ST. PAUL, Minn. – No. 4 University of Northwestern Volleyball took on the University of Wisconsin-Superior and Northland College on Saturday. The pair of conference contests in the Ericksen Center were the first home games for the Eagles since their September 13^th victory over #8 Gustavus Adolphus by 3-0 sweep. After a stretch of nine-consecutive road matches, the Eagles returned home and gave UNW Nation a pair of conference victories to cheer on as UNW took down both the Yellowjackets and Lumberjills by 3-0 sweep.
 
The star of the day was Caitlyn Pruis (Sioux Falls, S.D./Sioux Falls Christian) as the junior made 14 total blocks in the three-set win over Northland to break the all-time program record for blocks in a match. The previous record of 12 was reached by five different Eagles, the most recent of which was Tija Rudzitis in the Eagles five-set NCAA Regional Semifinal match against Saint Benedict on November 9, 2012.
 
Match One: UW-Superior
 
UNW opened their match against the Yellowjackets with a 25-14 first set win. A 7-6 Eagle lead grew to 15-6 with an eight-point run midway through the set. With the momentum on their side, Northwestern cruised to the set victory.
 
The second set saw UWS push the Eagles and make them play past 25 points to earn a set win. Facing set point down 24-22, the Yellowjackets won three in a row to reach a set point of their own. The Eagles responded by winning the next three points to take the set 27-25.
 
UNW closed out the match with a 25-14 win in the third set. The Eagles used a 9-1 run to take a commanding lead and powered their way to take the set and win the match 3-0.
 
Abby Glanzer (Brandon, S.D./Sioux Falls Christian) led the Eagles with 14 kills on .314 hitting in the match to go along with a team-high 15 digs. Northwestern's serving success was beneficial as the Eagles out-aced the Yellowjackets 8-2.
 
Match Two: Northland
 
The Eagles opened their match with the Lumberjills with a dominant 25-8 win in the opening set. Up 15-8, Northwestern went on an incredible 10-0 run to win the set.
 
The second set was closer contested, though UNW still won 25-17. The Lumberjills had a 5-0 run to go up 5-2 early in the match, but only won back-to-back points twice more in the set. 
 
Set three saw Northland challenge Northwestern more than any of the previous sets. The Lumberjills kept close to the Eagles in the race to 25 points, winning three in a row late to get within two of UNW down 22-20. Northwestern, however, proceeded to win the final three points to take the set 25-20 and the match 3-0. 
 
Pruis led the Eagle defense up front in her record-setting game, recording 12 block assists and two solo blocks to set the new program record of 14 total blocks in a single match. Overall, the Eagles recorded 19 total blocks to the Lumberjills' two.
 
Up Next
 
No. 4 Northwestern takes on North Central University on Tuesday, October 11 at 4:00 P.M. in the Ericksen Center before traveling to Augsburg University for a 7:00 P.M. match with the Auggies in Minneapolis.