ST. JOSEPH, MINN. – The University of Northwestern volleyball team wrapped up action at the St. Benedict tri-match with a dominant win over Concordia College, before falling to #22 St. Ben's. The Eagles move to 3-2 on the year as they prepare to open Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) play on Tuesday.
 
Northwestern 3, Concordia 0 (Set Scores: 25-23, 25-16 and 26-24)
 
Saturday's meeting marked the 16th time Northwestern has faced Concordia in program history and the Eagles' sixth straight win over­­ the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference foe.
 
Northwestern cruised to a first set win despite putting together their lowest hitting percentage of the match. The Eagles responded by dominating set two, orchestrating a 7-0 run propelled by consecutive kills from Kalley Schwitters (Clara City, Minn./Central Christian) and Soleil Newland (Sauk Rapids, Minn./Sauk Rapids - Rice).
 
The Cobbers didn't back down in set three. After pushing the score to 24 apiece on match point for UNW, Sydney Schwitters (Clara City, Minn./MACRAY) earned the go-ahead kill and Hope Kapelke (Fort Atkinson, Wisc./Fort Atkinson) sealed the 26-24 win with an ace.
 
Kalley Schwitters (Clara City, Minn./Central Christian) led Northwestern offensively – recording 14 kills. The junior, who was named last week's UMAC Offensive Player of the Week, also tacked on 15 digs – her fifth (out of five games) double-double of the year.
 
Hope Kapelke (Fort Atkinson, Wisc./Fort Atkinson) and Sydney Schwitters (Clara City, Minn./MACRAY), sharing the setting duties in this year's 6-2 offense, dished out 21 and 18 assists, respectively. Freshman libero, Marylyn Schroyer (Ft. Collins, Colo./Ft. Collins), dug up 18 balls.
 
#22 St. Ben's 3, Northwestern 0 (25-19, 25-23, 25-17)
 
Things were looking good for the Eagles who got up early (14-10) over nationally ranked St. Ben's and host of Saturday's volleyball action. CSB came inching back, their offensive consistency (.300) proving to be too much for UNW.
 
Northwestern put up another fight in set two, this time inching their way back from a 13-6 deficit to tie things up at 19 apiece and again at 23 all. St. Ben's secured the final two points to take the 2-0 match lead. UNW's uncommonly low attack average in set three (.096) allowed Saint Benedict to secure the three-set sweep.
 
Jenay Fuglestad (Maple Grove, Minn./Heritage Christian) proved to be UNW's most consistent offensive threat against St. Ben's, recording nine kills and 28 attacks, with just two errors. Freshmen Soleil Newland (Sauk Rapids, Minn./Sauk Rapids - Rice) and Kendra Hardy (Alexandria, Minn./Alexandria) were credited with three blocks each in the three-setter.
 
Sydney Schwitters (Clara City, Minn./MACRAY) and Hope Kapelke (Fort Atkinson, Wisc./Fort Atkinson) dished out 15 sets apiece, while Marylyn Schroyer (Ft. Collins, Colo./Ft. Collins) and Kalley Schwitters (Clara City, Minn./Central Christian) finished with 14 digs.
 
The Eagles tacked on 13 service aces in Saturday competition, bringing their season total up to 34. Nearly $2,000 has been raised in the Aces for Joy campaign, benefitting the Pals Family Foundation.
 
Northwestern will welcome Crown College to the Ericksen Center on Tuesday, Sept. 10 for the UMAC opener. First serve is slated for 7 p.m.
 
Follow UNW volleyball online this season at www.unweagles.com or on Instagram and Twitter at @unwvb.