ST. PAUL – All good things must come to an end and that was the case for the University of Northwestern volleyball team Saturday night, as the Eagles – making their third-straight Sweet 16 appearance – fell, 3-1, to Gustavus Adolphus. The Eagles - who tied a school record with their 34 victories – fell by set scores of: 25-11, 16-25, 18-25 and 22-25.
Playing in front of an electric Ericksen Center crowd, the Eagles put on a show in the opening set, cruising to a double-digit win. The Gusties quickly rebounded and took the next three sets, using a comeback in the fourth to secure the win.
Northwestern hit .235, while Gustavus compiled a .272 hitting percentage. GAC also held an 8-3 advantage in service aces and posted 68 points to UNW's 59.
Lindsey Peterson (Sheffield, Iowa/West Fork) continued her strong weekend, as the senior closed out her career in true
Lindsey Peterson (Sheffield, Iowa/West Fork) fashion, racking up a double-double with her 19 kills and a match-high 25 digs.
Jackie Doering (Charles City, Iowa/Charles City) recorded 21 digs and
Freya Hanson (Otsego, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville) added eight.
Leesa Malone (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie) (23 assists) and
Kaelyn Kilbo (Delano, Minn./Delano) (16 assists) ran the offense, while Jenay Fuglestad contributed eight kills.
For their efforts,
Lindsey Peterson (Sheffield, Iowa/West Fork) and
Kayla Tanner (Anoka, Minn./Anoka) were named to the St. Paul Regional All-Tournament team.
UNW will say goodbye to one of the best senior classes to ever come through the program. The quartet helped put UNW on the national map in terms of volleyball, as UNW made four-straight trips – including Final Four and two Sweet 16 appearances – to the national tournament and amassed an astounding 120 wins and never lost a conference match (46-0) in four seasons.
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