The Braves enter Saturday’s game against Dordt University coming off a 3-1 loss to No. 7 Georgetown College and a 3-0 loss to no. 8 Park University last Saturday in Parkville, Mo.
In the loss with no. 7 Georgetown, Ottawa finished the four-set match with 37 kills, a .205 hitting percentage, 34 assists, five service aces, 29 digs and a team-high six blocks. Akeil Williams Had 15 kills and a .464 hitting percentage. Grant Younie was the next Brave to hit double figures, finishing with 10. Andrew Salinas had 20 assists and two services. Kevin Davidson led OU with 11 digs. Kayden Kirby finished with 10 assists and three blocks.
In the loss of Ottawa with no. 8 Park, OU finished the match with 21 kills, a .109 hitting percentage, 21 assists, three service aces, 26 digs and a team-high three blocks. Macort Pickup led OU with six kills. Andrew Salinas has 13 assists and two services. Kevin Davidson led OU with nine digs.
Akeil Williams leads Ottawa in kills (2.5) per set and blocks (1.1) per set. Andrew Salinas is the team leader in assists per set (4.1), and Kevin Davidson is OU’s leader in service aces (0.2) per set and digs (2.3) per set.
Saturday’s game is the 17th meeting between the University of Ottawa and Dordt University. OU leads the series, 12-4, and is on a two-game winning streak against the Defenders. The first meeting between the two teams took place on February 13, 2016 in Sioux Center, Iowa. The defenders won the match 3-2.
Ottawa won both meetings last year, winning 3-1 over Dordt on March 3, 2022 at Wilson Field House. Ottawa defeated DU 3-2, in a reverse sweep, in the semifinals of the GPAC tournament on March 30, 2022 in Sioux Center, Iowa.
In seven matches this season, Ottawa is averaging 8.1 kills per set, 7.5 assists per set, 1.9 blocks per set, 1.3 service aces per set and 9.1 digs per set. The Braves have a .118 hitting percentage.
Ottawa ranks 38th in NAIA offensive errors (134), 39th in total attacks (636), 46th in assists (195), 39th in service aces (35), 41st -th in service errors (86), 36th in service errors per set (1.3), 34th in saves (500), sixth in service errors (64), 34th in digs (237), 28th in team digs (9.1), 32nd in solo blocks (15), 30th in block assists (69 ), 33rd in total blocks (50), 24th in blocks per set (1.9) and 45th in points (293.5).
Dordt University is 7-1 overall, 3-1 in the GPAC, is 3-0 at home this season and is receiving votes in the latest NAIA men’s volleyball coaches poll in the Top 15. The defense has earned five back-to-back games and enter Saturday’s game coming off a 3-0 win over Morningside University on Feb. 16 at home.
Caleb Kulesza leads Dordt in kills (3.8) and service aces (0.5) per set, Lukas Van Groningen is the team leader in assists (9.3) per set, Robert Piekarz leads DU in digs (4.1) per set, and Luke Nelson is the leader of the team in blocks (0.9) per set.
Through eight matches, Dordt is averaging 12.1 kills per set, 10.2 assists per set, 2.2 blocks per set, 1.9 service aces per set and 10.3 digs per set. They have a .239 hitting percentage.
Dordt ranks 25th in the NAIA in kills (33), 11th in kills per set (12.1), 35th in errors (149), 29th in total attacks (794), 23rd- 1st in hitting percentage (.239), 30th in assists (287), 28th in assists per set (10.2), 19th in service aces (54), 29th in service errors (107), 12th in team assists (1.9), 40th in saves (423), 25th in digs (290 ), 11th in team digs (10.3), 27th 1st in solo blocks (16), 13th in block assists (96), 17th in total blocks (64), sixth in blocks per set (2.2) and 25th in points (457 ). ).
