Box Score

DULUTH, Minn. – The University of Northwestern fended off a pesky College of St. Scholastica team on Saturday afternoon, defeating the host Saints 3-2 to become the only Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) team to remain unbeaten in league play. The Eagles lost both the first and second sets, facing an early exit before winning Sets 3 and 4. Looking up at a 14-11 deficit in the fifth round, UNW stormed back to win the set 16-14 and ultimately the match.

Northwestern kept pace offensively with St. Scholastica throughout the match, but the Saints were more efficient, especially in the first two sets, with their attacks, needing less attempts to record the needed kills. CSS found momentum when it needed it in the late parts of those rounds to take a somewhat surprising 2-0 lead heading into the third.

UNW and St. Scholastica were neck-and-neck in the third set, with the two teams tied at 17 points apiece. The Purple and Gold, wearing their primarily white uniforms, rattled off three straight points at 20-17, but the Saints came within a point at 21-20. Leading 23-22, the Eagles received kills from Cari Miller (West Des Moines, Iowa/Valley) and Faith Vander Galien (Chanhassen, Minn./Southwest Christian) that gave Northwestern its first set victory and a bit of momentum.

Set 4 looked as though it was going to go in the Eagles' favor rather easily as Northwestern built up an 18-8 advantage. St. Scholastica used a trio of Jen Hortness kills and some UNW miscues to get within a point at 21-20 before Northwestern scored four of the next five points to take the set 25-21, forcing a decisive race to 15 in Set 5 to determine the match. Again, it was the Eagles in front, 7-4, looking like they would go home as the victor from there. CSS came back again, using a 10-4 rally to nearly close out the match with a 14-11 lead. Vander Galien had two kills over the next three points as Northwestern tied it at 14-14. The Saints gave up a point on an attacking error before Hallie Mueth (Sheffield, Iowa/West Fork) sealed the deal for the Eagles with a kill, assisted by Lizzy Jonas (Neenah, Wis./Valley Christian ) to cap off a match that lasted two hours and 21 minutes.

UNW hit .215 as a team, 29 points lower than St. Scholastica, but had more kills than the Saints, 72-66. Miller, Vander Galien, Mueth, and Lindsey Peterson (Sheffield, Iowa/West Fork) all had 14 or more kills with Peterson's 17 tying CSS's Kortney Morin for the match high. Vander Galien finished with 15 kills on 24 attempts (.542) as Jonas posted a career-high 60 assists. Defensively, Lizzy Potratz (Oshkosh, Wis./Valley Christian ) also recorded a career-best with 36 digs. Shanay Gonder (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Washington) led the Eagles with four blocks.

Now 10-6 overall (5-0 UMAC), Northwestern resumes play next Friday and Saturday, Oct. 3 and 4. The Eagles will host Martin Luther College at 7 p.m. on Friday night before welcoming Bethany Lutheran College and Macalester College for a triangular on Saturday, starting at 11 a.m.