ST. JOSEPH, Minn. - The UW-Eau Claire women's volleyball team swept Bethany Lutheran College (Minn.) in their first match of the day before falling in five games to Hamline University (Minn.) on day one of the St. Benedict Tournament.

With the split, the Blugolds move to an even 5-5 on the season. Bethany Lutheran falls to 3-7 with the loss, while Hamline improves to 5-1 on the year.

The Blugolds made quick work of Bethany Lutheran in three sets by scores of 25-18, 25-20 and 25-19. Offensively, Abby Freiborg (Sr.-Sacred Heart, Minn./ Renville County West) led the way with 16 kills, while Katie Fox (Sr.-Chippewa Falls, Wis./Chi-Hi) chipped in with seven. Emily Haese (Sr.-Mishicot, Wis.) paced the Blugolds with 33 assists. On the defensive end, the Blugolds made it a team effort with Haese, Rachel Ver Voort (So.-Madison, Wis.) and Lindsey Smith (Jr.-Maple Lake, Minn.) collecting eight and nine digs, respectively.

In the second match of the day, Eau Claire faced a difficult battle against Hamline, splitting the first four sets of the match 25-22, 24-26, 21-25, and 25-19 before falling to the Pipers in the decisive fifth set by a score of 10-15. The Blugolds spread the wealth offensively, with five players racking up double-digit kill totals. Freiborg had a team-high 14 kills, while Ver Voort and Danielle Lucia (So.-St. Cloud, Minn./Apollo) each had 12. Haese paced the offense with 53 assists. Defensively, Smith was the team leader in digs with 18, and Freiborg contributed 10.

The Blugolds are back in action tomorrow morning for day two of the St. Benedict Tournament. Eau Claire faces the host school at 10:30 a.m., followed by their final match of the day against St. Olaf at 12:30 p.m.

Eau Claire-Bethany Lutheran Box Score

Eau Claire-Hamline Box Score

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