MINNEAPOLIS - The No. 2 University of Northwestern women's volleyball team suffered their first loss of the season on Friday night, losing in straight sets to the University of St. Thomas before bouncing back with a sweep of No. 16 Wisconsin-La Crosse.

St. Thomas 3, UNW 0 (28-26, 25-23, 25-21)
While the sweep might indicate otherwise, all three sets were highly competitive. The Eagles forced the Tommies well over the traditional 25 points in set one, and were within four points in all three. Unfortunately for Beth Wilmeth's squad, they weren't able to get over the hump in any of them.

Reigning AVCA Division III Player of the Year Lindsey Peterson (Sheffield, Iowa/West Fork) once again led the way for the Eagles, recording 16 kills and 12 digs. Newcomers Kaylee Fuglestad and Mariah Halvorsen (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) added nine and seven kills, respectively. Fuglestad also blocked four Tommie kill attempts. Kaelyn Kilbo (Delano, Minn./Delano) dished out 19 assists, while Jackie Doering (Charles City, Iowa/Charles City) led the Eagles' defensive effort with 21 digs. Freya Hanson (Otsego, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville) logged three aces in the match and Kayla Tanner (Anoka, Minn./Anoka) provided a spark, producing six blocks.

UNW 3, UW-Lacrosse 0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-21)
Match no. 2 of the night was as competitive as the first; however, the Eagles found themselves on the other side of the coin this time. Northwestern was much improved in the nightcap on both sides of the ball, hitting .183 and holding the maroon-colored Eagles under .100.

In a highly-anticipated match between two teams in the top 16 of this week's AVCA Division III Coaches Poll, Lindsey Peterson (Sheffield, Iowa/West Fork) stood out, per usual. The senior hammered 14 kills and nearly notched her second double-double of the evening, finishing with nine digs. The Eagles got another strong effort from Kayla Tanner (Anoka, Minn./Anoka), who pounded nine kills, four blocks, and a pair of aces. Jackie Doering (Charles City, Iowa/Charles City) and Freya Hanson (Otsego, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville) were the defensive leaders for Northwestern, finishing with 18 and 10 digs, respectively. Leesa Malone (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie) finished the match with 19 assists.

Northwestern will wrap up the weekend on Saturday in Minneapolis, taking on Wisconsin-Eau Claire at 11 AM and host Augsburg at 1 PM.