MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Northwestern Volleyball team entered its final non-conference game of the regular season at Augbsurg Univeristy Wednesday night on a nine-game winning streak, and one of the hottest teams in Division III volleyball. In fact, Northwestern received its most AVCA Top-25 votes of the season this week in recognition of its stellar, recent play, and also achieved its highest NPI ranking (23) in the metric's history. However, the home Auggies were undaunted, defending their home court and defeating the Eagles 3-1, just four days after nearly upsetting another team receiving votes in the AVCA poll, St. Olaf.
UNW held an early 7-5 lead in the opening set, but a 6-1 run soon put Augbsurg ahead, 11-8. Two
Anja Jarchow (Luverne, Minn./Luverne) kills and one each from
Anna Olsen (Randolph, Minn./Randolph) and
Marley Aune (New Brighton, Minn./Avail Academy) got Northwestern within two at 15-13, but that would be the closest margin for the remainder of the set. Jarchow and
Ana Egge (Rapid City, S.D./Rapid City Christian) each logged late kills, but the Auggies cruised to a 25-17 win in the opener.
Now with evidence that it could hang with the high-powered Eagles, Augsburg came out hot in the second set as well. The hosts led 10-4 before UNW finally seemed to gain its footing and used back-to-back Egge kills to round out a 5-0 run to pull within a point. Northwestern was able to tie the score moments later and even took a 15-14 lead when
Ella Bourne (Clara City, Minn./MACCRAY) dropped in an ace. The battle would remain tight until its conclusion, but a bevy of Eagle errors down the stretch allowed the Auggies to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the match thanks to a 25-21 win. UNW was able to hold Augsburg to just .107 hitting in the set, but hit only .063 itself.
With momentum fully on its side, the home team raced out to another early lead, this time 5-1, forcing a
Beth Wilmeth timeout. Northwestern was able to settle in and used a pair of
Mikayla Wilber (Coon Rapids, Minn./Coon Rapids) aces to gain a 9-8 edge. The lead continued to slowly grow thanks to kills from Egge, Jarchow, Aune and Wyatt (who also recorded a block in the sequence). A pair of kills from freshman
Norah Jaeb (Plymouth, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong) made it 20-16 in favor of the visitors, but Augsburg wouldn't go down without a fight. The Auggies fought off two more kills from Aune to pull within a point at 24-23, but a set error gave the Eagles the win and extended the match.
While UNW hadn't reverse-swept an opponent yet this year, some of the veterans on the team certainly remember the run of reverse sweeps they pulled off in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Northwestern was hoping to pull off a similar miracle Wednesday night, but Augsburg weathered a pair of early Aune kills to open up an 11-7 lead. The Eagles turned things on with a 4-0 run that included an
Elese Paplow (Lakefield, Minn./Jackson County Central) ace, a Wyatt kill and two blocks, to tie the set. Things remained tight untul the Auggies rattled off four straight to take a 21-16 lead. Egge logged consecutive kills in a 3-0 burst to bring UNW within two, but three points later, Northwestern was facing match point. One Wyatt kill and two from Jarchow gave the Eagles a sliver of hope at 24-22, but Augsburg was able to close out the match on the ensuing rally.
Egge led the UNW attack with 11 kills and Jarchow chipped in 10. Aune hit .333 on her way to nine kills, while Wyatt finished with six and three blocks. Olsen and Jaeb each recorded two blocks, and Rich led the team in digs with 10.
Addeson Jenniges (Walnut Grove, Minn./Westbrook-Walnut Grove) dished out 34 assists and was second on the team in digs with six, while Wilber (2), Paplow (1) and Bourne (1) each logged aces.
Northwestern will be back on the road Friday night at Bethany Lutheran, looking to clinch the outright UMAC regular season championship. First serve in Mankato is scheduled for 7:00 PM and can be streamed on the UMAC Sports Network.
