CLAREMONT, Calif.- #5 University of Northwestern Volleyball was playing in the NCAA Division III National Quarterfinals (the Elite Eight) on Wednesday afternoon due to coming out on top in a pair of tight, five set thrillers earlier in the National Tournament. The Eagles' Elite Eight match followed the same script, however, the Eagles dropped the contest 3-2 to #6 New York University.
The Eagles' season comes to an end in the NCAA Elite Eight and what an unforgettable season it was. The Eagles were ranked in the top ten of the AVCA's Top 25 all season long and reached as high as the third ranked team in the country. UNW finishes the year with a 32-5 record and went 14-0 in UMAC play in the regular season. Having won the UMAC Regular Season Championship, the Eagles landed as the top seed in the UMAC's postseason tournament. After two 3-0 victories, the Eagles punched their ticket back to the NCAA Division III National Tournament.
Eagle fans had the privilege of following their team on an epic ride throughout the National Tournament. UNW defeated Edgewood 3-0 in the opening round, but drama would ensue as the Eagles' next three playoff games all went to five sets. The Eagles advanced to the Sweet Sixteen after defeating the regional host, Cornell College, 3-2. Northwestern would then find themselves in a 2-0 hole to #4 Wisconsin-Whitewater as they attempted to make a return trip to the NCAA finals and the Elite Eight. Facing match point a remarkable seven separate times, the Eagles somehow found a way to fight back and defeat the Warhawks 3-2 via a reverse sweep.
This past week, the Eagles departed the Twin Cities and made the long trip to Claremont, California which would serve as the host site for the final three rounds of the NCAA Championships. The Eagles' Elite Eight opponent ended up being a familiar one. The New York University Violets, who were ranked as the sixth best team in the country, won their regional and advanced to the Elite Eight to square off with the Eagles. The Eagles and the Violets met during the regular season on October 13
th and the Eagles won that match 3-0.
It was clear to everybody watching Wednesday's Elite Eight match that this meetup would be much different than the first one between the teams. This was not going to be a quick, one sided match but it was going to go back-and-forth and be tightly contested all afternoon long.
The Eagles got off to a good start in the opening set and took an 18-14 lead as the match entered the late stages. It was at this point that the Violets would make their move and change the complexion of the set. NYU scored five straight points and took a 19-18 lead. The Violets would ride that momentum to a 24-23 lead and had a chance to take an early 1-0 lead. However, the Eagles had proven earlier in the NCAA Tournament that they are not afraid of set points.
Abby Glanzer (Brandon, S.D./Sioux Falls Christian) would pick up a kill to tie the first set and an NYU error gave the Eagles a 25-24 lead and a chance to pick up the opening set victory. NYU would refuse to go down and tied the game at 25-25. The set would continue to be a seesaw affair before the Violets would finally pick up the 29-27 first set victory.
The Violets would follow up their opening set win with another victory in the second set, defeating the Eagles 25-19. UNW now trailed 2-0 and faced elimination going into set three.
The Eagles appeared to be in control in the third set when they carried a 16-11 lead, but four straight NYU points would cut their deficit to one. In a pivotal moment in the match,
Marylyn Schroyer (Ft. Collins, Colo./Ft. Collins) took the serve for the Eagles. The veteran would lead her team on a 5-0 run which included an ace and two kills from
Ari Schmidt (Albany, Minn./Holdingford). The Eagles rode that momentum to a 25-23 win and forced a fourth set.
In set four, the Eagles trailed 6-5 in the early stages.
Hannah Rich (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North) would begin serving for the Eagles and they rattled off four straight points. UNW would not trail again in the set and pulled out a crucial 25-21 win. This classic match got what it deserved: a fifth and final set.
Set five appeared to favor the Violets early on as they picked up the first three points. But the Eagles would use kills from
Abby Glanzer (Brandon, S.D./Sioux Falls Christian) and
Kiera Brown (Columbia Falls, Mont./Columbia Falls) to storm their way back into the set and take a 5-4 lead. The Violets would answer with five straight points of their own forcing the Eagles to use their final timeout. UNW would respond well out of the timeout. Trailing 9-5, they scored four out of the next five points and only trailed 10-9. The teams would continue to trade points before two consecutive Eagle points would tie the game at 13-13 and force NYU to use their final timeout. The Violets would find a way to scrape together the next two points and would win the instant classic: 3-2.
UNW Volleyball has become one of the top Division III Volleyball programs in the country. The Eagles have now been to back-to-back Elite Eights and have been to two Final Fours in the last decade. The Eagles will return three All-Americans to next year's team:
Abby Glanzer (Brandon, S.D./Sioux Falls Christian),
Ari Schmidt (Albany, Minn./Holdingford), and
Marley Aune (New Brighton, Minn./Avail Academy) as well as a lot of other key pieces from this year's squad.
Despite returning a lot of key players, the Eagles are also saying goodbye to a fantastic group of seniors. The UNW Volleyball Class of 2023 has been one of the most successful classes in the history of the program. Head Coach
Beth Wilmeth and her coaching staff are so grateful for the hard work and dedication shown from this year's senior class:
Marylyn Schroyer (Ft. Collins, Colo./Ft. Collins),
Kiera Brown (Columbia Falls, Mont./Columbia Falls),
Caitlyn Pruis (Sioux Falls, S.D./Sioux Falls Christian),
Cassie Flynn (New Franken, Wis./Luxemburg-Casco), and
Ashley Hinrichs (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Xavier).
Congratulations to UNW Volleyball on another historic season!
