The Yellowjacket volleyball team stuck to its winning ways at the St. Scholastica Triangle Tuesday, taking care of business in a three-set sweep of Northland before coming out on top in a five-set thriller against the Saints.

With the wins the Yellowjackets have now won four matches in a row and eight times in their last ten.

Yellowjackets 3, Northland 0

The Yellowjackets started fast in their first match of the day, winning nine of the first ten points to take an insurmountable lead early. Throughout the set the Yellowjackets kept the lead right around eight points before blowing it open late. An ace from Karlie Leif (Bemidji, Minn./Bemidji) gave the Yellowjackets a ten-point lead, before kills from Taylor Howe (Webster, Wis./Webster) and Ashlee Bayer (Cameron, Wis./Cameron) put them on the verge of victory. A Howe kill sealed it, and the Yellowjackets took the first set 25-14.

The trend continued in the second set as the Yellowjackets again built an early lead, with a Cami Sletta (Willmar, Minn./Willmar) kill making it 5-1. Northland kept the second set closer than the first, but was never able to close the gap to less than four. With a 15-11 lead the Yellowjackets again went on a run, getting kills from Howe and A.J. Runck (Annandale, Minn./Apple Valley) to help stretch the lead to eight. A late rally once again brought Northland back to within five, but that was as close as the Lumberjills would get, and a kill from Anna Ribich (Biwabik, Minn./Mesabi East) followed by a Northland error made the final score 25-19.

With a commanding lead the Yellowjackets looked to make quick work of the third set, but Northland had other ideas. The teams traded points early and the score was tied 8-8 before the Yellowjackets took off. A Northland error broke the tie and the Yellowjackets would win 12 straight points with Howe at the serve to put the set out of reach. Emily VerWay (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley) finished the set off with a kill, giving the Yellowjackets a 25-11 win and a 3-0 match sweep.

Sletta had a team-high seven kills and a .357 attack percentage. On defense Brylee Colligan (Bemidji, Minn./Bemidji) had 11 digs to lead the team.

Yellowjackets 3, St. Scholastica 2

If the opening match of the day was a cake walk for the Yellowjackets, the second was anything but. The Yellowjackets and St. Scholastica have played some thrilling matches over the years, and Tuesday's tilt followed the same script, as the teams went back and forth throughout a match that easily could have gone either way.

Play was tight in the opening frame before the Yellowjackets went on a run. Megan Holz (Savage, Minn./Burnsville) served back-to-back aces to give the Yellowjackets a 7-3 lead. St. Scholastica battled back and won three points in a row to close the gap to two at 20-18. Consecutive kills from Howe and Hannah Goggleye (Calumet, Minn./Greenway) reinstated the four-point lead and the Yellowjackets would hold the edge and put the Saints away, winning the opening set 25-19.

St. Scholastica answered, taking the second set that followed a similar pattern to the first. The Yellowjackets had a 9-8 lead, but the Saints would take three points in a row and move ahead. The Yellowjackets countered, winning seven of eight points to take their biggest lead of the set, 16-12. After a timeout the Saints would win eight of nine points to erase the deficit and move ahead 20-17. The teams traded points, with the Yellowjackets eventually drawing even at 24-24, but St. Scholastica would take the next two points, winning the set 26-24 and evening the match 1-1.

More close play was on the menu in the third set. The Saints did lead from wire-wire, but didn't hold a lead greater than four until later in the set. A Ribich kill erased a deficit and drew the Yellowjackets even at 17-17. The Saints would then break an 18-18 tie and hold the lead the rest of the set. They would win six of the last eight points to take the set 25-20 and move ahead in the match 2-1.

Like the Saints in the third set, the Yellowjackets took the early lead in the fourth set, but were never really able to pull away from the Saints. With an 9-6 lead, the Yellowjackets could only watch as the Saints came all the way back, winning four straight points to go up by one. Once again the teams traded points and the lead changed hands numerous times. With the Saints up 18-16 consecutive kills from Howe and Colligan brought things back to even, but the Saints quickly answered, winning three points in a row and moving closer to winning the match. But the Yellowjackets came back, with a kill from Bayer tying things at 22-22. Bayer added two more kills, the first tying the set at 24-24 and the second erasing a match point and tying things at 25-25. Back to back attack errors by the Saints broke the deadlock, giving the Yellowjackets a 27-25 win and sending the match to a fifth set.

In the fifth the Yellowjackets rode kills from Colligan, Ribich, and Howe to an early lead. St. Scholastica would rally and tie the set at 6-6. The Yellowjackets would again build a lead, but the seesaw action continue and the Saints would again draw even at 9-9. A pair of attack errors by the Saints would break the tie and the Yellowjackets would stay ahead for good, winning the final set 15-11 and the match 3-2.

Howe was a beast on the offense for the Yellowjackets, finishing the match with 23 kills. Bayer and Colligan would add 10 apiece. VerWay had 59 assists and Holz would finish with three aces. On defense VerWay had a team-high 21 digs, while Leif added 19 and Colligan and Doranna Blascyk (Hoffman, Minn./West Central Area) each had 12.

Up Next: The Yellowjackets (9-5, 4-0 U.M.A.C.) will put their unblemished conference record on the line when they host a pair of conference matches Saturday. The 'Jackets will take on Crown College at 2:00 p.m. and Minnesota Morris at 4:00 p.m. at Mertz Mortorelli Gym. Crown and Minnesota Morris will play a match in between the two Yellowjacket matches at 2:00  p.m.