ST. PAUL, Minn. – The 22
nd-ranked University of Northwestern Volleyball team's homestand continued Friday night as the Eagles welcomed conference foe Bethany Lutheran College to the Ericksen Center. Northwestern was in complete control of the match from start-to-finish as it picked up yet another UMAC sweep, and also saw a player reach an impressive milestone. Senior setter
Grace Strickfaden (Norwood-Young America, Minn./NYA) reached the 2,000-assist mark for her career and was celebrated by her teammates, coaches and family post-game.
The first set, set the tone for the entirety of the Friday night bout. Freshmen
Ana Egge (Rapid City, S.D./Rapid City Christian) and
Miranda Wyatt (Manhattan, Mont./Manhattan Christian) each picked up three kills and
Abby Glanzer (Brandon, S.D./Sioux Falls Christian) an ace in a 10-0 UNW run to open the match. The Vikings were finally able to get on the board after a timeout, but the Eagles kept their foot on the gas.
Marley Aune (New Brighton, Minn./Avail Academy) and
Anna Olsen (Randolph, Minn./Randolph) got involved, and the team got two aces from
Hannah Rich (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North) and one from
Mikayla Wilber (Coon Rapids, Minn./Coon Rapids) as it closed out the opener, 25-13.
Set two was tight early, but Northwestern went on a 13-2 surge to blow it open and take a 16-4 lead. Wyatt and Glanzer continued to dominate on both sides of the net in that stretch and Rich added a third ace. With a 13-4 lead, Strickfaden assisted an
Ari Schmidt (Albany, Minn./Holdingford) kill, which was her 10
th assist of the night and the 2,000
th of her tremendous career in purple. Aune and Egge took their turn earning kills as UNW sped to an even bigger win in the second set.
Kiera Brown (Columbia Falls, Mont./Columbia Falls) provided the final blow as the Eagles took the second set, 25-10.
The momentum carried over into the third set as two more Wilber aces gave Northwestern a 5-1 lead. Schmidt got hot as she picked up two kills and two blocks to extend the lead to 18-9. Egge logged two more kills in that sequence as well. The Vikings tried to close the gap but the Eagles turned them away. Aune added two more kills and
Abby Schlabach (Rapid City, S.D./Rapid City Christian) tallied an ace and an assist on a
Grace Moravchik (Mason, Wis./Ashland) kill as UNW won the third set, 25-17, to close out the sweep.
As if the score didn't articulate just how dominant the Eagles were, the numbers certainly do. Northwestern hit .330 compared to BLC's .044 and had significantly more aces (8-1) and blocks (7-1). Wyatt hit .500 on her way to nine kills and three blocks. Egge tied Wyatt for the game-high in kills with nine of her own. Aune, who hit .400, finished with five kills and three blocks, and Schmidt added four and five, respectively. Glanzer logged a game-high 16 digs, while Wilber contributed 12 and three aces. Rich matched Wilber's three aces and tallied nine digs. Strickfaden's 2,000
th assist was one of 18 for her on the night, which was a game-high.
Addeson Jenniges (Walnut Grove, Minn./Westbrook-Walnut Grove) contributed 13 assists of her own.
The 17-8 (9-1 UMAC) Eagles will be right back at it in the Ericksen Center, Saturday at 1:00 PM against Martin Luther.
