NEW ULM, Minn. - The Martin Luther College volleyball team returned home after two weeks on the road and swept the Rams of North Central University (NCU) 3-0 (26-24, 25-18, 27-25) on Tuesday.

The two teams traded the lead back and forth throughout the three sets with 21 ties and nine total lead changes. 

The Knights came from behind to win the first set, and followed that with a strong second game in which it recorded five blocks on the way to a 2-0 lead in the match.

MLC started strong in the third set with an 8-0 lead, but the Rams fought back to take a 12-11 lead. The Knights pulled ahead once again, building a 23-17 lead, but NCU once again roared back to tied the match 24-24 before MLC was finally able to put the match away with two final points.

The Knights hit .172 on the attack for the match, with Kelsey Birschbach leading the way with 14 kills (including seven in the final set). Lauren Paulsen and Rhianna Hunter each finished with nine kills.

Kate Aswege led the team with 14 digs, while Abigail Winkel recorded five of the Knights' eight blocks on the night.

MLC improved to 10-14 on the season and 9-4 in UMAC play with the win. NCU fell to 8-16 overall and 5-9 in league play in defeat.

The Knights will return to action on Friday, October 29, when they host Northwestern-St. Paul in the regular season and home finale. That match will start at 7 p.m.