ASHLAND, Wis. – The 24th-ranked University of Northwestern volleyball team added two more wins to its 2016 resume, as the Eagles swept Northland College (2-16, 0-4) and Finlandia University (7-16) Saturday afternoon. The Eagles improve their record to 20-3 overall and 4-0 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) play. It is the best start to a year for Northwestern since the 2002 season and is the 11th time Head Coach Beth Wilmeth has hit the 20-win plateau in her 13-year tenure.

Match One vs. Northland (25-7, 25-12, 25-14)
The Eagles hit .396 en route to a dominant performance over the host Lumber Jills. UNW put up 50 points to NC's 23.

Lindsey Peterson (Sheffield, Iowa/West Fork)'s 16 kills and 11 digs earned the junior another double-double. Shanay Gonder (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Washington) floored nine kills and Leesa Hulstrand (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie) racked up 20 assists to lead the offense.
Kaelyn Kilbo (Delano, Minn./Delano) contributed three service aces and tallied 16 assists. Jackie Doering (Charles City, Iowa/Charles City) added 12 digs for UNW.

Match Two vs. Finlandia (25-9, 25-4, 25-10)
The Eagles carried their momentum from Saturday's first match into the weekend finale, as UNW cruised, hitting a blistering .597 and holding Finlandia to a -.123 hitting percentage. Northwestern put up 56 points, while the Lions managed just 14.

Jackie Doering (Charles City, Iowa/Charles City)'s match-high 17 digs and Toria Gillson (St. Cloud, Minn./St. Cloud Christian)'s three blocks led the UNW defense. Lindsey Peterson (Sheffield, Iowa/West Fork) slammed 19 kills to lead all players and Kaelyn Kilbo (Delano, Minn./Delano) notched 15 assists to pace the offense.

The Eagles will host the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in a critical match Tuesday evening. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. inside the Ericksen Center. More information can be found at www.unweagles.com.