ST. PAUL, Minn.- #4 University of Northwestern Volleyball was back inside the Ericksen Center for the first time since October 7
th on Wednesday night when they hosted the Oles from St. Olaf. The Oles snapped the Eagles' 15 game winning streak by topping them 3-2 in a five set thriller.
The night started with senior
Marylyn Schroyer (Ft. Collins, Colo./Ft. Collins) being honored on the court during the pregame. On October 7
th, Schroyer recorded her 3,000
th career dig. Wednesday night's contest was the Eagles' first home contest since the achievement. Head Coach
Beth Wilmeth presented Schroyer with a volleyball commemorating the accomplishment.
The game was truly a tale of two halves. The first half of the contest belong to UNW. Playing in front of the Ericksen Center crowd for the first time since October 7
th, the Eagles put on a show for their fans in the first two sets, winning both by a double digit margin. The third set ended up serving as the turning point for the match as the Oles snuck out a 26-24 victory to extend the match. After that, St. Olaf rode the momentum to a come-from-behind win, winning the fourth and fifth sets.
In the first set, the Eagles scored the first five points to jump ahead and never looked back. They won set one 25-13. The second set was closer to start out as the Eagles clung to a tight 13-10 lead. They would proceed to go on a 7-0 run to extend their lead on their way to winning the second set 25-14.
The turning point of the entire match came when the Eagles led 16-11 in the third set. St. Olaf knew the Eagles were closing in on yet another sweep and went on a long scoring run to get themselves back into the set as well as the match. The Oles scored seven straight and led 18-16. The Eagles would not go away and the teams exchanged points until the score was knotted up at 24 apiece. The visitors scored the final two points and won 26-24 to stay alive.
After the tight third set, St. Olaf held the momentum and refused to let it go. The won set four 25-15 to force a fifth and final set. The Oles jumped out to an early lead in the decisive set that would end up being insurmountable for the Eagles. UNW dropped the set 15-8 and lost their first match since September 9
th.
Despite the loss,
Abby Glanzer (Brandon, S.D./Sioux Falls Christian) played a fantastic match in every aspect of the game. She finished with 18 kills, 12 digs, 4 blocks, and 4 serving aces. It was a complete, all-around impressive performance from the junior.
Marley Aune (New Brighton, Minn./Avail Academy) had 8 kills and 6 blocks on the night.
Hannah Gadient (Goodhue, Minn./Goodhue) led the Eagles with 22 assists while
Grace Strickfaden (Norwood-Young America, Minn./NYA) added 16.
Marylyn Schroyer (Ft. Collins, Colo./Ft. Collins) had a team-high 18 digs as well as 3 assists and an ace.
#4 UNW will look to bounce back inside the Ericksen Center this upcoming Saturday (October 21
st). The Eagles will host Wisconsin-Superior at 1:00pm and Northland at 5:00pm.
