Reinhardt Opens Championship Play With Dordt (Iowa)
November 28, 2018
By Mike DeVader, Reinhardt Director of Athletic Communications & Media
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – After waiting to play just under two hours later than scheduled, the Eagles made their much-anticipated debut in the final site competition at the 2018 NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship, presented by Delta Hotels, in Sioux City against Dordt (Iowa).
The Defenders, who are back-to-back national runners-up in the Championship, showed their experience and veteran presence in a 3-0 sweep of Reinhardt (7-25, 12-25, 18-25).
"Tonight was another step in the direction we are taking Reinhardt volleyball," head Eagle Brian Goodhind said. "We truly want to be a reason the AAC gains respect. It's a lot of pressure I've put on myself and the staff, but it is a part of my mission here. Tonight will be a huge night in that growth. Our girls just haven't seen a team like Dordt all year, and to the Defenders credit, they were as good as their No. 5 ranking… They played solid; offense ran smooth through their 5-1 system, defense was solid and what I believe their strength is – serving – was very solid. Their serves had us completely out of system all night. It was great to see Cheetara Bing continue her growth as player. She had a pretty good night against hands down the best competition she's ever played against. I really like what Dordt represents and I respect the way they are coached and play. We strive for our program to continue in a direction that will get us to that. Our team plays for the right reasons and if they put the work in, we will get there.
"Tomorrow is going to take a much more disciplined effort on the floor in all phases. Our offense needs to speed up but that's only going to happen if our ball control is much better. I have plenty of confidence in our staff that we will come up with a good game plan and our players will execute better tomorrow. Even though we lost tonight, I truly mean it when I say this was a step in the right direction toward our mission with this program. To God go all the glory."
Unfortunately, points scored were few and far between for the Eagles in set one, but the stanza did start in a positive manner as Goodhind's group tallied three in-a-row to begin the match ahead, 3-1. Dordt would respond in a big way with 12 scores in the next 13 chances, and again go on big scoring sprees to take the game by 18.
Large runs was the name of the game for the Defenders, as they ballooned their lead in set two from 5-3 to 12-3 in the blink of an eye. Reinhardt would begin to sprinkle in more tallies later in the stanza, but Dordt would again muscle its way to a 2-0 lead heading into what would prove-to-be the final set of the evening for both teams.
The Eagles (34-7) seemed to have found their footing in the third stanza as they were in a much better rhythm on both sides of net, holding multiple advantages throughout the early portion of the set. Reinhardt was ahead, 12-11, but couldn't prevent the Defenders from taking back all the momentum and moving to 1-0 in Pool E play heading into Wednesday.
As a team, the Eagles combined for only 17 kills, compared to 21 errors and a kill percentage of -.053.
Cheetara Bing had a squad-best seven scores, while Carlee Baxter notched 15 assists. Defensively, Kelley Adkins grabbed 11 digs.
Reinhardt is now in a must-win situation in pool play as the club looks ahead to Wednesday's matchup with The Master's (Calif.) at 10 p.m. EDT.
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 – After waiting to play just under two hours later than scheduled, the Eagles made their much-anticipated debut in the final site competition at the 2018 NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship, presented by Delta Hotels, in Sioux City against Dordt (Iowa).
The Defenders, who are back-to-back national runners-up in the Championship, showed their experience and veteran presence in a 3-0 sweep of Reinhardt (7-25, 12-25, 18-25).
"Tonight was another step in the direction we are taking Reinhardt volleyball," head Eagle Brian Goodhind said. "We truly want to be a reason the AAC gains respect. It's a lot of pressure I've put on myself and the staff, but it is a part of my mission here. Tonight will be a huge night in that growth. Our girls just haven't seen a team like Dordt all year, and to the Defenders credit, they were as good as their No. 5 ranking… They played solid; offense ran smooth through their 5-1 system, defense was solid and what I believe their strength is – serving – was very solid. Their serves had us completely out of system all night. It was great to see Cheetara Bing continue her growth as player. She had a pretty good night against hands down the best competition she's ever played against. I really like what Dordt represents and I respect the way they are coached and play. We strive for our program to continue in a direction that will get us to that. Our team plays for the right reasons and if they put the work in, we will get there.
"Tomorrow is going to take a much more disciplined effort on the floor in all phases. Our offense needs to speed up but that's only going to happen if our ball control is much better. I have plenty of confidence in our staff that we will come up with a good game plan and our players will execute better tomorrow. Even though we lost tonight, I truly mean it when I say this was a step in the right direction toward our mission with this program. To God go all the glory."
Unfortunately, points scored were few and far between for the Eagles in set one, but the stanza did start in a positive manner as Goodhind's group tallied three in-a-row to begin the match ahead, 3-1. Dordt would respond in a big way with 12 scores in the next 13 chances, and again go on big scoring sprees to take the game by 18.
Large runs was the name of the game for the Defenders, as they ballooned their lead in set two from 5-3 to 12-3 in the blink of an eye. Reinhardt would begin to sprinkle in more tallies later in the stanza, but Dordt would again muscle its way to a 2-0 lead heading into what would prove-to-be the final set of the evening for both teams.
The Eagles (34-7) seemed to have found their footing in the third stanza as they were in a much better rhythm on both sides of net, holding multiple advantages throughout the early portion of the set. Reinhardt was ahead, 12-11, but couldn't prevent the Defenders from taking back all the momentum and moving to 1-0 in Pool E play heading into Wednesday.
As a team, the Eagles combined for only 17 kills, compared to 21 errors and a kill percentage of -.053.
Cheetara Bing had a squad-best seven scores, while Carlee Baxter notched 15 assists. Defensively, Kelley Adkins grabbed 11 digs.
Reinhardt is now in a must-win situation in pool play as the club looks ahead to Wednesday's matchup with The Master's (Calif.) at 10 p.m. EDT.
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.