No. 1 Eagles, No. 2 Cougars win in straight-sets to advance to UMAC volleyball title match
ST. PAUL, Minn.---The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) volleyball postseason tournament started off with a thrilling five-setter, but both of Wednesday's semifinal matches needed just three sets to be decided as No. 1 University of Northwestern and No. 2 University of Minnesota Morris emerged victorious.
No. 1 Northwestern defeated No. 4 Martin Luther College 3-0 (25-12, 25-22, 25-12), while No. 2 Minnesota Morris took down No. 3 College of St. Scholastica 3-0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-17). The Cougars will travel to play the Eagles Saturday for a trip to the NCAA tournament at 7 p.m.
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Tournament Site |
Semifinal 1 Recap |
Semifinal 2 Recap |
Volleyball – No. 1 Northwestern def. No. 4 Martin Luther, 3-0 (25-12, 25-22, 25-12) |
Box Score |
In their meeting just five days ago, Northwestern had to fight off a scrappy Knight squad that nearly took the second set after being up. Wednesday, the Knights were down early in the seocnd set but managed to make it close on a number of occassions before the No. 22-ranked Eagles pulled away for the win.
The Eagles again got another impressive performance from star Lindsey Peterson who floored 18 kills and hit .370 in the match. Shanay Gonder added 10 kills of her own with three block assists, while Freya Hanson had 21 digs and Jackie Doering had 18 to lead the Eagles' defensive effort. Leesa Hulstrand had a match-high 19 assists.
For the Knights, the offense came mainly from the duo of Jade St. Germaine and Kira Grev who compiled 13 and 11 kills, respectively. Grev committed just three errors and added eight digs to her effort. Emily Neeb anchored the back row with 15 digs, while Emily Byhardt added 12 digs and 13 assists for a double-double night.
Volleyball – No. 2 Minnesota Morris def. No. 3 St. Scholastica, 3-0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-17) |
Box Score |
No. 2 Minnesota Morris defeated No. 3 St. Scholastica twice this season and hoped to make it three-straight, but knew the Saints had the potential to pull off the upset. Despite best efforts, the solid Cougar squad emerged victorious on their home court Wednesday.
The No. 2 Cougars got a dynamite performance from star Marissa Eckness who tallied a double-double with 13 kills and 11 digs. Morgan Miller also added to the offense with 10 kills as well as two blocks. Rookie setter Layne Hermann continued her breakout season in strong fashion with 35 assists, while Katie Reitsma added 24 digs.
The No. 3 Saints received a solid defensive effort from Alex Barsody who put up 15 digs, while setter Emily Kessler racked up 17 assists and seven digs for a solid alla round performance. Noelle Elvehjem led the team with eight kills. Christaia Houser, Nikki Kienzle and Jen Hortness each picked up three blocks.
All tournament information including scores, recaps, team information and more can be found on the
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Playoff Schedule
Quarterfinal Round – Monday, Oct. 31
No. 4 Martin Luther defeats No. 5 Bethany Lutheran 3-2 |
Box Score |
MLC Recap |
BLC Recap |
Semifinal Round – Wednesday, Nov. 2
No. 1 Northwestern def. No. 4 Martin Luther, 3-0 |
Box Score |
UNW Recap |
MLC Recap |
No. 2 Minnesota Morris def. No. 3 St. Scholastica, 3-0 |
Box Score |
CSS Recap |
UMM Recap |
Championship – Saturday, Nov. 5
No. 2 Minnesota Morris AT No. 1 Northwestern, St. Paul, Minn., 7 p.m. |
Live Video |
Live Stats |