University of Northwestern Athletics

Past Season Results & Statistics
2024 | 2023 | 2022 |  2021 | 2020-21 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001

Here (PDF) | All-Time Statistical Records

Here (PDF) | All-Time Head-to-Head Records vs. Single Opponent

Here (PDF) | All-Time Year-by-Year Single Season Results

Here (PDF) | All-Time Roster

Program History

Completing its 40th year of existence in 2012 since the inaugural season in 1972, the University of Northwestern volleyball program has developed into one of the most successful programs of any sports in the history of Northwestern athletics. Since its inception, Eagle volleyball squads have gained recognition not only on the conference and regional level, but also on the national scene.

Barb Lindman took over the head coaching reins in 1975 and started the program off on the right note with a 12-5 record. After experiencing some rougher campaigns, Lindman tallied winning records again in 1979 and 1980 as she would eventually lead Northwestern to the most wins in a single season with an impressive 29-11 overall showing in 1983 and a conference championship to her credit.

The late 1980's and beginning of the 1990's saw Kim Kelly-Sommer assume head coaching responsibilities from 1985 to 1991 and Kelly Nemitz in 1992. Kelly-Sommer started her coaching career in great fashion as the Eagles went 19-14 in 1985 and 18-9 in 1986. However, that would prove to be her most successful stretch as the program would struggle to reach the .500 mark until Jill Peterson took over in 1993.

Though it took three years of building and developing, Jill Peterson began to see the fruits of her labor as she won conference championships in 1993 and 1995, despite posting losing records in those campaigns. The fall of 1996 became a marking point for the Northwestern volleyball program as they won over 20 matches for the first time since 1983. It was the turning point in Coach Peterson's time with the Eagles as they would go on to win the conference title in 1996, 1997, and 1998, tallying 20-plus wins in each season. For her efforts Peterson was selected as the conference coach of the year from 1996 to 1998.

After a one-year absence from coaching, Peterson returned in 2000 and picked up right where she left off as Northwestern went 21-14 and was on their way back to owning the bragging rights in the conference. The 2001 season would wrap-up with the Eagles claiming the second most wins in school history with a phenomenal 28-5 record and that would be followed by another successful campaign of 25-5 in 2002. Northwestern won both the regular season conference championships and post-season tournaments in 2001 and 2002, advancing to the NAIA regional playoffs for the first time in school history in 2001 and regional semi-finals in 2002. More impressively, the Eagles went undefeated in league action in the falls of 2001 and 2002, posting 24 consecutive victories over league foes and earning a 53-10 overall record covering that time span.

Not that an encore performance was needed, but the Eagle women's volleyball program provided one as they went 21-10 in 2003 and added the program's third straight regular season and post-season tournament championship in the UMAC. The fall of 2004 marked former player and assistant coach Beth Wilmeth taking over the head coaching spot. Wilmeth guided the Eagles to an 18-15 overall record in her inaugural campaign of running the program. In 2005, Beth directed Northwestern in claiming a share of the regular season conference championship and an appearance in the NCCAA Division I national championship tournament. The Eagles hosted the three-day event for the first time in school history. Northwestern standout Lindsey Sir completed her illustrious career in 2005. Sir was a four-time first-team all-conference performer and two-time conference player of the year honoree. She left the gates of Northwestern ranking in the top five of almost every statistical category.

The Eagles claimed their seventh outright UMAC championship in 2007 after finishing 13-1 in conference play.  NWC maintained a 13-match win streak throughout the 2007 campaign before wrapping up the season at the NCCAA national championshp tournament.  2008 and 2009 brought two more UMAC regular season championships to Northwestern as Wilmeth's squads earned consecutive 14-0 conference records, earning the head coach Coach of the Year honors in 2009.  NWC also reached the NCCAA National Tournament for the fourth and fifth straight seasons.

The 2010 season opened a new chapter for the Eagles volleyball team, as a UMAC Tournament Championship gave Northwestern its first berth in the NCAA Tournament.  The Eagles took the region's top seed, St. Olaf College, to five sets before ultimately losing their first round match. The 2011 season was another exciting year for the Eagles. The Eagles were named UMAC Co-Champions and made it for the second year in a row to the NCAA Tournament with a bid at large. In addition to making its third straight NCAA Tournament appearance, Northwestern won its first NCAA playoff match in 2012 as the Eagles defeated Wisconsin-Stevens Point 3-2 to advance to the region semifinals. 2013 represented another UMAC regular season co-championship and the program's fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament berth. UNW was back in the NCAA playoffs for the fifth consecutive year in 2014, defeating the region's top seed in Nebraska Wesleyan after the Eagles gave Wilmeth her eighth UMAC regular season title in 11 years.

The 2015 season was the beginning of several firsts for the Eagles, as UNW qualified for its sixth straight NCAA Tournament. Northwestern defeated top-seeded UW-Whitewater and Wartburg to advance to the regional final (Sweet 16) for the first time in program history. Following the Cinderella run in 2015, UNW found itself in the NCAA in the NCAA Tournament again in 2016, this time as the eight-team regional host - a first for a Northwestern program. The Eagles knocked off No. 1 and defending National Champion Cal Lutheran in the regional final to advance to the Elite Eight where UNW would match up with Eastern University. The Eagles defeated EU in a five-set thriller to punch their ticket to the National Semifinal. UNW saw its record-breaking season come to an end with a loss to Calvin College (2016 National Champions). The 34 wins was a school record and junior Lindsey Peterson and Beth Wilmeth were named the AVCA Division III Player and Coach of the Year, respectively. 

The Eagles recorded many awards in their 2017 season as they added another Conference Champion title along with post-season Conference Tournament Champions. They made their 3rd Straight Sweet Sixteen appearance and tied for a school record 34 victories, including 20 consecutive. The 2017 team also recorded a record-breaking season in both kills and assists for the school. Leading the team in her senior season, Lindsey Peterson was nominated AVCA First Team All-American and North Central Region Player of the Year. Overall, the team made their way to their third straight Sweet 16 appearance before falling 3-1 to Gustavus Adolphus.
 
The 2018 team captured its eighth consecutive UMAC regular season title with a sweep over Martin Luther and an overall record of 23-9. This was followed by a 3-1 win over St. Scholastica in their first round of playoffs. The Eagles later fell short in a thrilling four-setter against the tournament's No. 3 seed, Minnesota-Morris. Racking up the individual awards, Sydney Schwitters was named UMAC Rookie of the Year and Regional Freshman of the Year in her starting spot as setter. Mariah Halverson was named the UMAC's Player of the Year. Halvorsen finished with 438 kills and 4.34 kills/set, a league best. Following that season, the Eagles shared the Conference Champion title with St. Scholastica in 2019 after tying for first in the conference. With an overall 25-9 record, Coach Beth Wilmeth recorded her 400th win of her career. Sydney Schwitters was named UMAC Player of the Year and AVCA All-Region. The Eagles advanced to post season play where they would defeat the No. 2 seeded St. Olaf then to fall short in a five-set thriller to St. Benedict in the NCAA regional second round.

The 2021 season was a historic season for the Eagles. UNW won the UMAC Championship for an eleventh consecutive time, and won the conference tournament to return to the NCAA National Tournament. The Eagles defeated Illinois Wesleyan in the first round to advance to the round of 32 where they fell to Hope College. The Eagles finished the season with a record of 30-4, which set a program record for winning percentage in a season (88%). The Eagles were ranked in the AVCA's Top 25 in every week of the season, finishing the year ranked as the #17 team in the country. All four losses on the season came to teams ranked in the AVCA Top 25. Freshman Abby Glanzer had a big first year with the Eagles. The star freshman was named the AVCA National Freshman of the Year, as well being selected as a First Team All-American. Sydney Schwitters also had a fantastic season, as the senior went out with a bang in her final season. Schwitters was named the NCCAA National Player of the Year, and was an AVCA Second Team All-American. 

In their 2022 season, the Eagles had an extraordinary season. Nationally, UNW was recognized with three All-Americans (Abby Glanzer, Marylyn Schroyer and Ari Schmidt); the most in a single season in program history. Regionally, the Eagles earned both Player and Coach of the Year in addition to three All-Regional honors. In the conference, Northwestern swept the four top UMAC honors, had 12 players named All-UMAC, and was awarded the Team Sportsmanship Award. Ranked #4 nationally, Northwestern finished the 2022 season after advancing to the NCAA Final Four with a 34-3 record, winning 91.9 percent of their matches to set a new program record. The Eagles swept their conference matches 14-0 to win their 12^th consecutive UMAC Regular Season Championship and 15^th in the last 16 years. UNW then went on to win the UMAC Tournament Championship, their fourth consecutive and 10^th in the last 11 years. Against UMAC opponents, the Eagles went 48-0 in sets played to set a program and conference record. Northwestern was then selected to host the a regional for the NCAA Championship, which the Eagles won to earn their second NCAA Regional Championship in program history.

The 2023 season saw similar success for UNW Volleyball as Coach Wilmeth brought back a loaded roster that was among the highest-ranked in the country for the entire year, topping out at #3 and dropping no lower than #6. The 2023 Eagles claimed four AVCA NCAA DIII All-Americans (Abby Glanzer, Marylyn Schroyer, Ari Schmidt and Marley Aune), breaking the previous year's team record of three, and Glanzer was named NCCAA DI Player of the Year by both the NCCAA and the AVCA. Northwestern did not drop a single set in UMAC play for the second consecutive season en route to yet another conference championship. The Eagles began the NCAA National Tournament at Cornell College and had anything but an easy path to a regional title. UNW needed to come back in the fifth set of the second round to defeat the hosts, then needed a miracle in the Sweet 16 to claim a third regional championship in program history. Trailing #4 UW-Whitewater two sets to zero, Northwestern was able to fend off six match points to force a fifth set, which the Eagles won to complete the reverse sweep and advance to the Elite Eight in Claremont, California. The Eagles found themselves in frustratingly familiar territory in their Elite Eight match vs. #6 New York University, trailing 2-0 after two sets. UNW battled back to force a fifth set and was tied 13-13, but NYU was able to prevail, ending Northwestern's incredible run in the Elite Eight.


Coaching History
Barb Lindman
1975 | 12-5
1976 | 6-8
1977 | 6-9
1978 | 5-9-3
1979 | 15-7-1
1980 | 11-8
1981 | 13-19-2
1982 | 12-13-5
1983 | 29-11
1984 | 19-13
TOTAL 128-102-11 (53.1%)

Kim Kelly-Sommer
1985 | 19-14
1986 | 18-9
1987 | 16-18
1988 | 8-22
1989 | 8-16
1990 | 19-19
1991 | 13-11
TOTAL 101-109 (48.1%)

Kelly Nemitz
1992 | 12-17
TOTAL 12-17 (41.3%)

Jill Peterson
1993 | 15-17
1994 | 15-19
1995 | 18-21
1996 | 22-18
1997 | 23-12
1998 | 27-10
2000 | 21-14
2001 | 28-5
2002 | 25-5
2003 | 21-10
TOTAL 215-131 (62.1%)

Lara Lawton
1999 | 17-17
TOTAL 17-17 (50.0%)

Beth Wilmeth
2004 | 18-15
2005 | 20-17
2006 | 19-17
2007 | 22-14
2008 | 30-7
2009 | 25-13
2010 | 26-14
2011 | 27-7
2012 | 27-9
2013 | 23-13
2014 | 24-11
2015 | 28-9
2016 | 34-5
2017 | 34-7
2018 | 23-9
2019 | 25-9
2020-21 | 24-5
2021 | 30-4
2022 | 34-3
2023 | 32-5
2024 | 24-9
TOTAL 549-202 (73.1%)