EAU CLAIRE, Wis. - With an opportunity to claim a share of the WIAC regular season title with a win, the UW-Eau Claire volleyball team was unable to clinch, falling in a tightly contested match against UW-Whitewater in four sets.

The loss is the Blugolds' first in conference play, and puts the team in a first place tie with UW-Oshkosh. Eau Claire is now 14-10 on the season and 6-1 in the WIAC, while Whitewater improves to 21-6 overall and 6-2 in conference.

Those in attendance got their money's worth in today's match with three of the four sets decided by two points. Eau Claire managed to jump out to an early 1-0 lead in the match, with a marathon 31-29 victory. However, Whitewater was able to bounce back quickly, and took a close second set by a score of 26-24. With Eau Claire up 15-7 early in the third, it looked as if the Blugolds' were in position to take the set, but Whitewater battled back and stole the set, 29-27. The Warhawks then used two big scoring rallies in the middle of the fourth set to take control, and ultimately clinched the match with a 25-22 victory.

Three Blugolds accumulated double-digit kills in the match. Abby Freiborg (Sr.-Sacred Heart, Minn./Renville County West) tallied 17 kills, while Rachel Ver Voort (So.-Madison, Wis./Middleton) picked up 14 kills and Jenna Weber (Sr.-Antigo, Wis.) had 10. Emily Haese (Sr.-Mishicot, Wis.) racked up a match-high 51 assists. Defensively, Cassie Hunt (Jr.-Chippewa Falls, Wis./McDonell) led the Blugolds with 21 digs, while Lindsey Smith (Jr.-Maple Lake, Minn.) chipped in 19.

The Warhawks Caitlin Hogan recorded 17 kills, and Alyssa Bauer collected 31 digs in the win.

The Blugolds begin their seven-match road trip on Wednesday when they travel to UW-Superior to take on the Yellowjackets. The Blugolds have dominated the all-time series against Superior, winning 59 of 77 contests. The match is set to begin at 7 p.m.

Eau Claire-Whitewater Results

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