ST. PAUL, Minn. – No. 4 University of Northwestern took on No. 11 UW-Whitewater in the Ericksen Center in a Sweet 16 contest on Saturday night for the St. Paul Regional Final in the Third Round of the 2022 NCAA DIII Women's Volleyball Championship. The Warhawks took the first set, but the Eagles rallied for a 3-1 victory to win the Regional Championship and punch their ticket to the National Quarterfinals in Pittsburg.
 
In the opening set between the Eagles and Warhawks, UNW took an early 6-3 lead. Whitewater would win three in a row to tie the match, and would use two more three-point runs to help get to a 16-12 lead. At that juncture, Northwestern proceeded to win the next five points in a row to take a 17-16 lead. The Warhawks responded by winning nine of the next 13 points to take the first set 25-21. Abby Glanzer (Brandon, S.D./Sioux Falls Christian) had eight kills in the opening set for UNW.
 
Down a set and still needing three to keep their incredible season rolling, the Eagles started strong in the second set by going up 5-1. UWW answered with a four-point run to tie the match, but UNW responded with three in a row to go up 8-5. Northwestern increased their lead to 11-8, but Whitewater went on a 4-0 run to retake the lead up 12-11. At that point, the Eagles won seven in a row and nine of the next ten to go up 20-13. The Warhawks responded by winning seven of the next nine to cut Northwestern's lead down to two, trailing 20-22. UNW went on to win the set 25-21 on a Marley Aune (New Brighton, Minn./Avail Academy) kill.
 
In set three, the Eagles went up 9-4 early. Whitewater then won the next four to cut their deficit to one point. Northwestern won the next three in a row, but UWW responded in kind with a three-point run to keep within one, down 12-11. After trading points to reach 13-12, the Eagles won four consecutive points and nine of the next 12 to go up 22-15. Looking to rally, the Warhawks won the next four to cut the UNW lead down to three, trailing 19-22. Northwestern and UWW split the next three points, which was enough to push the Eagles to a 25-22 third-set victory on a Glanzer kill to give UNW a 2-1 lead in the regional final.
 
Set four saw Northwestern win three in a row out the gate to go up early, but Whitewater responded by taking four of the next five to tie the match at 4-4. From that juncture on, neither team would allow the other to win more than two consecutive points. The difference maker would prove to be which team would win more back-to-back points, and in that UNW had the advantage; winning back-to-back points seven times in the set while holding Whitewater to just three. The Eagles' lead slowly but surely built until they were up 23-16. At that point, the Warhawks started to rally by winning four of the next five. Nonetheless, Northwestern reached a match point up 24-18, and while UWW was able to stave off defeat twice, the third match point ended with a Gabrielle Straub (Le Sueur, Minn./Le Sueur-Henderson) kill to clinch the 25-20 set win, the 3-1 match victory, and the regional title for the Eagles.
 
Glanzer led Northwestern with 17 kills in the match. Aune had five total blocks up front for UNW. Felicia Luther (Victoria, Minn./Southwest Christian) had 21 assists and Grace Strickfaden (Norwood-Young America, Minn./NYA) tallied 20 in the match. Marylyn Schroyer (Ft. Collins, Colo./Ft. Collins) had a 21 digs and five service aces, both of which led the Eagles.
 
Up next, No. 4 Northwestern will fly to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to compete in the NCAA Quarterfinals as one of eight teams remaining in the national championship field. UNW will take on Johns Hopkins University on Wednesday, November 16, at 5:30 P.M. local time (4:30 P.M. CST) in the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.