Champion Eagles lead talented field for UMAC volleyball playoffs
ST. PAUL, Minn.---Just as it has gone for the last five season, the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) volleyball tournament field will be headlined by No. 14 University of Northwestern – a team that wrapped up a seventh-straight conference regular season title – with games set to begin Monday.
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Players to Watch |
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The Eagles locked up the No. 1 seed and a share of the title way back on Oct. 17, but claimed the title outright with a pair of wins over Martin Luther College and Bethany Lutheran College Saturday. The top-ranked Central Region team completed a perfect 16-0 UMAC season and currently sits 30-6 overall. As the top seed, the Eagles will host a semifinal game Wednesday evening against the winner of Monday’s quarterfinal game between No. 4 Martin Luther and No. 5 College of St. Scholastica.
The No. 4-seed Knights sealed their postseason position with a loss to the champs Saturday, but earned their way in throughout the season with critical wins over potential playoff contenders. The Knights will make their eighth-straight UMAC postseason appearance with a 10-6 conference record and 15-16 overall mark.
No. 5-seeded St. Scholastica clinched the final postseason spot Wednesday with a critical win over North Central University knocking Bethany Lutheran out of the playoff picture. The Saints finish with a 9-7 mark in league play after going 1-7 against teams finished above – the one win came against Martin Luther which it will face in a 7 p.m. quarterfinal matchup Monday in New Ulm, Minnesota.
The other two post season spots include No. 2 University of Minnesota Morris and No. 3 University of Wisconsin-Superior. The Cougars have also had a spectacular season and made their way into the Central Region ranks at No. 8 Wednesday. They came up just a few points short of defeating Northwestern on Oct. 11, but enter as a solid No. 2 seed with a 14-2 conference record and 25-7 overall mark.
The No. 2 Cougars will host the No. 3 Yellowjackets in a semifinal Wednesday at 7 p.m. in Morris, Minnesota. The Yellowjackets had a huge turnaround in 2017 after missing the UMAC postseason a year ago. Wisconsin-Superior enters the tournament with a UMAC 11-5 record and 19-11 overall mark.
The winners of Wednesday’s semifinals will face off in the UMAC championship game – with a bid to the NCAA tournament on the line – Saturday at the site of the highest remaining seed. Game time is 7 p.m.
Players to Watch
No. 1 Northwestern (in conference play)
Lindsey Peterson - 4.98 k/s, 0.51 sa/s, 3.46 d/s
Leesa Malone - 6.91 a/s, 0.57 b/s, .382 hit.%
Jackie Doering - 4.51 d/s, 0.29 sa/s
No. 2 Minnesota Morris (in conference play)
Marissa Ekness - 3.77 k/s, .300 hit.%
Katie Reitsma - 4.83 d/s, 0.38 sa/s
Layne Hermann - 10.29 a/s
No. 3 Wisconsin-Superior (in conference play)
Brylee Colligan - 2.73 k/s, 2.80 d/s
Emily VerWay - 9.61 a/s, 0.35 sa/s, 2.89 d/s
Mackenzie Dahlin - 3.80 d/s, 0.30 sa/s
No. 4 Martin Luther (in conference play)
Jade St. Germaine - 2.82 k/s, 0.57 b/s
Kira Grev - 2.62 k/s, 0.60 b/s
Rylee Weisensel - 1.04 b/s, .232 hit.%, 0.30 sa/s
No. 5 St. Scholastica (in conference play)
Espi Austvold - 8.14 a/s, 0.39 sa/s
Christaia Houser - 2.42 k/s, .369 hit.%, 1.07 b/s
Brooke Elvehjem - 2.15 k/s, .216 hit%, 0.67 b.s
Teams and Links
Playoff Schedule
Quarterfinal Round – Monday, Oct. 30
No. 5 St. Scholastica AT No. 4 Martin Luther; New Ulm, Minn., 7 p.m. |
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Live Stats |
Semifinal Round – Wednesday, Nov. 1
No. 4/5 winner AT No. 1 Northwestern; St. Paul, Minn., 7 p.m. |
Live Video |
Live Stats |
No. 3 Wisconsin-Superior AT No. 2 Minnesota Morris; Morris, Minn. 7 p.m. |
Live Broadcast |
Championship – Saturday, Nov. 4
Lowest remaining seed at highest remaining seed; Location and time, 7 p.m.
Ticket Information
All UMAC postseason events have the following set admissions prices: Adults, $7; college students and seniors, $5; youth (Age 6-18), $3; age 5 and under, FREE. Any UMAC students, faculty and staff are free with a valid and current institutional ID. No other passes will be accepted.
All tournament information including scores, recaps, team information and more can be found on the UMAC Volleyball Tournament page. Keep up with all of the tournament action on Twitter and Instagram using #UMACchamp.