SUPERIOR, Wis. – If this truly was the last time the Yellowjacket volleyball team played on its home court in 2023, what a way to send the team off into the post-season.
 
Saturday the Yellowjackets closed out their regular season against Bethany Lutheran, and what better way to do it than with their second Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) sweep of the weekend.
 
The Yellowjackets rolled over the Vikings in the opening set, rallied from behind in the second before cruising in the third to take the match 3-0 at Mertz Mortorelli Gym Saturday afternoon.

With the win, the Yellowjackets (18-10, 10-4 UMAC) have now won three matches in a row and will enter the UMAC tournament as the No. 3 seed behind conference champion Northwestern and runner up Minnesota Morris.
 
It was all Yellowjackets in the opening set Saturday, as they rolled to a 25-6 win. The Yellowjackets went error free in the set and attacked at a clip of .393. Emma Crandell (Forest Lake, Minn./Homeschool) started things off with a kill and it was close early with the 'Jackets up 5-3, but an 15-2 run gave the 'Jackets more than enough breathing room, and they comfortably closed out the set.
 
Bethany Lutheran came alive in the second set, winning four of the first five points. The Vikings built their lead to as many as nine points, leading the 'Jackets 15-6, but after a timeout the Yellowjackets began mounting a comeback.
 
The Vikings opened the door with an attack error. Ayla Oltmann's followed with a kill, and then Colleen Claude (Centuria, Wis./Homeschool) delivered a service ace, and suddenly the Yellowjackets were within five, trailing 15-10. Oltmanns later delivered a couple more kills, and Kaylin Plautz (Elk River, Minn./Elk River) got in the act, as well, as the Yellowjackets continued to chip away. A kill by Marena Saeger (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater Area) finally tied the score, 21-21, and from there the teams traded points. The 'Jackets had a couple of chances to close out the set, but each time Bethany Lutheran answered. The Vikings had a set point of their own, as well, but the Yellowjackets countered, getting a kill by Oltmanns to tie it 26-26. Maiana Stark (Germantown, Wis./Germantown) then provided back-to-back kills to close out the set, 28-26 in the Yellowjackets' favor.
 
Bethany Lutheran came out strong again in the third set, and again built an early lead against the 'Jackets. This time around, however, the Yellowjackets kept it close, and the teams essentially traded points in the opening stages of the set. UWS broke the tie and on a kill be Saeger grabbed an 11-9 lead, but the Vikings had an answer, rattling off five straight points to move in front 14-11. The Yellowjackets again rallied, going on a 8-0 run, punctuated by a Plautz kill to make it 19-14. That was more than enough and an Oltmanns kill ended it, 25-18, giving the Yellowjackets the sweep.
 
Freshman Oltmanns paced the Yellowjacket attack, registering a team-high 11 kills. Crandell and Stark added nine kills apiece. Claude had 22 assists, while Lizzie Schmidt added 12. Claude also had three service aces.
 
Defensively the Yellowjackets got 15 digs from Stark, a team high. Jenna Anderson (Bemidji, Minn./Bemidji) added 14, while Claude had 13.

Next up for the Yellowjackets is the UMAC semifinal match at Minnesota Morris. The opening serve is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 8 at James Gremmels Court in Morris.