ST. PAUL – The 10th-ranked University of Northwestern volleyball team got back on track in a big way Wednesday night inside the Ericksen Center, as the Eagles swept Crown in their conference opener before putting together a dominant performance in a sweep of IIAC preseason favorite Wartburg in the nightcap. The Knights are receiving votes in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Poll.
UNW 3, Crown (25-10, 25-19, 25-15)
Northwestern hit an eye-popping .478 in the opening set and never looked back en route to the victory. The Eagles strong hitting led to 41 kills, while the Storm posted just 17.
Mariah Halvorsen (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) led the charge in the hitting department, slamming a match-high 12 kills, while
Kayla Tanner (Anoka, Minn./Anoka) added nine and
Kalley Schwitters (Clara City, Minn./Central Minnesota Christian) eight.
Defensively,
Jackie Doering (Charles City, Iowa/Charles City) posted double-digit digs with her 17 and Schwitters added eight in the backrow.
Kaelyn Kilbo (Delano, Minn./Delano) recorded 16 assists to setup an efficient Eagle offense.
UNW 3, Wartburg 0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-16)
In a battle of two of the region's top two teams, the Eagles picked up a critical sweep of the Knights. UNW used a strong serving attack – posting six aces – to make things challenging for the Wartburg offense.
UNW hit .275 for the match, including .405 in the second set.
Mariah Halvorsen (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) had a huge match, leading all players with 19 kills. Her counterpart Wednesday,
Lindsey Peterson (Sheffield, Iowa/West Fork), floored 15 kills, while
Jalyn Larson (Drayton, N.D./Drayton) added seven. Larson also racked up a team-high three blocks in the middle.
Leesa Malone (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie) and
Kaelyn Kilbo (Delano, Minn./Delano) both posted 18 kills.
The Eagles will return to conference play Saturday with matches against Northland and Minnesota Morris in Ashland, Wis. Fans can find more information on the volleyball program at
www.unweagles.com or by following @unwvb on Twitter.