ST. PAUL, Minn. – The No. 15 nationally ranked University of Northwestern volleyball team hosted both a conference and non-conference match on Wednesday evening in the Ericksen Center. The Eagles defeated both Crown and St. Olaf in straight sets, sweeping the Storm (25-11, 25-12, 25-12) before then taking down the Oles (25-14, 25-14, 25-17).
 
In the opener with Crown, the Eagles went up 12-8 in the first set before breaking away with an 8-0 run on the way to a 25-11 set victory.
 
The second set had no long runs, as the most UNW won in a row was four points. Nonetheless, the Eagles steadily took control and won the set 25-12.
 
Set three was once again a steady climb to victory for the Eagles, as they opened fast with a 5-0 run and then methodically overpowered the Storm en route to a 25-17 set win. With the conference victory, Northwestern improved to 3-0 in UMAC play this season.
 
Abby Glanzer (Brandon, S.D./Sioux Falls Christian) led the Eagles with both her 16 kills and .419 hitting percentage. The freshman was also second on the team in digs with 10 to secure the double-double.
 
Marylyn Schroyer (Ft. Collins, Colo./Ft. Collins) had a team-high 14 digs for UNW. Hannah Gadient (Goodhue, Minn./Goodhue) led the Eagles with 22 assists, averaging 11 per in her two sets, while Sydney Schwitters (Clara City, Minn./MACCRAY) notched 11 herself in her one set of play.
 
Kiera Brown (Columbia Falls, Mont./Columbia Falls) recorded three blocks while hitting .375 for eight kills. Kate Rogers (Woodbury, Minn./New Life Academy) had four service aces for Northwestern, earning funds for the Katheryne Pals Family Foundation through Aces for Joy.
 
As a team, the Eagles hit .333 while holding the Storm to a sub-zero percentage at -.100.
 
After winning the conference match, Northwestern hosted the St. Olaf Oles for a non-conference matchup. The last time these two teams faced each other was two years ago in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, when the No.7 seeded Eagles upset the No.2 Oles in four sets. Two years removed from being the underdog, the Eagles showed their programs growth with a three set sweep.
 
The first set saw the Eagles follow up their fast start against Crown with another one, going on a 5-0 run to start the match. The Oles called a timeout and settled in, but the quick lead gave the Eagles the edge and confidence. When St. Olaf pulled within three points at 13-10, UNW rattled off another five consecutive points to take a commanding 18-10 lead on their way to a 25-14 set win.
 
Set two saw the Eagles and Oles battle nearly point for point to get to 10-10. At that pivotal moment, UNW caught fire and went on a 9-0 run to take a 19-10 lead. The Oles would settle but it was too late as Northwestern went up 2-0 with a 25-14 set win.
 
The final set was more closely contested throughout, as the Oles held UNW to runs of no more than three points. Nonetheless, the Eagles steadily took a lead and finished up with a 25-17 set win to claim the match.
 
Brown hit a remarkable .545 with seven kills for the Eagles to go along with her team-high five total blocks. Glanzer hit .367 and led UNW with 14 kills. Schwitters had 34 assists to lead Northwestern and Schroyers' 12 digs were a team-high.
 
Next up for the Eagles is a pair of home conference matches on Saturday, October 2, starting at 11:00 a.m. against Bethany Lutheran before later taking on Martin Luther at 5:00 p.m.