ST. PAUL, Minn.  – The Luther College volleyball team found the perfect way to open the 2022 season: a sweep. Fueled by strong serving and clutch kills, the Norse opened the season with a 3-0 (25-16, 25-20, 25-21) sweep of Crown College at the Macalester Invite in St. Paul, Minnesota. With the win, Luther is now 1-0 on the year. 

GRAND AVENUE FREEZE OUT
The Norse rushed out to an early lead in the opening set, as a six-point serving run by Gabbie Schei (Stewartville, Minn. / Stewartville) spurred Luther to a 17-11 lead. Schei tallied three consecutive aces in the run, a career first for the junior defensive specialist, and forced the Polars out of system, swinging the momentum fully in the Norse's direction. Brianna Highum (Waseca, Minn. / Waseca) then closed out the win with her first kill of the night, giving Luther a 1-0 lead in the match with a 25-16 first set victory. 

The second set was much tighter, as Crown hung with the Norse through the first 20 points. In fact, the set was deadlocked 12-12 at the midway point, as neither team could find its rhythm offensively. Junior right side Aria Schleiker (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Air Academy) regained control, as she single handedly scored three of four points for the Norse to give them a 16-12 advantage late in the set. From there, Luther used strong serving and tough defense to freeze out the Polars, taking set two 25-20. 

A late push secured the three set sweep for the Norse, as it was once again tough serving and the hot hand of Schleiker that secured the 25-21 win. With the third knotted 17-17, Kyah Olson-Sola (Northfield, Minn. / Northfield) gave Luther a 22-17 advantage, as her tough serves resulted in several Polar miscues and a handful of Norse kills. Though Crown put together a late run of its own, Emma Kowalczyk (Colgate, Wis. / Catholic Memorial) put a stop to the bleeding. Her command of Luther's offense resulted in three consecutive kills, two by Hannah LaBonte (Lake City, Minn. / Lincoln) and one by Schleiker, and secured the 3-0 (25-16, 25-20, 25-21) win for the Norse. 

TOP NORSE

• Junior right side Aria Schlieker (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Air Academy) led Luther in kills, tallying a career high 12 on 20 attempts. She additionally set a career-high hitting percentage of .400.
• Hannah LaBonte (Lake City, Minn. / Lincoln) hit .571 from the middle, tallying nine kills and just one error on 15 attempts. 
• Emma Kowalczyk (Colgate, Wis. / Catholic Memorial) closed the match with 28 assist, while Kyah Olson-Sola (Northfield, Minn. / Northfield) tallied a team-leading 15 digs. 

QUOTABLES
Luther College Head Coach Brittany Sisk:
"It was great to get a three set win under our belt in the first match of the season. We learned a lot on day one and are excited for day two."

UP NEXT
Luther will continue its run at the Macalester Invite, as the Norse take on the host Scots at 12:00 p.m. CT on Saturday, June 4. Luther will close the tournament at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday when it faces Minnesota-Morris in the team's final match of the tournament. 

For all the latest on Luther Volleyball, stay tuned to luthernorse.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.