SAN ANTONIO, Texas – After two home tournaments to begin the 2025 season, the University of Northwestern Volleyball team traveled to the Lone Star State this week for its toughest slate of games yet. The Trinity National Invitational field includes two top-12 teams in this week's AVCA Top 25 Poll, as well as a pair of teams receiving votes in the poll (including UNW). Friday's action was tight, as Northwestern lost a heartbreaker to (RV) Whitworth University in five sets in the afternoon before falling in four sets to the hosts from No. 12 Trinity University in the evening session.
Match One: (RV) Whitworth University Pirates
The opening set of the tournament could best be described as a set of runs. With things tied 7-7 early, UNW went on a 6-1 run thanks to a pair of kills each from
Miranda Wyatt (Manhattan, Mont./Manhattan Christian) and
Ana Egge (Rapid City, S.D./Rapid City Christian). After Whitworth got one more on the board, the Eagles then rattled off eight-straight points to blow the set open and take a 21-9 lead, with the help of two more kills and two blocks from Wyatt. The Pirates weren't ready to surrender quite yet, scoring six consecutive points in an 8-1 run to pull within five, but a pair of
Marley Aune (New Brighton, Minn./Avail Academy) kills were enough to finish off a 25-19 set win.
A Wyatt block and an
Elese Paplow (Lakefield, Minn./Jackson County Central) ace got the second set started, and two Aune solo blocks later, Northwestern led 5-1. Whitworth again responded, scoring four-in-a-row to tie the set at five, before the two squads looking to crack the AVCA Top 25 began trading points. A 5-1 spurt that featured two more Wyatt kills and another Paplow ace made it 13-9, UNW, but the Pirates were able to quickly even things up again. Egge and Wyatt continued to find Whitworth's side of the floor as the Eagles sprinted ahead, 22-17. Back-to-back kills by
Anja Jarchow (Luverne, Minn./Luverne) and
Anna Olsen (Randolph, Minn./Randolph) gave them a 25-21 win and put Northwestern up 2-0, just one set away from victory.
Things looked promising early in set three as well, as a 4-0 run gave UNW a 4-2 edge. However, the Pirates found their groove and soon led 16-9. The Eagles tried to claw back, trimming the deficit to 18-15 after two kills by Jarchow and another from Aune, but Whitworth pulled away to extend the match with a 25-19 win.
Set four was the most competitive yet, as over halfway through, the largest lead either team held was two points. With Northwestern ahead 16-15 thanks to three kills each from Egge and Olsen, Whitworth took control, scoring six-unanswered to lead 21-16. Consecutive kills from Olsen, Jarchow and Aune pulled UNW within two at 23-21, but the Pirates were able to survive for a 25-22 win to force a fifth and final set.
The fifth set lived up to its dramatic expectations. Two kills and a block from Aune gave the Eagles a 5-2 lead early. Whitworth scored six of the next seven to storm ahead 8-6, but back-to-back Wyatt kills evened the score at nine. The towering middle blocker from Montana continued to shine, teaming up with Olsen for two straight blocks and adding two kills to put her team ahead 13-11. The Pirates scored two straight to tie, but an attack error gave UNW match point at 14-13. Unfortunately, Northwestern wasn't able to close it out, surrendering three consecutive points to give Whitworth a 16-14 win in the thrilling fifth set.
Wyatt was dominant on both sides of the net, exploding for game-highs of 16 kills and eight blocks on .361 hitting. Jarchow, Egge and Aune each logged 11 kills, with the latter adding five blocks herself. Olsen finished with 10 kills and seven blocks on .333 hitting, while
Addeson Jenniges (Walnut Grove, Minn./Westbrook-Walnut Grove) logged a double-double with 47 assists and 13 digs.
Grace Moravchik (Mason, Wis./Ashland) tallied a match-high 18 digs and
Hannah Rich (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North) finished with 14, in addition to an ace. Paplow logged two aces and
Mikayla Wilber (Coon Rapids, Minn./Coon Rapids) one.
Match Two: #12 Trinity University Tigers
From the outset of Friday night's match, it was clear we were in store for another evenly-matched contest, despite the difference in the teams' rankings. The first nine points of the opening set alternated until Wyatt logged back-to-back assisted blocks with the help of Jenniges and Egge. Kills by Jarchow and Olsen extended the lead to 9-6, but Trinity was able to quickly tie it. Northwestern regained the lead, 16-12, but the Tigers again were able to go on a run themselves and tie it at 16. Another 4-0 run for the hosts gave them a 22-20 advantage, and they forced a set point at 24-22; however, the Eagles ripped off a 4-0 run of their own to steal the set, 26-24.
Trinity got out to a fast start in the second set, taking a 7-3 lead, but UNW answered back with consecutive kills from Aune, Egge and Wyatt to trim the deficit to one. The Tigers used a 4-0 run to go up 13-8 and never looked back. A 4-0 Northwestern spurt brought it within five at 22-17, but Trinity scored the next three points to conclude the set with a 25-17 score.
Undeterred, the Eagles jumped out to a 4-1 lead to begin the third set on the back of two Jarchow kills. But as they had all night, the Tigers had the answer, scoring the next four to take the lead. The margin remained within a point on either side until a 7-1 surge put Trinity ahead, 18-13. UNW was able to get within three on a couple different occasions, but it was too little, too late as Trinity won the set 25-21 to take a 2-1 lead.
With their backs against the wall, the Eagles responded admirably in set four. Kills by Aune and Jarchow, plus an
Ella Bourne (Clara City, Minn./MACCRAY) ace, gave Northwestern an 8-4 advantage. The lead was 11-9 before the Tigers exploded for five straight to surge ahead, 14-11. Wyatt and Egge kills sparked a 3-0 run to even things up at 14, then the teams went back and forth until another 3-0 spurt gave UNW a 20-18 edge. An Aune kill put the Eagles back in front 21-20, but Trinity scored five straight to close out the match with a 25-21, set four win.
Jarchow was sensational in the loss, racking up 13 kills on .478 hitting. Wyatt put up 11 kills and four blocks, while Aune added 10 kills and three blocks. Egge and Olsen each blocked two attacks and finished with 10 and nine kills, respectively. Moravchik had a match-high 16 digs, while Bourne tallied 10 and an ace. Jenniges also logged an ace in addition to 46 assists.
Up Next
The Eagles will wrap up play in Texas on Saturday at 1:15 PM against No. 10 East Texas Baptist.
