DULUTH, Minn. – No. 25 University of Northwestern (12-4, 7-0 UMAC) matched up against St. Scholastica and Bethany Lutheran in Saturday action on the Saints home court. The Eagles advanced their win streak to seven straight, defeating Scholastica, 3-1 and taking down Bethany Lutheran in straight sets. The Saints move to 5-9 overall on the year, 3-3 in conference play as the Vikings fall to 4-11, 2-4 in the UMAC.
Northwestern 3, St. Scholastica 1
Set Scores: 25-21, 25-14, 23-25, 25-19
Conference favorite Northwestern took on Scholastica, picked to finish fourth in the Preseason Coaches' Poll, for the first time this season today. The Eagles increased their consecutive win streak over the Saints to 16.
The Eagles were led offensively by
Mariah Halvorsen (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata), who posted a dominant 21-kill performance and added three service aces and 10 digs to her stat line – marking her seventh double-double this season.
Jenay Fuglestad (Maple Grove, Minn./Heritage Christian) and
Kalley Schwitters (Clara City, Minn./Central Minnesota Christian) each added 10 kills in the match. Fuglestad added a career-high nine blocks – helping the Eagles outblock Scholastica 21-7 in the four-setter.
Sydney Schwitters (Clara City, Minn./MACCRAY), who entered the weekend leading the nation in assists per set, dished out 48 in the contest and dug up 10 balls, resulting in her eighth double-double.
Freya Hanson (Otsego, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville) finished with 13 digs.
Northwestern 3, Bethany Lutheran 0
(25-23, 25-12 25-18)
Strong play by the outside hitter duo of
Kalley Schwitters (Clara City, Minn./Central Minnesota Christian) and
Mariah Halvorsen (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) led to a three-set sweep of the Vikings Saturday afternoon.
Schwitters put together a 14-kill (.480), 17 dig performance, while Halvorsen tallied 15 kills and 11 digs to guide Northwestern to their 22
nd straight win over Bethany Lutheran.
Freya Hanson (Otsego, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville) contributed a season-best 24 digs.
Sydney Schwitters (Clara City, Minn./MACCRAY) dished out 40 assists in the three-setter.
UNW will return to action on Wednesday, Sept. 26 when they host UW-Superior and Martin Luther in a UMAC triangular. The Eagles will take on Superior at 3 p.m., followed by the UW-Superior vs. Martin Luther match-up at 5, and UNW vs. the Knights at 7 p.m.