WHITEWATER, Wis. – The University of Northwestern volleyball team had a few short hours to celebrate its thrilling five-set win  over the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament before the Eagles had to turn their attention to their next opponent – the Wartburg College Knights. UNW and Wartburg will square off at 7 p.m. inside Russell Arena with a trip to Saturday's Regional Championship on the line. The two teams last met Sept. 13, 2014, with the Knights pulling off a 3-0 sweep at the Cornell College Invitational.

The Eagles stunned the top-seeded Warhawks 3-2 late Thursday night to earn a win over the No. 1 seed in the region for the second straight year. Watch and read how UNW pulled off the upset below:

UNW – UW-Whitewater Game Recap
Postgame Press Conference
Watch the match-winning point from Thursday's match
 
UNW News & Notes

---Dating back to Sept. 19, the Eagles have now won 21 of their last 22 matches.
---With Thursday's win, UNW has knocked off the No. 1 seed in the region for the second straight year.
---Lindsey Peterson (Sheffield, Iowa/West Fork) was named the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Peterson was also selected to the AVCA All-Central Region Team Thursday. Six others were named all-conference in Thursday's release. See the complete release here. 
---Head Coach Beth Wilmeth took home her fifth UMAC Coach of the Year award.
---The Eagles are 5-2 in neutral matches this season.

A Look at the Knights
Wartburg, hailing from Waverly, Iowa, compiled a 31-5 overall record this season, taking home the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) crown. The Knights advanced to the round of 32 with a five-set win over the College of Saint Benedict. Wartburg did not drop a neutral match this season, putting together a 7-0 tally. For a closer look at Wartburg volleyball, including season statistics, click here.  

The winner of Friday's match will advance to the Regional Championship Saturday to take on the winner of the Bethel and UW-Eau Claire contest.