Top seeds win in straight sets to advance to UMAC volleyball championship
ST. PAUL, Minn.---For the fifth-straight season, the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) volleyball tournament championship match will feature the University of Northwestern and the University of Minnesota Morris as both top seeds won in straight sets Wednesday to advance.
No. 1 seed Northwestern handed No. 4 Martin Luther College a 3-0 (25-13, 25-19, 25-14) loss to end the Knights' tournament run after a thrilling five-set win in the quarterfinals Monday. No. 2 Minnesota Morris fought off a late-match rally from No. 3 University of Wisconsin-Superior for a 3-0 (25-14, 25-12, 27-25) win.
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Tournament Site |
Semifinal 1 Recap |
Semifinal 2 Recap |
No. 1 Northwestern def. No. 4 Martin Luther, 3-0 (25-13, 25-19, 25-14) |
Box Score |
In the opening semifinal, No. 1 Northwestern made quick work of No. 4 Martin Luther leading by a margin of eight before finally pulling away for a convincing lead in the first. The Knights came out strong in the second set and were down by just two points at 12-10 before the Eagles went on a tear to end the set. The Eagles dominated the third set en route to another postseason win.
Lindsey Peterson led the Eagle attack with a match-high 17 kills and hit .394. She also added two blocks and eight digs for a balanced stat line. Mariah Halvorsen had a solid performance racking up 12 kills and a block. Jackie Doering anchored the defense with 15 digs, while Kaelyn Kilbo and Leesa Malone fueled the attack with 20 and 13 assists, respectively.
For the Knights, Jade St. Germaine again led offensively with 10 kills, while Taylor Weber matched Doering's match-high dig total of 15. Kira Grev also added 11 digs for the Knights along with nine kills.
No. 2 Minnesota Morris def. No. 3 Wisconsin-Superior, 3-0 (25-14, 25-12, 27-25) |
Box Score |
The second semifinal of the evening started in similar fashion with No. 2 Minnesota Morris cruising to quick victories in the first and second sets. However, No. 3 Wisconsin-Superior came to play in the third as they built an impressive nine-point lead at 17-8. The Cougars battled back hard, though, and notched the match at 24-24 before taking three of the next four points for the win.
Marissa Ekness led the Cougars with a solid all around effort collecting 14 kills and eight digs, while Rachel Mathias tallied 10 kills and just one error to finish the night hitting .474. Star setter Layne Herrmann collected 40 assists in running the Cougar offense, while Bekah Morris led defensively with 15 digs and Katie Reitsma had 14.
For the Yellowjackets, Tawnee Jasan had seven kills and Brylee Colligan had six to lead the squad. Emily VerWay dished out 21 assists and collected five digs to match the team high along with Mackenzie Dahlin.
Playoff Schedule
Quarterfinal Round – Monday, Oct. 30
No. 4 Martin Luther def. No. 5 St. Scholastica 3-2 |
Box Score |
Semifinal Round – Wednesday, Nov. 1
No. 1 Northwestern def. No. 4 Martin Luther 3-0 |
Box Score |
No. 2 Minnesota Morris def. No. 3 Wisconsin-Superior 3-0 |
Box Score |
Championship – Saturday, Nov. 4
No. 2 Minnesota Morris at No. 1 Northwestern, St. Paul, Minn., 7 p.m. |
Live Video |
Live Stats |
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.