SUPERIOR, Wis. – After partaking in four tournaments, the Yellowjacket volleyball team opened Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) action Tuesday, hosting the LumberJills of Northland College. In just 70 minutes the 'Jackets picked up their first conference win, sweeping NC by a 3-0 decision.
 
All active Yellowjackets appeared on the court, contributing to 25-15, 25-14, and 25-12 set victories.
 
Match Notes

• The opening set proved to be the closest of the match. Northland took the lead early before the Yellowjackets tied things up at 5-5, courtesy of kills from Ella Kapus (Ham Lake, Minn./Blaine) and Addy Gangl (Nashwauk, Minn./Nashwauk-Keewatin).
• Both teams traded points and the lead until Kapus carded a kill off an assist from Colleen Claude (Centuria, Wis./Homeschool). This commenced back-to-back kills from Gangl to lead 15-12.
• From there the 'Jackets never gave up the lead, as they accumulated nine straight points off LumberJill miscues and three kills from Marena Saeger (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater) and two from Gangl. Northland picked up two kills, but Saeger shut the door for a 25-12 set win.
• Round two saw UWS leap to a 5-1 advantage until a combination of 'Jacket attack errors and LumberJill kills saw Northland crawl within one at 12-11. Ayla Oltmanns (Gilbert, Minn./Duluth East) and Sidney Bader (Milltown, Wis./Unity) aided the rally to get back on track, along with Gabi Schwirtz (Plato, Minn./Glencoe-Silver Lake) who tallied a service ace during a six-point rally, taking the second set by a score of 25-14.
• The third and final set was all Yellowjackets. Sydney Smith (Milltown, Wis./Unity) and Melissa Hoff (Holmen, Wis./Holmen) notched early kills while Jada Anderson (Colfax, Wis./Colfax) prompted a five-point rally to extend their lead to 13-4.
• Maddie Hunter (Anoka, Minn./Anoka), Lizzy Schmidt (Twin Lakes, Wis./Wilmot Union) and Kate Jamtgaard (Grand Rapids, Minn./Grand Rapids) saw action mid-set, as the trio aided UWS to leap out in front at 21-9. Northland garnered two kills but Gangl, Anderson and Saeger wrapped things up with late kills, finishing the sweep at 25-12.
• As a unit, the Yellowjackets swung at a .288 clip, notching their highest attack percentage in the third set at .310.
• Saeger and Gangl led the kill charge with 11 apiece, while Schwirtz and Claude finished with 14 and 13 assists, respectively.
• Leading in the digs category was none other then Jenna Anderson (Bemidji, Minn./Bemidji), as she capped her evening with 23 digs. Makenna Hohbein (Holdingford, Minn./Holdingford) carded 15 while Schwirtz grabbed eight.

 
The Yellowjackets remain at home for their next match, set for Friday against Crown. The opening serve is slated for 7 p.m. inside the Mertz.
  Read Full Article