ST. PAUL, Minn. – No. 15 University of Northwestern opened its 2018 volleyball campaign against Buena Vista University in a 5 p.m. match-up Friday evening. The Eagles earned a 3-0 sweep against the Beavers in their first of four appearances as host of the Kathryne Pals Legacy Invitational inside UNW's Ericksen Center.
 
Northwestern packed the house for Friday night's 7 p.m. battle against Bethel University, ultimately falling to the Royals in an exhilarating five-set contest. Both the Eagles and Royals move to 1-1 overall after day one of tournament play.
 
UNW 3, Buena Vista 0 (25-19, 25-13, 25-22)
 
Despite the loss of several key players from the 2017 team, the Eagles played with veteran confidence. UNW's offensive consistency outplayed BV's, hitting .255 to the Beaver's .044. UNW was led by the veteran pair of Mariah Halvorsen (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) and Freya Hanson (Otsego, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville). Halvorsen posted a game-high 12 kills and nine digs, while Hanson added nine kills, an ace and two blocks. Northwestern has started their season 1-0 for five straight years.
 
Bethel 3, Northwestern 2 (28-30, 25-23, 25-21, 18-25, 20-18)
 
The Ericksen Center came alive as the entire balcony filled with fans and the Snelling Ave. rivals battled it out. After taking the first set in dramatic 30-28 fashion, UNW dropped two straight, grabbed the third and dropped set five after leading 13-10. This marks Northwestern's first loss to Bethel since the 2015 season.
 
Despite the unwanted outcome, several Eagles recorded notable performances. Halvorsen led the team offensively again, this time with a career-high 32 kills and 17 digs. Jenay Fuglestad (Maple Grove, Minn./Heritage Christian) added 19 kills, while Freya Hanson (Otsego, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville) tacked on 10 kills and 16 digs for the Eagles.
 
Freshman setter, Sydney Schwitters (Clara City, Minn./MACCRAY), dished out 63 assists in just her second career game.
 
The Eagles will return to play on Saturday for day two of the Kathryne Pals Invitational. They are set to take on Wartburg College at 12 p.m. and Concordia College at 2 p.m.