MANKATO, MN – The UMAC volleyball postseason is set and the Bethany Lutheran Vikings are one of the five teams that qualified for the tournament. The BLC volleyball team solidified their spot in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) tournament with a thrilling five-set victory over Martin Luther College. The Vikings then won their last regular-season match at Macalester College on Saturday in five sets, giving them some momentum heading into tonight's match.
 
The fifth seeded Vikings are in Duluth, MN tonight to take on the fourth seeded Saints of St. Scholastica.
 
The Saints bring an 11-17 overall record and 9-7 UMAC record into tonight's match. They ended the regular season with three straight wins, including a 3-1 victory over the Vikings in Mankato. The Saints qualified for last year's tournament, but they were eliminated by Martin Luther College in the first round. The Saints have not missed a UMAC postseason tournament since its existence, dating back to 1998. The Saints' offense will be led tonight by outside hitter Brooke Schermann who ranks fourth in the conference with 3.24 kills per set.
 
The Vikings bring an 11-17 overall record and 8-8 UMAC record into tonight's match. They are in this year's postseason tournament after missing out in 2017. Bethany Lutheran made the UMAC tournament in 2016 and was eliminated by Martin Luther College in five sets during the first round of play. The Vikings have won five of their last seven matches, including two straight to end the regular season. The Vikings have played the Saints twice this year, losing both times. Megan Rutt has been the go-to hitter for the Vikings. She ranks second in the UMAC with 4.13 kills per set. Rutt also surpassed 1,000 career kills this past Saturday against Macalester.
 
Live stats: https://csssaints.com/sidearmstats/wvball/summary
 
Live video: https://csssaints.com/watch/?Live=261&type=Live
 
Up Next: The winner of tonight's match will play top-seeded University of Northwestern on Wednesday, October 31st at 7 PM.

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MEDIA: If you need further information, please feel free to contact Dan DeWitt at 507-344-7856 or email ddewitt@blc.edu.