Northwestern cruises to fifth-consecutive UMAC volleyball postseason championship
ST. PAUL, Minn.---For the fourth year in a row, the University of Northwestern and University of Minnesota Morris have met in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) volleyball postseason tournament championship match and each year the Eagles have emerged victorious. This year was no different as the No. 1-seeded Eagles downed the No. 2 Cougars 3-0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-21) to capture their fifth-consecutive playoff title Saturday.
The win marked the 30th of the season for the Eagles who remain the top ranked team in the NCAA Central Region. This will be the sixth time in as many years that the Eagles will participate in the NCAA tournament earning the UMAC's automatic qualifying bid with the win Saturday.
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Box Score |
The Eagles jumped out to an early lead on the Cougars in the first set and led by as many as eight points at 20-12 before the Cougars began to claw their way back in to the set. A Minnesota Morris service error ended the set, though, giving the Eagles a 1-0 lead.
The Cougars came out stronger in the second set, but still found themseleves down midway through. Then, down 17-15, the Cougars rattled off five-straight points to go up 20-17. The composed Eagles didn't panic winning eight of the next 10 points to close out the set and go up 2-0.
The third set opened up with complete dominance by the Cougars who built a sizeable 10-2 lead and appeared as though they may force a fourth set. Slowly but surely, the Eagles roared back to even the match at 14-14 before closing it out 25-21 to take the match.
The Eagles were led by Shanay Gonder who tallied 17 kills and hit .467. She also added five blocks to earn the UMAC volleyball Tounrament MVP honor. Gonder finished her two tournament matches with 27 kills and eight blocks.
Lindsey Peterson tallied a double-double with 13 kills and 19 digs, while Jackie Doering, Freya Hanson and Abby Vander Galien each reached double digits in digs to add to a strong defensive night for the champion Eagles. Leesa Hulstrand tallied 20 assists, while kaelyn Kilbo had 14 to fuel the offensive attack.
Marissa Ekness compiled a double-double for the Cougars racking up a team-best 12 kills and 15 digs. Katie Reitsma had 23 digs to lead the match defensively, while Layne Hermann had 28 assists.
With the win, the Eagles will represent the UMAC in the NCAA postseason and they will learn their fate Monday during the NCAA selection show at 11:30 a.m. on
NCAA.com.
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. 1 Northwestern def. No. 2 Minnesota Morris, 3-0 |
Box Score |
UNW Recap |
UMM Recap |