MANKATO, Minn. - The Martin Luther College volleyball team opened the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) season with a 3-0 (25-22, 25-23, 25-23) sweep of rival Bethany Lutheran College (BLC) on Tuesday.

The Knights built big leads in each of the first two sets, and then held off the charging Vikings in each game to take a 2-0 lead in the match.

The teams flipped the script in the third set, as the Vikings took a quick 13-7 lead, but the Knights battled back to take a 16-14 advantage. The Vikings wrestled the lead back at 21-19, but MLC closed strong with six of the final eight points to secure the game and the match.

MLC was strong on the attack throughout the match, with Lauren Paulsen and Kelsey Birschbach each finishing with eight kills apiece. The middle hitters also got into the act, as Abigail Winkel and Hannah Willems combined for 12 kills and only one error on the night. Willems and Winkel also combined for six blocks, including three solo blocks.

Kylie Wolf finished with a double-double as she led the team in both digs (16) and assists (15). Kate Aswege added 12 digs, while Naomi Bridgemen also finished in double figures with 10 digs.

The Knights improved to 2-8 overall and 1-0 in UMAC play with the win. BLC fell to 2-10 on the season and 0-1 in league play in defeat.

MLC will return home on Friday, September 24, when they host Northland College in a match scheduled to start at 7 p.m.