HOLLAND, Mich. – No. 7 University of Northwestern Volleyball closed out one of the most successful weeks in program history at the Hope Volleyball Tournament on Saturday. The Eagles soared to a 3-2 win over Clarkson and then swept No. 9 Hope to remain undefeated through 11 matches this season.

In the past five days, UNW has defeated No. 8 Gustavus Adolphus, No. 5 Calvin, and now No. 9 Hope to mark the first time in program history the Eagles have won three matches against top-ten nationally ranked opponents in the same week.
 
Match One: Clarkson Golden Knights
 
Just 15 hours after rallying to defeat No. 5 Calvin 3-1, the Eagles started the first of two back-to-back matches. Northwestern battled Clarkson to open the day, with the underdog Golden Knights giving the Eagles their most challenging match of the tournament.
 
UNW took the first set 25-18 to go up 1-0, but Clarkson countered in the second with a 28-26 win to even the match at 1-1. Northwestern returned to form in the third set to earn a 25-14 win, but the Golden Knights again evened up the match with a 25-23 fourth set win. With their undefeated streak on the line, the Eagles refocused and earned a commanding 15-8 win in the fifth set to take the match 3-2.
 
Ari Schmidt (Albany, Minn./Holdingford) led UNW's attack with 17 kills on .452 hitting. Abby Glanzer (Brandon, S.D./Sioux Falls Christian) followed with 16 kills and defensively added three solo blocks and five block assists. Marylyn Schroyer (Ft. Collins, Colo./Ft. Collins) had a team-high 34 digs. Grace Strickfaden (Norwood-Young America, Minn./NYA) and Hannah Gadient (Goodhue, Minn./Goodhue) combined for 67 assists (13.4 per set) in the match, recording 35 and 32 respectively.
 
Northwestern hit .303 as a team while holding Clarkson to .188 in the match.
 
Match Two: No. 9 Hope Flying Dutch
 
After a hard-fought five-set match to start the morning, the Eagles had to regroup to take on their rested and nationally ranked tournament hosts; No. 9 Hope. The match had added significance as it was the Flying Dutch who ended the Eagles 2021 season in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32, defeating Northwestern 3-1.
 
UNW jumped out to an early lead in the opening set with hopes of starting the match out strong. Northwestern went up 24-21, but on the verge of taking the opener the Flying Dutch rallied to tie the match at 24-24. Hope then took their first lead of the match at 25-24. With the first set at risk of slipping through their fingers, the Eagles kept their composure and won the next two points to reach match-point again at 26-25. A service error tied the match at 26-all, but a kill by Gabrielle Straub (Le Sueur, Minn./Le Sueur-Henderson) and a big block by Straub and Marley Aune (New Brighton, Minn./Avail Academy) followed to clinch the opening set 28-26 for the Eagles.
 
In the second set, Hope regained their momentum from the end of the first to take a 5-2 lead. Northwestern battled to keep pace, but the Flying Dutch increased their lead to seven points at 16-9. It was then that UNW started to chip into Hope's lead, as the Eagles went on a 12-5 run to climb out of the deficit and tie the match at 21-21. The Flying Dutch took a 22-21 lead, but then Schmidt put the team on her back and hammered home four kills in the next five points to carry the Eagles to a 25-23 second-set victory.
 
Up 2-0, Northwestern was just one set away from sweeping No. 9 Hope; something that had not been done to the Flying Dutch by a non-conference opponent since Carthage swept them in October of 2019. Sensing eminent victory, the Eagles leapt out of the gate in the third set to go up 12-5. Hope was not about to go quietly, as the Flying Dutch rallied with a four-point run to get back within three at 12-9. UNW regrouped and went up 16-11, but again Hope answered with a four-point run to get within one at 16-15. Northwestern and Hope battled to a 21-19 score with UNW up by two, at which point the Eagles won four in a row to clinch the set 25-19 and secure the 3-0 sweep of the No. 9 nationally ranked Flying Dutch.
 
Glanzer led the Eagles' offense with 15 kills on .297 hitting. Schmidt followed with 13 kills on .370 hitting. Straub had 11 kills on .276 hitting and added 16 digs and three block assists on defense. Schroyer led UNW with 34 digs in the match. Strickfaden and Gadient combined for 43 assists in the match, recording 23 and 20 respectively.
 
Up Next
 
Up next for No. 7 Northwestern is a conference match on the road against the University of Minnesota Morris Cougars at 7:00 P.M. on Thursday, September 22. The Eagles then travel to St. Joseph to battle the College of Saint Benedict Bennies at 3:00 P.M. on Saturday, September 24.