ELMHURST, Ill. - The UW-Eau Claire volleyball team played two matches at the Elmhurst College Invitational II tonight, winning the first 3-0 over Marian College and losing the second to Wheaton College 3-1.

The Blugolds are now 19-8 on the season and are ranked 25th in the nation in the latest NCAA Division III CSTV/AVCA Coaches Poll. Marian College falls to 3-24 overall, while Wheaton College improved to 22-8, winning over Marian College 3-0 earlier in the day as well.

In the first match over Marian College, the Blugolds won 30-18, 30-11 and 30-15. Eau Claire hit solid with a .441 in game one, .412 in game two and .237 in the final game. Katie Fox (Jr.-Chippewa Falls, Wis./Chi-Hi) led the Blugolds with 12 kills for the match, while Kristen Moore (Jr.-Green Bay, Wis./Ashwaubenon) was second with eight. Abby Freiborg (Jr.-Sacred Heart, Minn./Renville County West) and Lissa Martinez (Sr.-Vadnais Heights, Minn./White Bear Lake) both added seven more kills apiece. Heather Harnell (Sr.-Minnetonka, Minn.) led on defense with 10 digs and also had four service aces. Freiborg, who leads the team and conference in service aces this season, led the Blugolds in the match with five service aces.

In the second match of the night, the Blugolds lost the first two games by three and five, respectively, but came back to win the third by eight points. The team could not hold on after that and lost the fourth game by nine. In the end, Wheaton defeated the Blugolds 30-27, 30-25, 22-30 and 30-21. For the match, Eau Claire hit a .224. Freshman Rachel Ver Voort (Madison, Wis./Middleton) led the Blugolds with 13 kills in the match while four other players also tallied double-digit kill totals. On the defensive side, Emily Haese (Jr.-Mishicot, Wis.), Freiborg, and Harnell all had 14 digs. Fox added six blocks (four solos and two assists). Freiborg and Jenna Weber (Jr.-Antigo, Wis.) both served up a team-leading three aces for the match.

The Blugolds faced Marian College for the first time in its history, while Eau Claire now holds a 3-1 all-time record against the Wheaton College Thunder.

The Blugolds will take the court Saturday for two more matches. The team will face Concordia University-Chicago at 10 a.m., a team they have only faced two other times, and North Park University at 2 p.m. North Park is another school the Blugolds will be facing for the first time.

Eau Claire-Marian Box Score

Eau Claire-Wheaton Box Score

- KM -