ST. PAUL, Minn. – The University of Northwestern volleyball team (22-8, 15-1) captured its eighth consecutive Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) regular season title with a sweep over Martin Luther Saturday. The Eagles played consistent volleyball, committing just 12 errors and holding the Knights to a -.029 attack average.
 
With the UMAC title victory, Northwestern grabbed the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament and will host a Wednesday night, Oct. 31 semi-final match at the Ericksen Center. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. against the winner of Monday's first-round match between No. 4 St. Scholastica and No. 5 Bethany Lutheran College.
 
Saturday's match, which marked UNW's Senior Day, saw impressive performances from the Eagles trio of veterans. Freya Hanson (Otsego, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville) led Northwestern on the defensive end, picking up 14 digs.
 
Mariah Halvorsen (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) led the Eagles attack, recording 11 kills and hitting .320. Kaelyn Kilbo (Delano, Minn./Delano) started in the setter position in set three and dished out 12 assists.
 
Hanson and Kilbo, both four-year members of the UNW team, have been a part of four UMAC Championships, two Sweet Sixteens, one Final Four and have gone 47-1 in conference play in their careers. Halvorsen joined the pack in 2017 and helped the Eagles advance to a Sweet Sixteen finish in her first season at UNW and two UMAC titles. Collectively, the seniors have put together 1,195 career kills, 2,467 digs and 287 service aces.
 
Follow the Eagles postseason play by visiting www.unweagles.com