SUPERIOR, Wis. – The Yellowjacket volleyball team, after starting the season on the road at the Ripon College Classic, finally got its chance to play in front of the home crowd Friday, hosting the first day of the two-day Stinger Classic, sponsored by Subway.
 
And the home court agreed with the Yellowjackets.

The Yellowjackets opened the days festivities with a win over Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) foe Northland College, before finishing off the Friday sweep with a 3-0 blanking of Saint Mary's at Mertz Mortorelli Gym.

With the wins, the Yellowjackets (4-2, 0-0 UMAC) have now won three in a row heading into their matches Saturday.
 
Match One
The opening match Friday against Northland, who was playing its first match of the year, was a little bit closer than the Yellowjackets would have liked. After winning the first set 25-20, the Yellowjackets dropped the second set by the same score. They got things together after that however, and took the third and fourth sets by identical 25-19 scores.
 
In the opener the Yellowjackets fell behind early, as the LumberJills opened up a 7-2 lead. Kaylin Plautz (Elk River, Minn./Elk River) stopped the bleeding with a kill, and that helped start the comeback for the 'Jackets. Down four, the 'Jackets used two Northland errors and pair of Maiana Stark (Germantown, Wis./Germantown) kills to pull even at 11-11. After falling behind again, the 'Jackets used a 6-0 run, powered by kills from Ayla Oltmanns (Gilbert, Minn./Duluth East), Sydney Smith (Milltown, Wis./Unity) and Emma Crandell (Forest Lake, Minn./Homeschool) to take a 19-15 lead. From there the teams traded points and the Yellowjackets closed out the set.
 
Northland followed a similar plan in the second set, again jumping out to a big 7-3 lead. The lead grew to as many as seven points before the Yellowjackets used a 5-0 run to pull within a point at 11-10. Stark played a big role in the comeback, rattling off multiple kills for the Yellowjackets. The Yellowjackets came all the way back, taking a 13-12 lead on a Jenna Anderson (Bemidji, Minn./Bemidji) ace, but Northland found its groove, winning six of seven points to pull away, take the set and tie the match.
 
The Yellowjackets came out inspired in the third set and built the lead, winning eight of the first 10 points in the set. Stark was pivotal again, blowing things open with three straight kills. The Yellowjackets built the lead up to as much as nine points, 16-7, but Northland didn't go away quietly. The LumberJills went on a run to pull to within 19-15, but that's as close as they got and the Yellowjackets took the third set to move in front 2-1.
 
In the fourth set the Yellowjackets wasted no time building the lead to put things away. The 'Jackets won eight-of-nine points to take a 14-4 lead. Northland again battled back to get as close as four, but it was too little too late. A rare kill from Anderson gave the Yellowjackets match point, and two points later they closed the LumberJills out for their third win of the year.
 
Stark and Plautz led the 'Jackets with 15 kills apiece. Plautz had a particularly strong match, firing a .300 attack percentage. Colleen Claude (Centuria, Wis./Homeschool) posted a team-high 26 assists, while Lizzy Schmidt (Twin Lakes, Wis./Wilmot Union) added 16. Anderson had a team-high 28 digs. Stark added 19, while Lindsey Racine (Grand Rapids, Minn./Grand Rapids) and Claude had 18 and 16, respectively.
 
Match Two
Against Saint Mary's, the Mertz featured a party-like atmosphere. The student section arrived clad in beach attire, and the spirit of the group provided the Yellowjackets with a definite advantage against Saint Mary's.
 
In the first set the teams went back-and-forth, trading points and leads early. The Yellowjackets were down two at 12-10 when a Cardinal service error pulled them within one. A Saint Mary's attack error tied it and a kill from Smith put the Yellowjackets in front, 13-12. The Yellowjackets would later add kills by Crandell and Racine to build the lead to 16-13. That was more than enough distance, as the 'Jackets took the first set 25-19.
 
Things were much tighter in the second set. Again the teams traded points and leads, but neither team was able to build a lead larger than three points. The 'Jackets were up 10-7 when Saint Mary's surged in front, taking seven straight points to pull ahead 14-10. The Cardinal lead grew to five, but the Yellowjackets rode the enthusiasm of the crowd back into the set. Still down by four later in the set, the 'Jackets got hot, getting kills by Plautz and Marena Saeger (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater Area) to go on a 5-0 run and pull in front. Saint Mary's quickly regained the lead, but again the Yellowjackets answered. The Cardinals were on the cusp of winning it, leading 24-23, but an attack error evened things up. A Saeger kill gave the Yellowjackets set point, and a Smith kill put it away as the 'Jackets took the set 26-24.
 
The Yellowjackets moved in front early in the third, but Saint Mary's battled back to tie things at 6-6. A Plautz kill broke the tie, and an Anderson ace gave the 'Jackets a two-point lead. Saeger added back-to-back kills and just like that the 'Jackets led by seven, 13-6. Saint Mary's was able to claw its way back to within two, 20-18, but that's as close as they would get as the 'Jackets took the set 25-20 to sweep the match.
 
Saeger ended up leading the Yellowjackets in this one, posting nine kills, which tied her career high. Plautz finished with seven kills, giving her 22 on the day. Anderson added 17 more digs in the match.
 
The Yellowjackets will play two more matches at home Saturday on the second day of the Subway Stinger Classic. They will host Concordia College at 10 a.m. and then close out the weekend with a match against St. Scholastica ta 2 p.m.