SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Saturday was day two of the Saint Paul Classic for the Yellowjacket volleyball team, taking on Macalester and Carleton. Versus the Scots, the 'Jackets emerged victorious in a gritty 3-2 victory. Taking on the Knights, Superior would see their winning streak come to an end, falling 3-1 to cap the weekend.
Match One Notes
- The Scots took an early 9-2 lead in the opening set. Makenna Hohbein (Holdingford, Minn./Holdingford) and Melissa Hoff (Holmen, Wis./Holmen) logged the first kills for the 'Jackets before Savanna Hering (Superior, Wis./Superior) logged a mid-set service ace. Macalester pulled away and won the first set 25-12.
- Both squads volleyed the lead early in the second set, as Taylor Tollefson (Pine City, Minn./Pine City) garnered a pair of kills early. Macalester would retake the lead at 14-13, but UWS later utilized a four-point rally to pace them to victory by a 25-22 decision.
- UW-Superior fell by as many as six at 9-3, but after utilizing a pair of offensive rallies and capitalizing on the Scots' miscues, they strung together six total points and would see kills from Sydney Smith (Milltown, Wis./Unity) and Tollefson, winning 27-25.
- Macalester would again hold control early in the fourth, but the 'Jackets remained in striking distance. Aspen Gentele (Alexandria, Minn./Alexandria) and Kyndra Peterson (Mounds View, Minn./Irondale) logged kills while Hohbein and Tollefson followed midway through, down by four at 20-16. The Scots logged three kills and after a Yellowjacket attack error, they would regain control and win the fourth, 25-20.
- The Scots and 'Jackets would go onto the fifth, and Superior would gain the upper hand after Macalester tied things up at 5-5. Hohbein began with a kill before Smith and Hoff would block an opposing attack attempt. Gentele and Hoff slammed kills and after a pair of Scots miscues, the 'Jackets led 12-5. They would use that momentum to finish the fifth set with a 15-8 decision, marking their fifth victory in a row.
- Hohbein led with 15 kills, and Peterson followed with 12. Tollefson garnered nine kills of her own, as well.
- Hoff carded six blocks, while Smith had three and Liv Kriewaldt (Clintonville, Wis./Clintonville) stopped two.
- Hering registered 25 digs, while Hohbein had 14 and Alayna Schultz (Atwater, Minn./Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City) had eight.
Match Two Notes
- Set one with the Knights was a back-and-forth volley throughout. Peterson and Tollefson had early kills, but Carleton continued to retaliate, leaving neither team a chance to set up a rally. The first three-point rally came for Carleton, and they utilized it to come away with a 25-20 win.
- The second set was much of the same, beginning with both teams volleying points and the lead. Tollefson, alongside Carlie Lohman (South Range, Wis./Superior) and Gentele had kills for the Yellowjackets before Smith and Hoff returned the favor midway through the set. In a tightly contested set, Carleton collected consecutive kills to win 26-24.
- Superior took control of the third, after Peterson and Hohbein helped give the 'Jackets a 6-3 lead. A five-point rally came for UWS, including a Hoff kill, but the Knights responded with eight-straight points.
- After more back-and-forth battle, Tollefson and Gentele slammed kills before Lohman's service ace and an assisted block courtesy of Smith and Peterson gave UWS a 27-25 victory.
- Carleton generated a six-point rally early and would repeat this past the midway point of the set, allowing the Knights to win 3-1 with a fourth-set score of 25-19.
- Smith and Hohbein had nine kills for the Yellowjackets, while Peterson had seven.
- Lohman generated 19 assists behind Schultz's 15, while Hering led with 24 digs.
The Yellowjackets (5-1) will play their first matches of the 2026 at home, as they host the annual Subway Stinger Classic. Their first match versus St. Scholastica is set for 3 p.m. inside Mertz Mortorelli Gym.
