ST PAUL, Minn. — For the second consecutive season, the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse volleyball team opened with a win in the NCAA tournament.
Kathryn Maas and Stephanie Henk each had 15 kills in the Eagles 3-1 win over College of Saint Benedict on Thursday night. UW-L dropped the first set 25-23, before dominating in the the final three 25-17, 25-14, 25-13.
At 7 p.m. today, UW-L (22-9) will face ninth-ranked Northwestern (33-6) in what is essentially a home game at the Ericksen Center.
Back on Sept. 8, the Eagles were swept by Northwestern, which was then ranked No. 2 in Division III.
In the win, UW-L setter Maddie Entinger had 51 assists and eight digs. Halle Barnabo had 19 digs, while a trio of her teammates each had 10 digs (Marisa Johnson, Henk and Paige Schmidt).
Jessica Jablonski added eight kills, five block-assists for UW-L, which hit .253 as a team led by Maas’ incredible .429.
This is the third consecutive trip to the NCAAs for the Eagles, who lost in the second round last year. UW-L has now won eight consecutive games and 10 of its last 11.
The Eagles best finish in the NCAA tournament was third, back in 1986. They advanced to the quarterfinals in both 2003 and 2004.