EAU CLAIRE, WIS. – The University of Northwestern volleyball team matched up with #18 UW-Eau Claire in Saturday night non-conference action. The Eagles put together three dominant sets to cruise to a 3-1 win over a talented Blugold program.
 
Northwestern improves to 10-6 on the year, while UW-Eau Claire falls to 10-7 overall. Tonight's win marked the Eagles' first over the Blugolds since the 2016 season and their first win over a ranked opponent this year.
 
Northwestern didn't waste any time getting things going – they jumped out to a 7-2 lead fueled by two kills apiece from Kalley Schwitters (Clara City, Minn./Central Christian) and Kendra Hardy (Alexandria, Minn./Alexandria). The Blugolds fought back to even the score at 15-15, but UNW followed with a 5-0 run on back-to-back kills from Jenay Fuglestad (Maple Grove, Minn./Heritage Christian) and three straight service aces from Kate Rogers (Woodbury, Minn./New Life Academy). The late run was enough to set Northwestern up for a 25-18 first set win.
 
The momentum shifted in set two when the Blugolds put together an early 7-0 run to take the definitive set lead. Northwestern hit just .059, their lowest average of the match to fall 25-21.
 
The purple and gold hit an impressive .308 in set three to cruise to a quick 25-17 win. They kept up the consistency in set four and a well-balanced team effort led to the match win.
 
Kendra Hardy (Alexandria, Minn./Alexandria) had another strong outing for the Eagles, recording a team-best 14 kills and hitting .444. Jenay Fuglestad (Maple Grove, Minn./Heritage Christian) and Kalley Schwitters (Clara City, Minn./Central Christian) each added nine kills on the night.
 
Sydney Schwitters (Clara City, Minn./MACRAY) dished out 39 assist and picked up 10 digs, while Marylyn Schroyer (Ft. Collins, Colo./Ft. Collins) recorded a team best 21 digs.
 
Kate Rogers (Woodbury, Minn./New Life Academy) put up some impressive numbers, recording four of Northwestern's 10 service aces and digging up 15 balls. The Eagles have recorded 112 aces this season, averaging two per set.
 
The Eagles will return to action on Friday, Oct. 11 when they take on Stevens at the University of St. Thomas. First serve is slated for 5 p.m. and will be followed by the UNW vs. #19 St. Thomas match.
 
Follow Northwestern volleyball online this season at www.unweagles.com or on Twitter and Instagram at @unwvb.