UMAC Game of the Week: Minnesota Morris at Northwestern - Volleyball
UMAC Game of the Week Archives
ST. PAUL -- The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Game of the Week is a feature that takes place each week throughout the conference portion of the season with one contest being selected and highlighted as the UMAC Game of the Week.
This week's UMAC Game of the Week will take place on Friday, September 19 as the University of Minnesota Morris travels to the University of Northwestern for the first UMAC contest of the 2014 season. The match features the 2013 UMAC Regular Season Co-Champions, the Cougars and the Eagles. Both teams were again predicted finish at the top of conference standings in 2014. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Northwestern's Ericksen Center on Friday.
About the Eagles
After three weeks of nonconference tournaments, Northwestern will finally play its first home match of the 2014 season on Friday against Minnesota Morris, the team that the Eagles shared the 2013 UMAC regular season championship with. UNW starts its league schedule with a 5-6 overall record, with eight of its first 11 matches coming against opponents that have either been ranked or received votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top 25 poll. Northwestern’s biggest victory to date came on the second day of the season, August 30, when the Eagles knocked off then-ninth ranked Saint Benedict in five sets.
UNW graduated the 2013 UMAC Player of the Year in AVCA All-American setter Krista Stoltz. However, junior Lizzy Jonas has stepped up nicely, twice earning UMAC Setter of the Week honors including the most recent award selection this past Tuesday. Jonas entered this week ranked second among Division III players in assists per set (11.73) and fourth in total assists (481). Joining Jonas in this week’s Player of the Week announcement was Lizzy Potratz, who was named the UMAC’s top defender for last week. Potratz has taken on a full time defender role in 2014 as the Eagles’ libero and leads the team with 4.85 digs per set.
While Lindsey Peterson is tops on the statistics chart with 3.07 kills per set, six different players have had led Northwestern in total kills throughout the 11-match schedule thus far. Five players enter Friday’s match averaging over 2.0 kills per set with four of them hitting over .200.
About the Cougars
After a successful run at three straight weekend tournaments, the Cougars compiled an 8-4 record which included a win against AVCA Top 25 ranked Augsburg College. The Cougar volleyball team will now turn its focus to UMAC play. They open up the slate of games with a rematch of the 2013 UMAC Championship, taking on Northwestern on Friday night. Friday’s match with Northwestern is also the UMAC Game of the Week as it pits the top two teams from last season and in the 2014 preseason poll.
The Cougars graduated three time All-UMAC first team selection and 2012 Co-Defensive Player of the Year Kaylie Clark but return two-time first team all-conference selection Emily Auch to the 2014 roster. Auch has earned UMAC Offensive Player of the Week honors the past two weeks and currently leads the conference in total kills (127) and kills per set (3.34) this season.
Defensively the Cougars rank third in the UMAC in digs per set, something that will be important in the match against Northwestern, who is the top hitting team in the UMAC and first in kills per set.
Game Notes
- Northwestern leads the all-time series with Minnesota Morris, 26-13. Since Chad Braegelmann’s arrival as the Cougars’ head coach in 2008, the all-time record is 11-3 in the Eagles’ favor.
- The Cougars rank 35th in the nation in total team kills this season while Northwestern ranks 31
st.
- As a team the Eagles are averaging 12.54 assists per set while the Cougars are averaging 11.64, ranking 19
th and 46
th in the country respectively.
- Northwestern received 49 votes in the September 2 AVCA Top 25 poll.
- In three matches against Minnesota Morris last season, Faith Vander Galien hit .375, averaging 2.3 kills per set.
- Emily Auch is leading the team offensively this year, averaging 3.34 kills per set. Abby Tietz is second on the team with 2.37 kills per set.
Northwestern Recap |
Morris Recap |
Final Score: UNW 3, UMM 2
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