ORANGE CITY, Iowa – The (25) Ottawa University women's volleyball team fell 3-0; 25-21, 25-14, 25-14; to no. 8 Northwestern College on Tuesday night at the Bultman Center in its season opener.
How it Happened

• The teams exchanged the lead in set one. With Northwestern leading 17-16, Ottawa scored the next three points to take a 19-17 lead. After the Raider timeout, NWC scored three straight points to take a 20-19 lead over the Braves. Alexa Boyle's kill tied the set at 20-20 and a block by Radaisy Valdez gave OU a 21-20 lead. Northwestern ended the set by scoring the final five points to take the 25-21 victory.
• Ottawa fell behind early in set three to the Raiders. The Braves chipped away at the NWC lead and after a service ace by Katarina Montoya, Ottawa was within 9-6. The Raiders responded with a 6-0 run to take a 15-6 lead. Ottawa was not able to rally and Northwestern took the 25-14 victory.
• A block and two straight kills by Valdez gave Ottawa a 5-3 lead over Northwestern in set three. NWC rallied, taking a 10-8 lead. A service error and an attacking error by NWC tied the set at 10-10. Northwestern broke open the set with a 7-1 run, taking a 17-11 lead over OU. The Braves could not recover from the NWC run and the Raiders took the 25-14 victory.

Inside the Box Score

• Ottawa finished the match with 20 kills, a .035 attacking percentage, 18 assists, two service aces, 39 digs, and two team blocks.
• Radaisy Valdez led OU with six kills. She had two blocks.
• Kaitlyn Haller finished the game with 12 assists and five digs.
• Kayla Smocks led OU with 10 digs.

Who is Next
Ottawa (0-1) is back on the road at the CC Hampton Inn Classic in Columbia College on Friday, Aug. 26. The Braves will play no. 12 Eastern Oregon University at 10:00 a.m. and John Brown University at 2:00 p.m.