Eagles down Knights in first round of UMAC tournament

Box Score

ST. PAUL (Nov. 4, 2008) – Northwestern left little doubt in the minds of those in attendance as to who the top seed was in the UMAC conference tournament, as the Eagles defeated fourth-seeded Martin Luther College 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-13). It was the fifth straight win overall and the 15^th consecutive victory against a UMAC team for the conference champions.

Kathryne Engel (Wayzata, Minn./West Lutheran) (Wayzata, Minn./West Lutheran) led all players with 16 kills, as Northwestern hit .275 as a team. Engel had a personal attacking percentage of .419 alone, while Hillary Slagter (Prinsburg, Minn./Central Minnesota Christian) (Prinsburg, Minn./Central Minnesota Christian) had eight kills and a .500 attacking percentage.

Northwestern was powerful on the block all night, turning back several Martin Luther attempts. The Eagles finished the one-hour match with nine blocks, besting the Knights' seven. Sarah Whitmore (Prior Lake, MN/Prior Lake Christian) (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake Christian) and Laura Bicket (Zion, Ill./Zion-Benton Township) (Zion, Ill./Zion-Benton Township) were each a part of four blocks on the night.

Slagter and Leah Kostek (West Des Moines, Iowa/Des Moines Christian ) (West Des Moines, Iowa/Des Moines Christian) combined for 36 assists in the three sets, as the Eagles owned a 43-22 advantage in kills.

Steph Koth (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing) (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing) led all players with 16 digs, while Danielle Rhodes (Iowa City, Iowa/City) (Iowa City, Iowa/City) followed with 13.

Northwestern (25-5 overall, 14-0 UMAC) will host second-seeded College of St. Scholastica on Saturday night for the conference tournament finale. The Eagles and Saints have played twice this year, with NWC taking both matches in 3-0 fashion. The match is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. in the Ericksen Center.

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