No. 1 Eagles, No. 2 Cougars advance in UMAC volleyball playoffs

No. 1 Eagles, No. 2 Cougars advance in UMAC volleyball playoffs

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ST. PAUL, Minn.---For the ninth-consecutive season, the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) volleyball tournament championship game will see No. 1 University of Northwestern host No. 2 University of Minnesota Morris for a trip to the NCAA tournament following semifinal wins for each squad Wednesday. 

No. 1 Northwestern cruised to a 3-0 (25-18, 25-9, 25-9) sweep of No. 4 Martin Luther College while No.2 Minnesota Morris won a battle with No. 3 University of Wisconsin-Superior 3-1 (25-19, 18-25, 25-23, 25-23). The championship match is set for 3 p.m. Saturday in St. Paul. 

SEMIFINAL 1: No. 1 Northwestern def. No. 4 Martin Luther, 3-0 | Box Score |
The first semifinal saw two teams meet up that played on the final day of the regular season Saturday. Just like in that contest, the No. 1 Eagles swept the No. 4 Knights 3-0 in order to gain the opportunity to host yet another UMAC tournament championship match. 
 
  • Gabby Straub of Northwestern led all hitters with 14 kills, while Ari Schmidt had 10 kills and hit .625. Marylyn Schroyer led the team defensively with 29 digs. 
  • Eagle setter Sydney Schwitters set a new school record for career assists in the second set and finished the night with 29. 
  • Kelsey Birschbach led the Knights in both kills (6) and digs (13).

SEMIFINAL 2: No. 2 Minnesota Morris def. No. 3 Wisconsin-Superior, 3-1 | Box Score |
The regular season ended in exciting fashion as No. 3 Wisconsin-Superior defeated No. 2 Minnesota Morris in a five-set thriller to even the season series at one match each. The final meeting of the two squads went to four sets with the Cougars holding off the Yellowjackets in the waning moment of the match with 25-23 wins in each the third and fourth sets en route to victory.
 
  • Three Cougars recorded double-digit kill totals led by Lydia Nash with 15. Kennedy Geller and Maggie Jones each recorded 11 kills and hit over .450. 
  • McKenzie Newton tallied a double-double with 45 assists and 13 digs. Alyssa Ukestad topped the dig category for the Cougars with 21.
  • In the losing effort, Alexie Pryd poured in a match-high 23 kills, while Jenna Anderson had 25 digs for the Yellowjackets.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Semifinal Round – Wednesday, Nov. 3
No. 1 Northwestern def. No. 4 Martin Luther, 3-0 (25-18, 25-9, 25-9) | Box Score |
No. 2 Minnesota Morris def. No. 3 Wisconsin-Superior, 3-1 (25-19, 18-25, 25-23, 25-23) | Box Score |

Championship – Saturday, Nov. 6
No. 2 Minnesota Morris AT No. 1 Northwestern; St. Paul, Minn., 3 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Video |

TICKET INFORMATION
  • Adults, $10 
  • College students and seniors, $5
  • Youth (Age 6-18), $5; 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.
Tournament Championship Page