ST. PAUL, Minn. – The University of Northwestern volleyball team (14-4, 9-0 UMAC) took on UW-Superior and Martin Luther in Wednesday action at the Ericksen Center. The Eagles advanced their win streak to nine straight, defeating both the Yellowjackets and Knights in straight sets.
 
Northwestern handed Superior their first conference loss of the year as they fell to 12-6 overall, 7-1 in UMAC play. Martin Luther suffered in both matches today, falling to 6-11 on the year and 4-4 in conference action.
 
Northwestern 3, UW-Superior 0
Set Scores: 25-22, 25-17, 23-25, 25-18
 
After seven straight road games, the Eagles returned to their home court to host a mid-week UMAC triangular – kicking off Northwestern's Homecoming week competition. In a competitive match, the Eagles' consistent offensive play and dominant blocking efforts resulted in a 3-0 sweep.
 
Northwestern was led offensively by sophomore Jenay Fuglestad (Maple Grove, Minn./Heritage Christian), who finished with 13 kills on just 23 total attacks (.522). Senior Mariah Halvorsen (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) also reached double-digit kill totals, knocking down 11 in the three-setter. Halvorsen is ranked second in the nation in kills/set, averaging 4.72.
Senior Anna Gasch (Waverly, Iowa/Waverly-Shell Rock) put together a solid performance, finishing with eight kills (.615) and a team-high six block assists.
 
Freshman setter Sydney Schwitters (Clara City, Minn./MACCRAY) continued to display veteran play dishing out 43 assists. Schwitters, who leads the NCAA in assists/set, added 11 digs to her stat line – marking her ninth double-double this year.
 
Freya Hansen led with 13 digs from the libero position; Kalley Schwitters (Clara City, Minn./Central Minnesota Christian) added 10.
 
Today's win marks Northwestern's seventh straight victory over the Yellowjackets in head-to-head match-ups.
 
Northwestern 3, Martin Luther 0
Set Scores: 25-8, 25-15, 25-15

Another strong performance by Halvorsen led to a quick win over Martin Luther. Mariah put together a 12 kill, 11 dig performance to register her eighth double-double this year.
 
The Eagles were consistent offensively, hitting .324 as three starting hitters averaged over .400. Jenay Fuglestad (Maple Grove, Minn./Heritage Christian) and Kalley Schwitters (Clara City, Minn./Central Minnesota Christian) each recorded nine kills.
 
Freshman Jackie Timm (Iowa Falls, Iowa/Iowa Falls) saw some action in the front row, tallying four kills and four block assists in the match. Peyton Wright (Littleton, Colo./Parker) and Freya Hansen added 10 digs apiece.
 
Sydney Schwitters (Clara City, Minn./MACCRAY) recorded 38 assists in the match.
 
The Eagles will return to action on Friday, Sept. 28 when they host Augsburg University in a 5 p.m. non-conference contest. The Auggies are 14-2 on the year and received votes in the latest AVCA rankings. Friday's match will be a "black out". Come wearing black and receive a free bag of popcorn!