MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The UW-Superior volleyball team cruised past North Central in three sets Saturday to wrap up the No. 4 seed in the upcoming Upper Midwest Athletic Conference tournament.
 
UWS (13-16, 5-3 UMAC) won by set scores of 25-12, 25-14 and 25-12 in just 55 minutes and will host an opponent to be determined Monday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m., at Mertz Mortorelli Gym in the quarterfinals.
 
The Yellowjackets hit .300 for the match with 32 kills against eight errors in 80 attempts, limiting North Central (9-13, 1-6) to a negative attack percentage at -.033. The Rams tallied 21 kills and 24 errors in 92 total attacks.
 
Superior led in service aces (5-1), blocks (4-1), assists (31-21) and digs (40-34). 
 
Individually, Gina Baertsch (Farmington, Minn./Farmington Area) tallied a team-best six kills, pacing a group of three – Elise Ertl (Phillips, Wis./Phillips) and Hannah Goggleye (Calumet, Minn./Greenway) the others – with at least five. Megan Holz (Savage, Minn./Burnsville) and Baertsch each had 10 assists, while Yana Carrera (North Mankato, Minn./Mankato West Senior) scooped 14 digs.
 
Leading, 10-6, in the first set, the 'Jackets scored nine of the next 10 points for a 19-7 advantage. Baertch had two kills and an ace and Cassy Teff (Foley, Minn./Foley) had a kill and two blocks in the run.
 
NCU's Emily DiGiorgio got the Rams back on the board, but three more points – a service error and kills by Cami Sletta (Willmar, Minn./Willmar Senior) and Teah Roszkowiak (Pleasant Prairie, Wis./Tremper) – put UWS in position to take the set with another Sletta kill.
 
The 'Jackets won seven of the final eight points in the second set to secure a two-set lead. Goggleye started that stretch with a kill and team with Ertl on a block. After a pair of errors and a Rams' kill, Baertsch had two kills sandwiched by a Goggleye ace to win the set.
 
UWS led, 7-3 in the third set before North Central recorded its first kill in the period. The lead expanded to 18-10 on a kill by A.J. Runck (Annandale, Minn./Apple Valley) from Lexi Oeltjen (Lake Elmo, Minn./Stillwater Area). Superior won the final five points of the match on three NCU errors a Megan Taylor (St. Cloud, Minn./St. Cloud Tech) service ace and Ertl kill.
 
DiGiorgio lead the Rams with nine kills on the day.
 
Superior closes the regular season at the Warrior Invitational at Wisconsin Lutheran next Friday and Saturday. The 'Jackets face Maranatha Baptist at 3 p.m., and Beloit at 7 p.m., on the first day of the event.