St. Bonifacius, MN - The Martin Luther College volleyball team outlasted Crown in a five-set thriller (25-18, 23-25, 25-12, 16-25, 17-15), defeating the Polars 3-2 on Tuesday evening on the road.

The two teams traded off sets through four games, as the Knights faced match-point on multiple occasions in the final set, but they would prove their resilience and came back with a trio of kills from Paige Biesterfeld and Lauren Paulsen to secure their ninth consecutive victory over the Polars.

The Knights hit .133 for the match, finishing with 69 kills, 41 errors, on 211 attempts. In addition, MLC displayed solid communication on the court and distributed 66 assists, while the Polars were limited to just 31. Freshman Ella Walz dished out a career-high 29 assists, leading the way for the Knights in that area.

Biesterfeld and Paulsen had a team-high 15 kills, while Grace Kieselhorst followed up her player of the week performances with a triple-double, recording 13 kills, 23 assists, and 23 digs.

Naomi Bridgemen also played a pivotal role in the win and kept many MLC volleys alive. The senior posted a career-best 29 digs, while Paulsen joined the cause with 19 digs.

Overall, the Knights completed the season sweep of the Polars and now improve to 42-1 all-time against Crown. For the season, MLC has now won three consecutive matches to go to 8-13 overall, 6-3 in conference play.

Up next for the volleyball team is an away match with Minnesota Morris on Friday, October 20. The Knights will look to split the season series with the Cougars and will have a chance at it starting at 7 p.m.