OSHKOSH, Wis. – Dramatic, heart-stopping, thrilling. The list of adjectives to describe Thursday's NCAA Division III Quarterfinal match between the 18th-ranked University of Northwestern and 13th-ranked Eastern University (32-6) goes on and on, as the two teams played to a five-set thriller. UNW – making its debut at the Elite Eight – overcame a four-point deficit in the fifth set to defeat Eastern and advance to Friday's semifinal with Calvin College.

UNW won by set scores of 25-16, 23-25, 25-20, 23-25, 15-12 to improve to 34-4 and punch its ticket to the program's first Final Four.



With the scored knotted at 12 apiece in the first set, UNW went on a 5-0 run to take a 17-12 advantage – a lead they would never relinquish – as UNW jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the match. Eastern battled back in set two when it looked like Northwestern may distance themselves in the match, earning a hard-fought 25-23 win. UNW found its groove again in the third and picked up the set win to go on top 2-1. Eastern wouldn't go, fighting their way to force a fifth set. In the deciding set, Northwestern found itself in a four-point (9-5) hole, but UNW rattled off eight-straight points to go on top 13-9 before an Eastern error gave UNW a 15-12 victory.

Less than 24 hours after being named the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Player of the Year, Linsey Peterson proved why she was worthy of the praise, as the junior slammed a match-high 24 kills to go along with a 27 digs. With her 24 slams, Peterson ties Northwestern's single-season record for kills in a season (631). Fellow junior Jackie Doering (Charles City, Iowa/Charles City) matched Peterson's spectacular play, posting 31 digs in the back row to lead all players.

Kaelyn Kilbo (Delano, Minn./Delano) jumpstarted the UNW offense, tallying 27 assists, while Leesa Hulstrand (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie) recorded 17 assists and nine kills. Hulstrand was also strong on the defensive side of the ball, putting up five blocks. Freya Hanson (Otsego, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville) reached double digits in kills, flooring 10, while Shanay Gonder (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Washington) added nine and five blocks. Toria Gillson (St. Cloud, Minn./St. Cloud Christian) was strong in the middle, notching six blocks.

Northwestern and Eastern mirrored each other in nearly every statistical category.



UNW will meet No. 2 Calvin College in one of Friday's semifinal contests with a trip to the National Championship on the line. First serve will be at 5 p.m. Fans can find more information at www.unweagles.com.