Box Score ST. PAUL (csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica volleyball team got off to slow starts in two of the three sets as it was swept by the University of Northwestern Friday night in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) opener.

The Eagles (5-9, 1-0 UMAC), the preseason favorite in the UMAC, jumped out to a 7-1 lead in the opening set and led 19-11 later in the set. The Saints then went on a 9-1 run to tie it at 20-20. However, Northwestern registered five of the next six points to take the set 25-21.

CSS got off to a better start in set two as it was tied at 7-7. The Eagles then went on a 4-0 run and later used a 5-0 run to take control. Northwestern took a two-set lead at 25-19.

The third set was all Northwestern, scoring the first seven points. The Eagles closed out the match with a 25-9 set three win.

CSS had a hitting percentage of .216 in the opening set, but was in the negative in the final two sets combined with 14 errors and only 11 kills.

Gloria Ohaju (Duluth, Minn./Duluth Central HS) led the Saints with seven kills and four total blocks. Freshman Rachel Harmston (Cook, Minn./North Woods HS) added six kills and a team-high 11 digs. Erika Birkeland (Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake HS) added 21 assists.

The Saints (3-7, 0-1 UMAC) will face North Central University tomorrow at 1 p.m. in Minneapolis.