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ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – Northwestern College won its third straight match on Wednesday night, returning home from its first road contest of the season with a big 3-0 win (25-22, 25-23, 25-23) over 18th-ranked College of St. Benedict. Trailing 22-20 in the third set, Northwestern stormed back, taking five of the final six points to win the match. The Eagles, who started the 2012 campaign with a 3-1 record last week, handed the Blazers their first loss of the season, setting up an exciting rematch between the same two teams on Friday evening.

While NWC had just four more kills than their opponents in the close match, the Eagles found success on offense twice as much, hitting .169 compared to an 87 percent rate for St. Ben's. Kendra Korporal (Sumner, Iowa /Sumner-Fredericksburg), who became the first Northwestern player in the last 10 years to record 21 kills in her first four collegiate games, led the team with 15 kills on Wednesday night, nearly matching the Eagles' team mark with a .164 personal attacking percentage. Lizzy Potratz (Oshkosh, Wis./Valley Christian ) added nine kills for the Eagles, while Krista Stoltz (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) ended the match with 34 assists.

Back row defense was the determining factor for Northwestern, as evidenced by four players to finish with double-digit digs. Lexi Bertsch (Andover, Minn./Meadow Creek Christian), who was named the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday, finished with a team-high 25 digs while Potratz contributed 18 digs of her own. As a team, the Eagles dug nine more balls than the Blazers while owning a 6-3 advantage in blocks. Freshman Lydia Palkert (Excelsior, Minn./Southwest Christian) had her hand in four blocks for Northwestern.

Alexa Rinde led St. Benedict with 13 kills while Taya Kockelman had 24 assists for the Blazers (4-1).

Now 4-1 early in the season, Northwestern will return to the court for a day of practice on Thursday to prepare for a four-match weekend at the annual Augsburg College Invitational. The Eagles will begin Friday's action with a 2 p.m. contest versus Wisconsin-Eau Claire, who received 16 votes in Tuesday's American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top 25 poll, before facing off against St. Benedict at 8 p.m. on the same day in Augsburg's Si Melby Hall.