ST. PAUL, Minn. – The University of Northwestern volleyball team welcomed UMAC leader Minnesota Morris to the Ericksen Center for a Wednesday night regular season finale. The match, which had the UMAC playoffs no. 1 seed and regular season champion on the line, did not disappoint. The Eagles were in search of a sweep to secure the playoff's top seed and home court advantage – and they proved unstoppable in achieving it. The Eagles put together a dominant three-set win to clinch a share of the UMAC Regular Season title. This marks the ninth-straight season Northwestern has earned at least a share of the UMAC regular season volleyball title and the 12th championship in 13 years for the Eagles.
Northwestern jumped out to a 7-2 lead in set one, forcing an early Cougar timeout. The Eagles were back at it – extending the lead to 20-9 through scrappy play and a well-balanced attack. UNW hit an impressive .310 led by
Jenay Fuglestad (Maple Grove, Minn./Heritage Christian) and
Kendra Hardy (Alexandria, Minn./Alexandria) with four apiece. The Cougars hit just .045 in the set as Northwestern secured the 25-10 win.
Morris was quick to fight back in set two, putting together a 7-2 lead. Northwestern battled, digging away at the deficit and ultimately taking the lead at 13-12. They extended it on back-to-back kills from Fuglestad and
Kalley Schwitters (Clara City, Minn./Central Christian). Following four tied scores and the lead change, the Eagles took over – cruising to a 25-20 win.
Northwestern was back at it in the third – jumping out to a 6-0 lead. Two straight aces from
Kalley Schwitters (Clara City, Minn./Central Christian) extended the UNW lead to 10-1 and
Sydney Schwitters (Clara City, Minn./MACRAY) capped off the run with a well-placed push set to the open corner. Following a Morris timeout, the Eagles continued to apply the pressure. The Eagles cruised to a dominant 26-6 win after
Sydney Schwitters (Clara City, Minn./MACRAY) served nine straight to end the match.
Kalley Schwitters (Clara City, Minn./Central Christian) led UNW with 13 kills and a .370 average.
Anna Gasch (Waverly, Iowa/Waverly-Shell Rock) and
Jenay Fuglestad (Maple Grove, Minn./Heritage Christian) tacked on eight kills each, while
Kendra Hardy (Alexandria, Minn./Alexandria) added seven.
Sydney Schwitters (Clara City, Minn./MACRAY) dished out 30 assists in the win and also picked up 12 digs.
Marylyn Schroyer (Ft. Collins, Colo./Ft. Collins) led the defensive efforts with 24 digs on the night.
Northwestern was dominant at the net, recording 22 blocks in the win.
Kendra Hardy (Alexandria, Minn./Alexandria) led the way with seven on the night, while Gasch added six and
Soleil Newland (Sauk Rapids, Minn./Sauk Rapids - Rice) finished with five.
With UMAC records of 7-1, the University of Minnesota Morris and the University of Northwestern are 2019 UMAC Volleyball Regular Season Tri-Champions, alongside St. Scholastica. The Eagles improve to 21-7 on the year and moved into sixth in the latest Central Region Rankings.
The Cougars will be the No. 2 seed in the UMAC tournament and will host a semifinal match next Wednesday, November 6 in Morris against No. 3 College of St. Scholastica. The Eagles have clinched the No. 1 seed in the UMAC postseason tournament and will host a semifinal match next Wednesday, November 6 here in St. Paul against the winner of the quarterfinal match (no. 4 University of Wisconsin-Superior vs. no. 5 Bethany Lutheran).
The Eagles will travel to Waverly, Iowa to take on Wartburg and Cornell College in non-conference action prior to the UMAC tournament. Wartburg currently rests at no. 7 in the Central Region. First serve is slated for 10 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2. Follow the tournament online at: https://livestream.com/wartburgknightvision/vb19
For all things Northwestern volleyball, visit www.unweagles.com or follow the Eagles on social at @unwvb on Instagram and Twitter.
