SUPERIOR, Wis. – The UW-Superior volleyball team's upset bid against top-seeded Northwestern fell just short in a five-set thriller in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference semifinals Thursday at the Ericksen Center.
 
After dropping the first two sets, the fourth-seeded Yellowjackets came storming back to win the next two and fourth a deciding fifth set to advance to the conference-championship match. The Eagles, though, asserted themselves in the final set, winning, 15-6, to earn the win. Northwestern will host Minnesota Morris Saturday with the winner off to the NCAA tournament.
 
UWS fell by scores of 25-13, 25-22, 28-26, 25-21, setting the stage for the fifth set. The 'Jackets got 15 kills from Hannah Goggleye (Calumet, Minn./Greenway) and 13 from Cami Sletta (Willmar, Minn./Willmar Senior) to lead the offensive push. Yana Carrera (North Mankato, Minn./Mankato West Senior) tallied 25 digs while Brylee Colligan (Bemidji, Minn./Bemidji) had 20 to go with nine kills in her final collegiate match. Gina Baertsch (Farmington, Minn./Farmington Area) collected a double-double of 24 assists and 16 digs.
 
Northwestern outhit UWS, .224-.146 and had 10 more kills, 68-58. The Eagles also led in blocks, 11-2, and digs, 109-90.
 
Down two sets, the comeback began. Knotted at 25-25 in the third set, Superior won three of the final four points to keep the match alive. Sletta registered a kill from Baertsch to take the lead. After a UNW point, a Baertsch kill and Sletta ace sent the match to a fourth set.
 
UWS jumped out to an 8-4 advantage to open the fourth period. Lexi Oeltjen (Lake Elmo, Minn./Stillwater Area) recorded consecutive kills in a four-point run for the 'Jackets in the stretch. The Eagles tied it, 11-11, but the 'Jackets engineered five straight points – including kills from Colligan and Cassy Teff (Foley, Minn./Foley) to go along with a Goggleye ace – for a 16-11 edge. 
 
The 'Jackets led, 20-15 on another kill by Teff and never saw their lead dip below three points the rest of the way. Goggleye ended it, tying the match, with a kill, assisted by Megan Holz (Savage, Minn./Burnsville).
 
Northwestern (23-8) took the first four points of the fifth set on three kills and block before UWS got on the scoreboard. Sletta did so with a kill from Baertsch after a timeout. That started a three-point spurt for the 'Jackets that cut the deficit to 4-3. But the Eagles won four straight and 10-of-11 points to put the match out of reach.
 
Northwestern landed three players in double-figure kills, Kendra Hardy had 19, Kalley Schwitters 15 and Jenay Fuglestad 14. Sydney Schwitters totaled 56 assists and 17 digs.
 
The loss ends the 'Jackets season at 16-19 overall and is the final career match for Colligan and A.J. Runck (Annandale, Minn./Apple Valley).