ST. PAUL, Minn. – They did it again.
After looking human and even vulnerable at times throughout the 2024 conference season, the University of Northwestern Volleyball team left no doubt who the top dog in the UMAC is on Saturday night in the Ericksen Center. The Eagles rode a raucous crowd and strong performances from their seniors to a 3-0 sweep of the University of Wisconsin-Superior, who upset Northwestern in five sets in their last matchup, in the UMAC Tournament Championship. It is the sixth consecutive tournament title for UNW and its 12
th in the last 13 years. The win also ensures that the Eagles will be participating in the NCAA Division III Volleyball Tournament for the 13
th time in program history and the sixth straight year.
It was evident from the jump that Northwestern was motivated and determined to not slip up a second time against the Yellowjackets.
Abby Glanzer (Brandon, S.D./Sioux Falls Christian) picked up her first of 15 kills on the game's first point,
Mikayla Wilber (Coon Rapids, Minn./Coon Rapids) notched one on the third, and a block by
Miranda Wyatt (Manhattan, Mont./Manhattan Christian) and
Anna Olsen (Randolph, Minn./Randolph) made it 4-0 before you could blink. UW-Superior steadied the ship and was able to pull within one, but the Eagles continued to get contributions from seemingly everyone who touched the floor; Wyatt, Aune,
Ana Egge (Rapid City, S.D./Rapid City Christian) and even
Grace Strickfaden (Norwood-Young America, Minn./NYA) logged kills to make it 10-7 in favor of the home team. Consecutive kills by
Ari Schmidt (Albany, Minn./Holdingford), Egge and Olsen extended the lead to 13-8 before the teams began trading points. Leading 16-12, UNW broke the set open with a 4-0 run that featured a Glanzer kill, two blocks from Schmidt and one from Aune. The Jackets made things interesting, but Glanzer hammered one more home to take the set, 25-21.
Superior started the second set strong, opening up a 4-1 lead before back-to-back Glanzer kills brought the Eagles within a point. Aune, Schmidt, and Glanzer teamed up for three straight kills to give Northwestern a 6-5 lead, but UWS was able to take it right back at 10-7. After taking a metaphorical punch, it was fair to wonder how UNW would respond. Well, it punched right back. Wyatt had a kill and two blocks, Glanzer had a kill, and Olsen had a block as part of an 8-1 Eagles run to seize control back and take a 15-11 lead. Another 7-1 run moments later, highlighted by three Aune kills and consecutive aces from Glanzer, put Northwestern ahead 23-14. The senior All-Americans closed it out as Glanzer and Schmidt picked up kills to win the set, 25-16.
Glanzer continued to cook, tallying three early kills in the third set to give UNW a slight edge. Superior wasn't ready to give up on its season; however, ripping off a 5-0 run to take an 8-4 lead, much to the delight of its passionate fans who made the trip to St. Paul. The roars from the visitors' side only seemed to wake up the home team, as Schmidt, Egge and Aune ignited a 5-0 spurt to put Northwestern back in front, 10-8. The Yellowjackets had one more punch in them, surging ahead 17-14, but two more kills from Schmidt and another Glanzer ace helped the Eagles inch back in front, 21-19. Kills by Egge, Aune and Schmidt produced match point, which was promptly won by, who else,
Abby Glanzer (Brandon, S.D./Sioux Falls Christian). It was a poetic ending to the three-time AVCA First Team All-American's final home game.
Glanzer rose to the occasion when her team needed it most, putting up 15 kills, 12 digs and three aces. Schmidt hit .304 on her way to 11 kills and two blocks, while Aune hit .357 en route to seven kills and two blocks as well. Egge also had seven kills, while Wyatt tallied a game-high four blocks. Wilber led all players with 19 digs and
Hannah Rich (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North) added 10, while Strickfaden and
Addeson Jenniges (Walnut Grove, Minn./Westbrook-Walnut Grove) dished out 23 and 16 assists, respectively.
While we do not yet know who or where Northwestern will be playing in their next match, we do know that it will take place on Thursday in round one of the NCAA Division III National Tournament. The Eagles will learn the further details Monday at noon when the bracket is revealed on the NCAA Selection Show. You can watch live on NCAA.com and we will have follow-up coverage on unweagles.com and all our social channels.
