DECORAH, Iowa – The Northland College Volleyball team was best in three sets against Bethel University (9-25, 11-25, 15-25) and Augsburg University (5-25, 13-25, 12-25) on the first day of the Luther College Tournament in Decorah, Iowa on Friday. Junior Leah Allan led Northland on the attack with 10 kills over the two matches.
 
Britta Josephson scored the first point of the match on a kill assisted by Kodie Rempp. Northland took an early 3-1 lead after a pair of errors from Bethel. The Royals responded with an 11-to-1 run to put the opening set out of reach. Josephson and Allan added a kill but it was not enough falling 9-25 in set one.
 
Bethel started the second set out hot scoring the first seven points. Northland did not back down, responding with four of the next five points including kills from Ellison DeZwarte and Josephson. The Royals continued to string together large rallies with Northland only breaking it up with a point here and there and dropped set two 11-25.
 
Set three followed in the steps of the previous two with Bethel taking a commanding 16-5 lead. Northland strung together two two-point runs with one including kills from Kennedy Gruhlke and Allan. Northland would drop the set and the match 25-15.
 
Allan led NCVB offensively and defensively with six kills and 12 digs. Josephson and Gruhlke finished behind her with three kills each. Also adding a kill in the match were Lily Zapp and DeZwarte. Rempp assisted on 11 points and Josephson, Gruhlke, and Hannah Peel all had an assist as well. Josephson and Gruhlke were second and third on the team in digs with nine and eight respectively.
 
The opening set against Augsburg did not go in favor of the LumberJills only recording one kill, coming from Allan, and dropped the set 5-25.
 
Set two went a little better with Josephson and Gruhlke scoring to make the score 5-2 in favor of the Auggies. After an attack error from AU Allan capitalized on the serve to keep the set within three. A four-point run from Augsburg saw the Auggies take a seven-point lead. Josephson broke up the run and then the teams traded the next seven points. Two more four-point rallies sealed the set for Augsburg winning 25-13.
 
The first three points for set three for Northland were given to them on service errors. Rempp had the first kill of the set for Northland to cut the lead to five. Augsburg continued to go on long scoring runs to widen its lead and took the final set 25-12.
 
Just like the previous match, Allan led the team on both sides of the ball with four kills and nine digs. Josephson finished with three kills to end the match second on the team. Rempp, DeZwarte, and Gruhlke all chipped in a kill. Rempp tallied eight assists with Peel having one. Gruhlke had the second most digs with seven and Josephson and Hannah Fisher were third with five.
 
Northland ends the Luther College Tournament tomorrow (Saturday) with the hosts Luther College with a 2 p.m., match.
 
Northland College is an NCAA Division III institution located in Ashland, WI. The LumberJacks and LumberJills sponsor 14 varsity sports and compete in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference, Midwest Lacrosse Conference, and the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.