ST. PAUL, Minn. – One day after losing in four sets to No. 5 Emory, the University of Northwestern Volleyball team looked like a completely different unit on Saturday in the Ericksen Center. Facing two more nationally-lauded opponents, No. 13 Northwestern was able to finish UNW's VolleyWOW Weekend with a pair of wins. The Eagles made quick work of (RV) UW-Stevens Point with a 3-0 sweep in the morning game before taking down No. 12 Gustavus Adolphus in four sets in the afternoon finale.
Game One: University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers
UW-Stevens Point, fresh off an upset of Gustavus on Friday afternoon, appeared prepared to do the same on Saturday morning. The Pointers jumped out to a 9-4 lead, but Northwestern was able to cut it to 11-8 thanks to some errors from its opponent. A 4-0 UNW run evened the score at 12 as
Abby Glanzer (Brandon, S.D./Sioux Falls Christian), who at the conclusion of the tournament was named to the all-tournament team, began to heat up. UWSP edged back in front, 18-16, but the Eagles blitzed the Pointers the rest of the set, scoring the final nine points in a row to win 25-18.
Miranda Wyatt (Manhattan, Mont./Manhattan Christian) had two kills, two blocks and an assist in the closing stretch.
Set two was tight throughout, as the largest lead for either team in the frame was a 6-3 edge for Northwestern. Stevens Point crept ahead, 9-8, after a 4-0 spurt, which triggered an incredible tug-of-war for the remainder of the set in which neither team was able to score more than two points consecutively. Ultimately, it was the Eagles who scored the final two and took the set, 25-22. Glanzer picked up six kills in the set and
Ana Egge (Rapid City, S.D./Rapid City Christian) three.
The Pointers came out hot in set three, taking an 8-3 lead, but Northwestern's Egge and
Ari Schmidt (Albany, Minn./Holdingford) had other plans. The pair combined for seven kills (four for Egge, three for Schmidt) in a 7-0 surge that ignited the Ericksen Center crowd and gave the Eagles a 10-8 lead. A 6-1 run by UNW just moments later extended the lead to 17-12, and the home team never looked back. A 6-0 spurt featuring three Glanzer kills, a
Grace Strickfaden (Norwood-Young America, Minn./NYA) ace and a block and kill from
Marley Aune (New Brighton, Minn./Avail Academy) set up a match point which was eventually won on a UWSP attack error. The sweep was complete with a 25-16 win in the third set.
Another Glanzer double-double was the top story for UNW, as the senior put up 16 kills and 12 digs. Egge chipped in nine kills and Wyatt five, along with four blocks.
Anna Olsen (Randolph, Minn./Randolph) also tallied four blocks, while
Mikayla Wilber (Coon Rapids, Minn./Coon Rapids), playing libero for the first time in 2024, finished with a game-high 18 digs.
Addeson Jenniges (Walnut Grove, Minn./Westbrook-Walnut Grove) led the Eagles with 17 assists and Strickfaden logged 13 herself.
Game Two: Gustavus Adolphus College Golden Gusties
Game two of the day and the final one of the tournament for Northwestern was, by national ranking, its most evenly-matched contest of the season to date. Gustavus Adolphus College was ranked just one spot ahead of UNW in the latest AVCA Top 25 Poll, further increasing the drama and hype surrounding the Saturday matinee. The two clubs certainly know each other well too, as the 33 all-time matches that had occurred between them entering Saturday had resulted in a near 50/50 split, with the Eagles edging the Gusties with 17 wins compared to 16 in the series.
Northwestern led 5-2 in the early stages thanks to kills from
Miranda Wyatt (Manhattan, Mont./Manhattan Christian),
Anna Olsen (Randolph, Minn./Randolph) and
Abby Glanzer (Brandon, S.D./Sioux Falls Christian), but Gustvaus put together a 6-1 run to take an 8-6 lead. The set stayed tight throughout, but consecutive kills from
Ari Schmidt (Albany, Minn./Holdingford) and
Ana Egge (Rapid City, S.D./Rapid City Christian) stretched UNW's lead to four at 19-15. The lead grew to five after a kill from Olsen and a block by Wyatt and Glanzer, and a late Gustie charge wasn't enough as Glanzer and Aune picked up a set-point block to win the opener, 25-21.
The first three points of set two went Gustavus's way, but Northwestern punched back with four straight to go in front thanks to a kill and two blocks from
Marley Aune (New Brighton, Minn./Avail Academy). The score difference fluctuated from tied to Northwestern by one for a while until a 3-0 GAC spurt put them in front by three. Once again, though, the Eagles had an answer, scoring the next five to go up 14-12. Three Glanzer kills and one from Olsen did the trick. The Gusties briefly regained the lead at 16-15, but it was all UNW from that point on. Glanzer, Schmidt, Aune and Egge all picked up kills down the stretch as the Eagles claimed set two, 25-19.
The third set looked like it would go Northwestern's way as well, as the hosts took an early 6-2 lead that had fans feeling their pockets for their keys. Credit to Gustavus; however, who did not back down. A 5-1 run tied the set at seven apiece, but Egge asserted herself, knocking home four kills to put UNW back ahead, 14-8. Once again, though, the Gusties didn't crumble. A 10-1 run gave the visitors an 18-15 edge, and despite a 3-0 Northwestern run to tie it, the Gusties made enough plays to close out the set. Glanzer and Egge each had five kills in the set, but GAC was able to extend the match with a 25-22 win.
Clearly the UNW players were ready to move on with their day, as they wasted little time wrapping up the fourth and final set. Holding an 8-6 advantage, the Eagles rattled off 12 of the next 13 points to take command. Contributions came from nearly every Eagle who touched the floor, as Northwestern's lead ballooned to 20-7. An
Ari Schmidt (Albany, Minn./Holdingford) kill sealed the deal, and the 25-12 set win gave No. 13 UNW its fourth top 25 win of the young season, and its highest-ranked one to this point.
The 5-4 Eagles were paced by Glanzer's 19 kills, 17 digs and seven blocks, her best performance of the season thus far. Egge logged nine blocks for the second consecutive match, while Olsen finished with eight and four blocks. Aune, Schmidt and Wyatt each tallied six kills, with Aune blocking an impressive nine Gustie attacks.
Mikayla Wilber (Coon Rapids, Minn./Coon Rapids) finished with a game-high 20 digs to go along with nine assists.
Addeson Jenniges (Walnut Grove, Minn./Westbrook-Walnut Grove) and
Grace Strickfaden (Norwood-Young America, Minn./NYA) assisted 23 and 16 times, respectively. Jenniges added 13 digs and Strickfaden picked up a pair of aces.
Up Next
The final regular season, multi-team event Northwestern is hosting in 2024 will take place on Saturday, September 21
st, when the Eagles welcome UW-Oshkosh and St. Catherine to the Faith Radio Triangular. UNW will take on No. 6 Oshkosh at 11:00 AM before closing the event versus St. Kate's at 3:00 PM. The event will also be broadcast on the Eagle Sports Network, an affiliate of the UMAC Sports Network.
