ST. PAUL, Minn. - On the heels of an upset win over No. 7 Juniata College on Friday night, the (RV) University of Northwestern Volleyball team took aim at No. 1 University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh on Saturday morning in the St. Kate's Quad. The Eagles also faced the Titans last season when UWO was ranked No. 1, and were able to pull off the upset in Oshkosh. UW-Oshkosh was able to get revenge this time, defeating UNW in just about as slim a margin as is possible for a 3-0 sweep. The two teams were separated by a total of seven points (27-25, 25-22, 27-25), with six being the minimum required.
It was Northwestern who drew first blood, racing out to an 8-4 lead, sparked by back-to-back
Elese Paplow (Lakefield, Minn./Jackson County Central) aces. The top-ranked Titans were able to settle in and eventually took a one-point lead, but two kills apiece from
Ana Egge (Rapid City, S.D./Rapid City Christian) and
Miranda Wyatt (Manhattan, Mont./Manhattan Christian) made it 17-15, Eagles. UWO responded with a 4-0 spurt to take a two-point advantage, but kills from Wyatt and
Addeson Jenniges (Walnut Grove, Minn./Westbrook-Walnut Grove) tied the match at 20. Wisconsin-Oshkosh made it set point at 24-21, but
Beth Wilmeth's unit again had an answer, evening the score again after two Egge kills and an
Alana Costello (Mead, Colo./Mead) ace. With the score tied at 25, UWO was able to finally break through and end the set, 27-25.
UW-Oshkosh opened up an 8-5 lead early in the second set, but kills from
Anna Olsen (Randolph, Minn./Randolph) and
Anja Jarchow (Luverne, Minn./Luverne) brought Northwestern within one. The Titans extended their advantage to 17-12 before UNW was once again able to trim its deficit to a point at 20-19. The teams began trading points until it was too late for the Eagles to make a comeback, resulting in a tight, 25-22 win for UWO.
Neither team was able to gain much separation in the third set until Oshkosh took a 20-16 lead. Wyatt answered back with consecutive kills, and a 4-0 Eagles run at set point tied the match at 24, much to the delight of those who made the short trip from Roseville. A 13th and final kill from Egge kept the match alive at 25-25, but the Titans were able to close out the match with a kill and an ace, winning 27-25.
Egge finished with a match-high 13 kills, adding six digs, while Wyatt contributed seven kills.
Emma Sip (Rogers, Minn./Rogers) and Olsen led the team in blocks with three and two, respectively, and Costello logged a match-high 13 digs and an ace. Jenniges led Northwestern in aces with 17, adding two aces, while
Libby Weckman (Shakopee, Minn./Southwest Christian) chipped in 10 assists. Paplow also tallied a pair of aces.
