ST. PAUL, Minn. – The University of Northwestern matched up against an athletic Augsburg team in Friday night action at the Ericksen Center. The Auggies came out on top, sweeping the Eagles in three sets with scores of 25-16, 25-17 and 25-19.
 
With the non-conference loss, Northwestern falls to 14-5 overall, 9-0 UMAC. Augsburg improves to 15-2 on the year.
 
It was a tough start for the Eagles as Augsburg orchestrated a 5-0 run to begin play. The Eagles were unable to cut the deficit, but found their rhythm late in the first set. Northwestern hit an uncharacteristically low team percentage (.041) in the three-setter, allowing Augsburg (.252) to gain momentum from unforced errors.
 
The Eagles displayed a streak of resilience in the third set, taking the first lead of the match when they went up 3-2. Continuing to battle, Northwestern extended the lead to 8-5 before Augsburg regained a 10-9 advantage and carried it out to completion.
 
Mariah Halvorsen (Plymouth, Minn./Wayzata) posted a team-high nine kills, while Anna Gasch (Waverly, Iowa/Waverly-Shell Rock) added five and Jenay Fuglestad (Maple Grove, Minn./Heritage Christian) four. Sydney Schwitters (Clara City, Minn./MACCRAY) was credited with 25 assists in the three-setter.
 
Battling the aggressive Auggie attack, three Eagles finished with double-digit dig totals. Freya Hansen led the way from the libero position, tacking on 26. Halvorsen added 12 and Peyton Wright (Littleton, Colo./Parker) finished with 10.

UNW will return to action on Tuesday, October 2 as they resume conference play against Bethany Lutheran. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. Follow the Eagles online this year at www.unweagles.com or on Twitter and Instagram at @unwvb.