SUPERIOR, Wis. – At the 2021 Subway Stinger Classic, the Yellowjacket volleyball team opened up against Northland, a match they won in five sets.
 
Tuesday, the Yellowjackets opened up against the Lumberjills again, this time to start Upper Midwest Athletic Conference season, and there wasn't nearly as much drama this time around. A strong offensive attack and tight defense led the Yellowjackets to a 3-0 sweep of Northland, with set scores of 25-19, 25-17, and 25-16.
 
The Yellowjackets are now 3-8 overall and 1-0 in the UMAC.
 
In the opening set the Yellowjackets never trailed, but things didn't come easy in the early going. Every time the 'Jackets built a lead, Northland would come back. It was tied 11-11 when Autumn Bremness (Cadott, Wis./Cadott) broke the tie with her first kill. The 'Jackets would build up a four-point lead, 15-11, but Northland again battled back to within one. The Yellowjackets put some distance between themselves and Northland late, winning six of the final eight points to take the set.
 
It was tight again early in the second set, as the teams traded points and were even at 7-7. Alexie Pryd (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove Senior) broke the tie with a kill, and Jordyn O'Brien (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) and Bremness followed to push the lead up to 11-7. Northland got it to within one at 16-15 but the Yellowjackets went on a 5-0 run to break it open. They would take the final three points – kills by Cassy Teff (Foley, Minn./Foley) and Pryd along with a Pryd service ace to take the set and move ahead 2-0 in the match.
 
The third set was all Yellowjackets. A 4-0 run early put them ahead 5-2. Northland would rally to tie, but the Yellowjackets again went on a 3-0 run immediately after. A 4-0 run, highlighted by a pair of O'Brien kills made it 17-11. That's as close as Northland would get, as the Yellowjackets took five of the last six points, the final coming appropriately on a Pryd kill, to sweep the match.
 
Pryd had a monster match, finishing with 20 kills and attacking at a clip of .395. She was the only Yellowjacket to reach double figures offensively and also added 18 digs on defense. Megan Holz (Savage, Minn./Burnsville Senior) had 18 assists, while Teff added 17 to go along with 10 digs.
 
Libero Jenna Anderson (Bemidji, Minn./Bemidji) had a team-best 22 digs.
 
The Yellowjackets will now hit the road for nearly three weeks. They're back in action Friday, Sept. 24 when they take on Bethany Lutheran in Mankato, Minn. The opening serve is set for 7 p.m.