Box Score

Game Reaction: Beth Wilmeth | Leah Kostek | Greta King

ST. PAUL – The Northwestern volleyball team took 12th-ranked St. Olaf College to the wire on Friday afternoon, but the Eagles ultimately lost in their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance 3-2 (26-28, 23-25, 27-25, 25-23, 12-15). The Eagles held leads in each of the five sets down the stretch, but struggled to contain the Oles' Kim Smisek, who finished with 25 kills on 77 attempts.

The 26 ties and 10 lead changes throughout the first two sets was an accurate depiction of the game's atmosphere.  By the end of the match, the two teams had combined for nearly 200 digs and over 30 blocks.  NWC's crowd propelled their team as the Eagles chipped away at St. Olaf, who has lost only four matches all season. Northwestern was never out of the match, and led 10-8 in the fifth set before an Oles timeout shifted the game in the top seed's favor.

Greta King (Willmar, Minn./Willmar) (Willmar, Minn./Willmar) was the Eagles' response to Smisek as the junior posted 18 kills on 43 attempts to lead NWC. Chelsea Koth (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing) (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing) followed with 14 kills, followed by Courtney Jonas (Neenah, Wis./Valley Christian)' (Neenah, Wis./Victory Christian) 10. Leah Kostek (West Des Moines, Iowa/Des Moines Christian ) (West Des Moines, Iowa/Des Moines Christian) had 45 assists in her final game in an Eagles uniform, pushing her career assists mark over 3,500.

On the other side of the court, Melissa Burch and Ariel Carlson each found double figures on offense as they finished with 16 and 14 to complement Smisek's 25. Both teams finished with a .139 attacking percentage while nearly cancelling each other out on the block as well. Northwestern had 16 blocks in the match, nine of which came from the hands of Elissa Sandstrom (Cloquet, Minn./Carlton) (Cloquet, Minn./Carlton) and six more from Danielle Rhodes (Iowa City, Iowa/City) (Iowa City, Iowa/City). Carlson had six solo blocks and two more assisted to lead the Oles, who finished with 15 blocks as a team.

Kelsey Korporal (Sumner, Iowa/Sumner-Fredericksburg) (Sumner, Iowa/Sumner-Fredericksburg), who kept NWC in several games this year with her back row defense, was sharp yet again in the University of St. Thomas' brand new Anderson Athletic Complex, finishing with 23 digs to close out her all-American career. Rhodes and Lexi Bertsch (Andover, Minn./Meadow Creek Christian) (Andover, Minn./Meadow Creek Christian) were right behind with 18 and 16 digs.

Northwestern, who didn't win the UMAC regular season championship for the first time in four years in 2010, represented the league well in the first year of its automatic qualifier. The Eagles, who close their season with a 26-14 overall record, will sadly say goodbye to seven seniors, most of whom have been four-year players for Beth Wilmeth.