NEW ULM, Minn. – After a quick turnaround following Friday night's UMAC Championship-clinching win at Bethany Lutheran, the University of Northwestern Volleyball team looked anything but sleepy on Saturday afternoon at Martin Luther College. UNW closed out its regular season with a dominant, 3-0 win to finish unbeaten (12-0) in the UMAC for the 11
th time in
Beth Wilmeth's 22-year tenure at the helm. The Eagles hit a blistering .447 in the match and held MLC to just .060.
Elese Paplow (Lakefield, Minn./Jackson County Central) got the party started with an ace to open the match, then
Mikayla Wilber (Coon Rapids, Minn./Coon Rapids) joined her with two to put Northwestern in front, 7-3.
Addeson Jenniges (Walnut Grove, Minn./Westbrook-Walnut Grove) also added an ace, but the Knights kept the score close until
Anna Olsen's (Randolph, Minn./Randolph) trio of kills ignited a 6-0 UNW surge to take control of the set at 17-8. Martin Luther tried to chip away, but it was too late as the Eagles used kills from
Ana Egge (Rapid City, S.D./Rapid City Christian),
Anja Jarchow (Luverne, Minn./Luverne) and
Miranda Wyatt (Manhattan, Mont./Manhattan Christian) to close out the opener, 25-15.
Set two was all Northwestern. The UMAC champs scored the first 11 points of the frame behind three Jarchow kills, two kills and a block from
Marley Aune (New Brighton, Minn./Avail Academy) and back-to-back
Ella Bourne (Clara City, Minn./MACCRAY) aces. MLC made a mini run of its own, but UNW answered back with six straight, including two
Norah Jaeb (Plymouth, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong) kills and an Aune ace. Paplow closed out the stanza with a couple more aces in a 4-0 closing run to take it at 25-10.
Early on in the third set, Bourne recorded another ace while Olsen, Aune and Egge each logged a pair of kills. The Eagles' lead was just one until they ripped off a 9-0 run, including consecutive
Hannah Rich (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North) aces, to seize control at 18-8. Jaeb chipped in two more kills, including the match-winner, as Northwestern closed out the sweep with a 25-12 victory.
It was a balanced attack for UNW, as Aune had nine kills, four blocks and an ace, while Olsen (.727 hitting) and Jarchow (.615) each contributed eight. Jenniges finished with 29 assists and an ace, while Bourne (3), Paplow (3), Rich (2) and Wilber (2) also aced the Knights. Rich also led both teams in digs with 10, while
Grace Moravchik (Mason, Wis./Ashland) chipped in eight.
With the regular season on the rearview, the 21-7 Eagles will now refocus to the playoffs, which will begin with a UMAC Tournament Semifinal showdown with Minnesota Morris on Wednesday, November 12th at 7:00 PM in the Ericksen Center.
