.

A few other housekeeping chores on the docket for tomorrow including post-season rosters, scholar-athlete nominations, double checking stat reports as the season winds down, etc.etc, etc…

Speaking of season stats…..volleyball shows very well in the national statistics:

Ranks Number 2 in Division I in Total Blocks (340.500)
Ranks Number 4 in Division I in Total Digs (2249)
Ranks Number 6 in Division I in Blocks per Game (2.860)
Ranks Number 9 in Division I in Digs per Game (18.900)
Ranks Number 11 in Division I in Total Assists (1349)
Ranks Number 11 in Division I in Total Kills (1468)
Ranks Number 32 in Division I in Total Service Aces (180)
Ranks Number 40 in Division I in Assists per Game (11.340)
2010 Individual Rankings
Dorinda Hibma Ranks Number 1 in Division I in Total Digs (774)
Kendra Potgeter Ranks Number 1 in Division I in Total Blocks (187)
Dorinda Hibma Ranks Number 2 in Division I in Digs per Game (6.500)
Kendra Potgeter Ranks Number 4 in Division I in Blocks per Game (1.570)
Lindsey Moerman Ranks Number 8 in Division I in Total Blocks (131)
Kendra Potgeter Ranks Number 21 in Division I in Hitting Percentage (0.366)
Kendra Potgeter Ranks Number 27 in Division I in Total Kills (384)
Lindsey Moerman Ranks Number 38 in Division I in Blocks per Game (1.100)

Now, time to get some rest before the weekend hits.

The Weekend Is Here

Published on October 15, 2010 in Uncategorized. Closed

That means busy- ness this weekend.  A great couple of days weatherwise for the athletic events we host.

Hockey starts the season tonight at the Vernon Arena.  Dave Schenk will be on the mic for the play by play of most home games with Piet Westerbeek filling in the gaps on color commentary.  Games will be available like the last two seasons at www.dordt.edu/athletics.  7:30 face off tonight and 4:15 tomorrow.

Soccer will host a pair of games tomorrow against non-conference foe North Central.  These games were scheduled after the untimely demise of Dana College.  Coach Schenk scrambled and was able to add the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference member to the schedule in mid-July.  Start time for the women is 2:00 with the men to follow at 4:00.  Sam Wetselaar will be on the mic for that webcast.

Football will host Northwestern in a 1:00 kickoff on Saturday.  Play by play on KDCR 88.5 FM and on the web at www.dordt.edu/athletics.  The Defenders will have their hands full playing a fourth team that has been in the national rankings this season (Dakota Wesleyan, Hastings, Morningside, Northwestern) all have been either ranked or received votes in the poll.

Volleyball is on the road to Fremont to play Midland Saturday afternoon.  Midland got everyone’s attention on Wednesday night when they beat Nebraska WEsleyan 3-2 after suffering seven straight match losses–six of them by 3-0 counts.  Will get results up as soon as I receive them……remember, can’t be two places at once and with Parent’s Weekend we are short on help.

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Getting down to that time of year when we take a look at how conference races are shaping up.  Of note especially is the men’s race for a spot in the top-eight and a berth in the GPAC Tournament.  Toss Nebraska Wesleyan out of the final standings as they are NCAA Division III status for soccer.

There is a logjam in the fight for the last four spots with Morningside currently at 3-2-1 and Briar Cliff at 3-3-1.  After that is Midland at 3-3 and Dakota Wesleyan at 3-5.  Dordt stands at 2-5-1, Northwestern 2-6 and Mount Marty 0-7.  Standings are determined by points which are awarded on the basis of three points for a conference win, one for a tie and zero for a loss.  Here’s what the teams in the hunt for those last four spots have left along with their current point totals.

Morningside has Doane, Sioux Falls, Concordia, Mount Marty and Midland.  (10 points)

Briar Cliff has Nebraska Wesleyan, Northwestern, Dordt and Concordia. (10 points)

Midland will face Northwestern, Hastings, Dakota Wesleyan, Nebraska Wesleyan and Morningside  (9 points)

Dakota Wesleyan will meet Midland, Sioux Falls and Nebraska Wesleyan (9 points)

Dordt has Mount Marty and Briar Cliff on road and Doane at home to complete the schedule.  (7 points)

Northwestern faces Midland, Briar Cliff and Hastings (6 points)

Mount Marty has Concordia, Dordt, Morningside and Hastings (0 points)

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Still early but we’ll keep our eyes on it over the next two weeks.

Time to get a little sleep before LateNight With the Defenders.

A Long Day

Published on October 10, 2010 in Uncategorized. Closed

at the ballyard for the football team yesterday.  Playing the #4 ranked team in the country in Morningside yesterday.  Down 24-0 after one quarter thanks in part to two touchdowns set up by turnovers deep in Dordt’s territory.  40-0 by halftime and  after the Super Bowl length halftime for Morningside’s homecoming the Mustangs tacked on five more scores–four touchdowns and a field goal. Justin Knot was knocked out of the game in the first quarter and did not return.  Simply put, it was a long day.  Now it is time to get ready for nationally ranked Northwestern.

Soccer played a pair of 3-2 games.  Women won while holding on down the stretch, weathering a Concordia flurry in the final minutes.  Men lost another game by a goal…struggling to put it together right now.  Both teams will travel to Northwestern on Wednesday.

Volleyball bounced back from a loss to Nebraska Wesleyan on Friday night for a Saturday night win over Morningside.  Loss on Friday came afer Bekah Posthuma suffered a shoulder injury that will sideline her for a period of time–don’t how long let….will know more this week.  Team played with a focus and resolve in the Saturday night match and earned a valuable win over the Mustangs in what will be the only regular season meeting of the two teams.  Host the College of Saint Mary on Tuesday night and travel to Midland on Saturday.

Cross Country ran at the Briar Cliff Invite.  Women were led by Michelle Steiger with her fifth place finish to help the team to a fifth place finish of their own.  Men ran in a tight pack with some new faces towards the front.  Finished seventh in the 15 team field.  A weekend off before concluding the regular season at the Mount Marty Invite on the 23rd.

Women start basketball practice tomorrow while the men continue preparing for their season opener on October 29 in Mayville, North Dakota.  Remember, Late Night With the Defenders is this Friday night starting at 10:30 with the women’s scrimmage and the men will follow at about 11:00.

Ouch

Published on October 5, 2010 in Uncategorized. Closed

No other way to sum up last weekend. 

Ouch.

More than ouch.

Saturday started with the Defender football team taking on Briar Cliff, a measuring stick game if you will.  Briar Cliff is in its eighth season of varsity action.  The game was a 0-0 tie at the end of the first half with a long field goal by the Defenders falling short.  Briar Cliff got a field goal in the third–capitalizing on a Dordt turnover and then ground out a drive to make it 10-0.  A broken play over the top gave the Chargers another score for a 17-0 lead.  Dordt did answer with a two yard touchdown flip from Justin Knot to Josh Van Kempen.  The Defenders had another pass fall incomplete in the end zone near the end of regulation which would have given Dordt a chance at an onside kick, but, that wasn’t to be.  Defense played their hearts out with Todd Green leading the way.  Green was everywhere on Saturday afternoon.  I can’t imagine any one else in the league had a better day on Saturday.  Out of the frying pan and into the fire for the next two weeks….at Morningside on Saturday and home with Northwestern on October 16.

Volleyball  let one slip away at Hastings.  Won set one and were up in set two 23-20.  A service error and a passing error later the Defenders were clinging to a 23-22 lead that they eventually lost 27-25.  Won set three to seemingly restore order but Hastings roared to a 25-13 win in set four.  Set five is always a 50-50 deal and this time it didn’t fall Dordt’s way.  Sets up huge matches this week at Briar Cliff and then back at home, finally, to face Nebraska Wesleyan and Morningside on Friday and Saturday.

Soccer lost a pair to Midland in Fremont.  The women’s game was a 2-1 decision with Dordt going it shorthanded with Rindy De Nooy going down with an injury early in the game.  She missed today’s win over Sioux Falls as well.  Her status at this point?  Day to day.  Third starter to go down with an injury this season–the other two being finished for the year in Amanda den Dulk and Lexi Elgersma. Win over Sioux Falls today gets the Defenders back to walking with a spring in their step. 

Men need a win in a bad way….things have gotten tough with a 3-1 loss to Midland and a 4-0 loss to Sioux Falls.  Men were down 1-0 at halftime and held Sioux Falls off for about five minutes in the second half  before they took control.  On the road to Concordia this Saturday for both teams. 

Women’s golf concluded fall portion of their first season.  Justean De Groot shot a 96 in round two of the GPAC Qualifier #2.

Men’s golf goes to GPAC qualifier #2 on Thursday with the lineup they anticipated having at the start of the year before Jordan Janz was injured.