National Championship Preview: Reinhardt vs. Dordt (Iowa)
November 27, 2018
By Mike DeVader, Reinhardt Director of Athletic Communications & Media
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – (Live Video | Live Stats) Another historic step for Reinhardt volleyball will be taken tonight as the Eagles gear up for their first match as a program in the 2018 NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship, presented by Delta Hotels, in Sioux City, Iowa.
Reinhardt (34-6) – the Appalachian Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament champion – has been slotted as the No. 4 seed in Pool E and will line up against No. 5 Dordt (Iowa) tonight at 9 p.m. EDT.
The Eagles will also go against the other duo of clubs in the pool (The Master's (Calif.) and Corban (Ore.)) on Nov. 28 and 29, respectively.
The Eagles, one of the 12 winners from the National Championship Opening Round contests on Nov. 17, have as arrived in Iowa to join the 19 teams that received an opening round bye and host Morningside (Iowa) to form the 32-team field.
Ten days ago, inside the Brown Athletic Center, Brian Goodhind's group swept a highly-contested match with Coastal Georgia (25-22, 25-23, 25-16) to earn a spot in Iowa for the first time in school history.
Beginning in a few hours inside the Tyson Events Center, however, Reinhardt has a chance to show the NAIA volleyball world what the team from Waleska, Ga., is all about.
"We are very humbled and excited just to be here to be honest," Goodhind said. "This trip is about soaking it in and continuing to lay the foundation for our program. This team has a lot of talent, and we spread the ball around offensively; so, if our ball control is solid, we could give some teams a very tough match. As a staff, we are excited to see our team get the chance to mix it up with some of the best teams in the country.
"I mean, come on, we play the runners-up the last two years here at the National Championship in Dordt for our first match. If you can't get pumped to play a powerhouse program like that, then you shouldn't be playing."
The Defenders enter championship play with 21 wins in-a-row and a record of 27-2 (16-0 within the Great Plains Athletic Conference), with their most recent defeat coming at the hands of now-No. 1 Grand View (Iowa) back on Sept. 7.
Rocky Mountain (Mont.) – who is No. 9 in the NAIA – owns the only other blemish on the year for Dordt back on Aug. 31.
Both aforementioned losses in 2018 for the Defenders went five sets.
The Eagles come into the national championship battle having won eight-consecutive outings, and including the most recent triumph over the Mariners, have hit over .300 as a team three times in-a-row.
For Reinhardt to be successful tonight, look for ball control from setter Carlee Baxter to get the offense in the right spots and give scoring opportunities to the likes of Tessa Colden, Emily Charbonneau and Cheetara Bing.
Team defense and serving efficiency will be at an all-time high on the national stage as well, as communication at the net and proper placement of set-opening touches will the driving force behind attacking the opposition.
The newest journey in Reinhardt volleyball history begins in just a few short hours here in the promised land for only 32 NAIA volleyball squads nationwide.
For tickets, please click here.
To watch live on the NAIA Network, please click here.
For up-to-the-minute Eagles sports news, follow Reinhardt Athletics on Facebook, @RU_Eagles on Twitter and @ru_eagles on Instagram.
For more information on Reinhardt Volleyball, please click here.
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – (Live Video | Live Stats) Another historic step for Reinhardt volleyball will be taken tonight as the Eagles gear up for their first match as a program in the 2018 NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship, presented by Delta Hotels, in Sioux City, Iowa.
Reinhardt (34-6) – the Appalachian Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament champion – has been slotted as the No. 4 seed in Pool E and will line up against No. 5 Dordt (Iowa) tonight at 9 p.m. EDT.
The Eagles will also go against the other duo of clubs in the pool (The Master's (Calif.) and Corban (Ore.)) on Nov. 28 and 29, respectively.
The Eagles, one of the 12 winners from the National Championship Opening Round contests on Nov. 17, have as arrived in Iowa to join the 19 teams that received an opening round bye and host Morningside (Iowa) to form the 32-team field.
Ten days ago, inside the Brown Athletic Center, Brian Goodhind's group swept a highly-contested match with Coastal Georgia (25-22, 25-23, 25-16) to earn a spot in Iowa for the first time in school history.
Beginning in a few hours inside the Tyson Events Center, however, Reinhardt has a chance to show the NAIA volleyball world what the team from Waleska, Ga., is all about.
"We are very humbled and excited just to be here to be honest," Goodhind said. "This trip is about soaking it in and continuing to lay the foundation for our program. This team has a lot of talent, and we spread the ball around offensively; so, if our ball control is solid, we could give some teams a very tough match. As a staff, we are excited to see our team get the chance to mix it up with some of the best teams in the country.
"I mean, come on, we play the runners-up the last two years here at the National Championship in Dordt for our first match. If you can't get pumped to play a powerhouse program like that, then you shouldn't be playing."
The Defenders enter championship play with 21 wins in-a-row and a record of 27-2 (16-0 within the Great Plains Athletic Conference), with their most recent defeat coming at the hands of now-No. 1 Grand View (Iowa) back on Sept. 7.
Rocky Mountain (Mont.) – who is No. 9 in the NAIA – owns the only other blemish on the year for Dordt back on Aug. 31.
Both aforementioned losses in 2018 for the Defenders went five sets.
The Eagles come into the national championship battle having won eight-consecutive outings, and including the most recent triumph over the Mariners, have hit over .300 as a team three times in-a-row.
For Reinhardt to be successful tonight, look for ball control from setter Carlee Baxter to get the offense in the right spots and give scoring opportunities to the likes of Tessa Colden, Emily Charbonneau and Cheetara Bing.
Team defense and serving efficiency will be at an all-time high on the national stage as well, as communication at the net and proper placement of set-opening touches will the driving force behind attacking the opposition.
The newest journey in Reinhardt volleyball history begins in just a few short hours here in the promised land for only 32 NAIA volleyball squads nationwide.
For tickets, please click here.
To watch live on the NAIA Network, please click here.
For up-to-the-minute Eagles sports news, follow Reinhardt Athletics on Facebook, @RU_Eagles on Twitter and @ru_eagles on Instagram.
For more information on Reinhardt Volleyball, please click here.