In a season that dates back to September 5th, 2020 a pair of former Eagles volleyball standouts and sisters are back in the final eight of the NAIA National Volleyball Championship, delayed to the spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Northwestern College, currently ranked 5th, has advanced to the quarterfinals with wins over No. 21 Oklahoma City (five sets) and No. 13 Corban (3-0), led by A.J. Kacmarynski (Horstman) and Bekah Horstman. The pair made a similar push into the NAIA round of eight in the 2019 season that ended in the quarterfinals.

En route to this spot, the Red Raiders knocked off Trinity Christian and former Eagles Mady Zula and Emma Huisman in the process on April 17th.

Kacmarynski and Horstman have been key members on the floor for Northwestern, with A.J. tallying 35 kills in the three NAIA tournament matches thus far, with a kill efficiency percentage at .408, while younger sister Bekah has 19 kills and a .309 efficiency rate, as well as nine blocks.

After returning on March 25th, the Red Raiders have played either all ranked teams or those who have received votes in the NAIA national poll, with their only loss coming to No. 1 Jamestown (25-21, 25-22, 25-21) in the Great Plains Athletic Conference championship on April 10th.

The Horstman sisters are back in action tonight (4/29) vs. No. 12 Midland at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City. The last matchup between the teams was a five-set epic on October 31st in favor of the Red Raiders.