NEW ULM, Minn. – It wasn't a sweep, but the University of Northwestern was able to escape Martin Luther College 3-1 on Friday night, leaving just a 1 p.m. match on Saturday left in between the Eagles and an undefeated Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) schedule. The 25-20, 19-25, 25-19, 25-21 victory handed UNW the league's regular season championship outright after the Purple and Gold had secured a tie at minimum last Saturday.

Northwestern, playing against a Martin Luther squad that the Eagles will see again in the UMAC Tournament semifinals on Wednesday of next week, had some issues stopping Knights hitter Kira Grev while the host team stayed alive with solid back row defense. But UNW was able to put pressure on Martin Luther at both the outside and middle parts of the net, with Lindsey Peterson (Sheffield, Iowa/West Fork) and Cari Miller (West Des Moines, Iowa/Valley) stringing 14 and 12 kills together, respectively, with Miller's mark putting the senior over 1,000 kills for her career. While Faith Vander Galien (Chanhassen, Minn./Southwest Christian) and Halile Mueth each recorded nine kills to the Eagles' effort, Leesa Hulstrand (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie) was able to put seven kills down while adding 20 assists from her setter position.

As a team, the Eagles hit .219 in the match, needing just 13 kills to win the third and fourth sets that gave Northwestern the match. The Knights got to UNW in the second, finding room with 11 kills but also taking advantage of seven Eagles' attacking errors. While Northwestern had six aces on the night, the Eagles had eight miscues from behind the service line to add to Martin Luther's point total.

Shanay Gonder (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Washington) was good for another blocking performance at the net. Her seven blocks on Friday was the ninth time this season that the sophomore has had at least five rejections. Lizzy Potratz (Oshkosh, Wis./Valley Christian ), Mueth, and Jackie Foster (Charles City, Iowa/Charles City) all finished the night with double-digit digs.

Grev was the only Knight in double figures with 17 kills. Miranda Maasz had 36 assists for Martin Luther, who will finish its regular season schedule against North Central University on Saturday.

For Northwestern, Friday's win is the Eagles' 20th this season, marking eight consecutive years of 20 or more victories. UNW has had nine seasons of 20 or more victories in head coach Beth Wilmeth's 11 years at the team's helm. Northwestern, who entered this weekend with the UMAC Tournament's top seed in its pocket, will finish with Bethany Lutheran College on Saturday in Mankato, Minn. before returning home to defend their postseason title.