ST. JOSEPH, Minn. - Nebraska Wesleyan volleyball closed out the CSB Tournament on a high note Saturday, winning both of their matches in St. Joseph, Minn., to finish the weekend 3–1. The Prairie Wolves swept Concordia-Moorhead in the morning before rallying past Minnesota Morris in four sets to cap off the tournament.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Match One – NWU 3, Concordia-Moorhead 0 (25–21, 25–17, 25–14)
The Prairie Wolves opened the morning with a decisive sweep of Concordia-Moorhead. Set one was tightly contested early, with both teams trading points before NWU pulled away late. Freshman outside hitter
Macy Plucker notched seven kills in the opening frame while setter
Elecea Saathoff dished out 17 assists. Sophomore middle
Ella Foote sealed the set with a kill to give NWU the 25–21 win.
Nebraska Wesleyan carried that momentum into the second.
Jera Schuerman tallied three kills while hitting .286,
Ava Stone added three more, and Saathoff directed the attack with 11 assists. Defensively,
Raegan Holle and
Grayson Piening combined for nine digs as NWU took the set 25–17.
The Prairie Wolves finished the match with authority in the third, hitting .429 as a team. Plucker delivered six kills on a .417 clip, Foote hit a perfect 1.000 with three kills, and junior
Molly Ramirez provided late contributions to close out the 25–14 win and the sweep.
Match Two – NWU 3, Minnesota Morris 1 (22–25, 25–16, 25–23, 26–24)
After a brief turnaround, NWU returned to the court to face Minnesota Morris. The Cougars struck first, taking set one 25–22 behind a strong start. The Prairie Wolves answered in set two with a statement of their own, using four service aces from Stone to spark a 25–16 response.
The pivotal third set swung back and forth, but Plucker and Stone combined for clutch points down the stretch. Saathoff kept the offense balanced and distributed nine of her 46 assists in the set, guiding NWU to a narrow 25–23 win.
The fourth set showcased Nebraska Wesleyan's grit. Morris built an early lead and forced the Prairie Wolves to play from behind for most of the set. Key blocks from Plucker and Foote and timely digs from Holle kept the set alive before NWU pushed it past 25 points. Plucker came up with late kills to push the Prairie Wolves over the top, 26–24, securing the 3–1 victory.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Macy Plucker – 30 total kills on the day (15 vs. Concordia, 15 vs. Morris); also added three aces in match one.
- Ella Foote – Combined 18 kills (.429 vs. Morris, .455 vs. Concordia); six blocks on the day
- Elecea Saathoff – 43 assists vs. Concordia and 46 vs. Morris; notched her second double-double of the season against Morris (46 assists, 13 digs).
- Ava Stone – Six service aces in the win over Minnesota Morris; also chipped in 16 total kills across the day.
- Raegan Holle – Anchored the back row with 39 digs (18 vs. Concordia, 21 vs. Morris).
- Molly Ramirez – Provided nine kills in each match.
- Jera Schuerman – Hit .333 in the opener with eight kills, added 11 more kills against Minnesota-Morris.
UP NEXT
Nebraska Wesleyan returns to action next weekend at the River Falls Tournament in Wisconsin. The Prairie Wolves will face Carleton Collegein the opener before taking on Bethel University on Friday, September 5.
