ST. PAUL, Minn. – After a tough loss on Saturday night, the 22
nd-ranked University of Northwestern Volleyball team looked motivated and fierce on Tuesday night in the Ericksen Center. Taking on a tough Augsburg University team that came in 15-10 and 6-2 in the MIAC, Northwestern dominated from start to finish, looking every bit the part of a top 25 team as it swept Augsburg to improve to 16-8 on the season.
UNW got out to an early 4-1 lead in the opening set, but the Auggies were able to even it up by scoring the next three points. The set remained close in the early goings despite
Marley Aune (New Brighton, Minn./Avail Academy) dominating the net on both sides. She would end up with three kills and three blocks in set one.
Ari Schmidt (Albany, Minn./Holdingford) and
Miranda Wyatt (Manhattan, Mont./Manhattan Christian) joined the block party as well, while
Ana Egge (Rapid City, S.D./Rapid City Christian) and
Anna Olsen (Randolph, Minn./Randolph) logged kills to give the Eagles an 18-11 advantage.
Abby Glanzer (Brandon, S.D./Sioux Falls Christian) got involved on the offensive end as well, picking up a pair of kills in Northwestern's 5-1 run to close out the first set, 25-17.
It was Augsburg that came out hot in the second set, scoring five straight points to take a 6-2 lead. UNW chipped away via an
Addeson Jenniges (Walnut Grove, Minn./Westbrook-Walnut Grove) ace and kills from Glanzer and Wyatt. A 3-0 Eagles spurt that included back-to-back kills from setter
Grace Strickfaden (Norwood-Young America, Minn./NYA) gave them a 12-11 edge, then a 6-2 surge ignited by Egge stretched the lead to 18-14. Aune, Wyatt and Glanzer picked up the final three points necessary to give Northwestern a 25-19 win in set two and put the Auggies on the brink of defeat.
The Eagles left no doubt in the third and final set. Schmidt, Aune and Egge continued to shine as UNW opened up a 6-1 advantage. Olsen added three more kills to make it 16-6 before the front line of Egge, Schmidt, Wyatt and Aune finished the job, aided by another Jenniges ace in the process. Northwestern rolled to a 25-10 win in set three to lock up the sweep on its home floor.
Aune was once again dominant both offensively and defensively for the Eagles with eight kills and six blocks. Olsen hit .400 on her way to seven kills, while Egge (six kills, four blocks) and Schmidt (five kills, five blocks) had strong outings as well. Strickfaden had a game-high 17 digs to go along with 11 assists, with
Mikayla Wilber (Coon Rapids, Minn./Coon Rapids) adding 11 digs and three aces. Jenniges led the team with 15 assists and aced the Auggies twice. UNW's front row out-blocked Augsburg 12-3 and the back row had five aces compared to just one for the Auggies. The Eagles also dominated in hitting percentage, .337 to .075.
No. 22 Northwestern's five-game homestand will continue Friday when it takes on Bethany Lutheran at 7:00 PM in the Ericksen Center.
