ST. PAUL – The No. 23 University of Northwestern volleyball team cruised to a pair of wins on the opening day of its season and the UNW Labor Day Tournament. The Eagles defeated Coe College 3-1, before sweeping Concordia College in the nightcap.

Game One vs. Coe College (25-19, 25-15, 24-26, 25-13)
The Eagles jumped out to an early 2-0 lead after grabbing a 25-19 win in the opening set of 2016 and dominant 25-15 victory in the second set. The visitors wouldn't go away, as the Kohawks took a back-and-forth third set, 26-25. UNW regrouped and picked up a hard-fought 25-23 win in set four to secure the match, 3-1.

After a stellar sophomore season, Lindsey Peterson (Sheffield, Iowa/West Fork) picked up right where she left off, notching a double-double after racking up a match-high 16 kills and 13 digs. Fellow junior Jackie Doering (Charles City, Iowa/Charles City) accumulated 20 digs in the back row to lead all players. Kaelyn Kilbo (Delano, Minn./Delano) delivered 25 assists, while Freya Hanson (Otsego, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville) floored nine kills.

UNW owned the net, compiling a .326 hitting percentage and holding a 9-3 advantage in blocks.

Game Two vs. Concordia Moorhead (25-16, 25-13, 26-14)
UNW cruised to 25-19 and 25-13 wins in the first two sets over the Cobbers, before rallying from an eight-point deficit in the third to win the set 26-24 and match 3-0.

Lindsey Peterson (Sheffield, Iowa/West Fork) tacked on 13 more kills and 20 digs to her already impressive opening-day resume, while freshman Kayla Tanner (Anoka, Minn./Anoka) shined in her UNW debut Friday, pounding eight kills in the match and a total of 14 on the day.

Anna Gasch (Waverly, Iowa/Waverly-Shell Rock) and Shanay Gonder (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Washington) anchored the middle, posting four blocks each. UNW hit .248 in the match, while holding Concorida to a .009 hitting percentage.

The Eagles will get a few hours of rest before returning to the Ericksen Center tomorrow to take on Westminster College (1 p.m.) and Loras College (3 p.m.). Fans unable to make it out can watch live at www.unweagles.com or by following @unwvb on Twitter.