Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The University of Northwestern volleyball team got off to a strong start on the first day of a Labor Day weekend tournament hosted by the College of Saint Benedict, defeating the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire 3-0 before going the distance in a 3-2 victory over Concordia College-Moorhead.

Freshman Lindsey Peterson (Sheffield, Iowa/West Fork) made a name for herself right off the bat against the Blugolds of Eau Claire, netting seven kills in the first set to help UNW establish a 25-20 victory. Northwestern persevered in extra points in Set 2, winning 27-25 before wrapping up the match with a decisive 25-18 third set victory. Having played in the shadows of All-American and 2013 UMAC Player of the Year Krista Stoltz (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) for the first two years of her career, Lizzy Jones hardly showed any nerves in her first career start. Jonas tallied 48 assists as the setter in head coach Beth Wilmeth's 5-1 offensive system.

After a Set 1 victory against the Cobbers from Concordia, Northwestern watched their opponent take the second and third sets, with Concordia winning Set 3 by a 26-24 margin. UNW came back with a 26-24 win of its own in the fourth round before knocking out the Cobbers with a 15-4 finish in the fifth. Faith Vander Galien (Chanhassen, Minn./Southwest Christian) had 15 kills to pace Northwestern while Jonas one-upped herself from Northwestern's first match of the day, finishing the five-set contest with 50 assists, helping UNW to a .264 hitting rate.

While Friday was anything but a breeze for the Eagles, Saturday's second day of the tournament will certainly present a challenge for Northwestern, who is slated to go up against a pair of preseason Top 25 teams. UNW, who finished Friday's action in the 9 p.m. hour, starts with an 11 a.m. match against 16th-ranked Augsburg College before the Purple and Gold wraps up with a 3 p.m. contest against the host-Blazers, who entered the season as the American Volleyball Coaches Association's (AVCA) ninth-best team in the country.