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MOORHEAD, Minn. – Northwestern College's second appearance in the NCAA Tournament ended sooner than hoped as the Eagles lost 3-0 to Bethel University at Concordia College on Friday afternoon.  Northwestern's 2011 season comes to a close with a 27-7 record.

The Eagles, who defeated Bethel 3-0 on the first day of the season in September, struggled to stop the Royals' attack on a neutral court.  Bethel, who was also an at-large bid into the tournament, hit well in all three sets, including a .406 mark in the second set when the Royals won 25-21.  Northwestern looked poised to claim the first set, leading 24-22, but Bethel tied the score before claiming the set 26-24.  Down 23-16 in the third set, NWC threatened with a late run before the Royals took the set and match, 25-21.  The Eagles found themselves trailing often throughout the three sets and often needed runs of two and three points to tie the score. The match featured 26 ties and 10 lead changes throughout the three sets.

Chelsea Koth (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing) (Hibbing, Minn./Hibbing) and Greta King (Willmar, Minn./Willmar) (Willmar, Minn./Willmar), NWC's two seniors, led the team with 16 and 11 kills and personal attacking percentages of .289 and .212.

“Tonight was one of those matches where we were so close and we just couldn't finish at the end,” said Eagles head coach Beth Wilmeth. She continued, “Bethel did some things to keep us off our toes. I thought that even though things weren't always going our way, our team still battled really well.”

Krista Stoltz (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial), who entered this week second amongst all NCAA Division III players in assists per set, finished the match with 37 while the Eagles hit .205 as a team.

Northwestern gave the Royals fits on the front line, finishing with nine blocks for points to go with numerous rejections at the net that put the ball back in play on Bethel's side of the net.  Jacki Smith (Roseville, Minn./Concordia Academy) (Shoreview, Minn./Concordia Academy) finished her freshman season with four  blocks, as did Courtney Jonas (Neenah, Wis./Valley Christian) (Neenah, Wis./Valley Christian).

Lexi Bertsch (Andover, Minn./Meadow Creek Christian) (Andover, Minn./Meadow Creek) tied the match high with 16 digs in the three sets. King added 11 digs on the day.

The Eagles followed their initial appearance in the 2010 NCAA Tournament with a Pool C bid this year after a dramatic selection show on Monday morning.  Northwestern, who finished its UMAC campaign with a 13-1 league record and a share of the conference title, went on an 18-match winning streak in the middle of the season and received votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top 25 Poll for the first time.

Wilmeth's loss in Koth and King will be a big one for the Eagles as Northwestern will lose its top two hitters who both played all six rotations throughout the season.  Koth was a four-year starter while King started all three of her seasons in a NWC uniform after transferring to Northwestern from Concordia-Moorhead after her freshman year.