PELLA, Iowa - The UW-Eau Claire volleyball team began the Central College Tournament with two losses, the first to Hope College (Mich.) and the second to Carthage College.

In the first match, the Blugolds were swept in three sets, 21-25, 20-25 and 32-34. Carthage then beat Eau Claire in four sets, 25-18, 19-25, 12-25 and 22-25.

With the two losses, Eau Claire falls to 8-8 on the season. With the victories, Hope improves to 11-4 and Carthage moves to a perfect 11-0 on the season.

In the match against Hope, Eau Claire managed 42 attack kills in the three sets, along with five service aces. Emily Zupon (So.-Antigo, Wis.) and Danielle Lucia (So.-St. Cloud, Minn./Apollo) led the Blugolds with 10 kills apiece, while Abby Freiborg (Sr.-Sacred Heart, Minn./Renville County West) chipped in nine. Emily Haese (Sr.-Mishicot, Wis.) paced the offense with 32 assists. On the defensive end, Haese recorded a team-high 16 digs. Lindsey Smith (Jr.-Maple Lake, Minn.) and Rachel Ver Voort (So.-Madison, Wis./Middleton) were the only other Blugolds with double-digit digs, tallying 11 and 10 respectively.

Against Carthage, Eau Claire had similar statistics from match one, with 41 total kills and five service aces. Lucia led the Blugolds with nine kills, with Zupon chipping in eight. Stephanie Peterson (So.-Duluth, Minn/East) recorded seven kills and four of the five Eau Claire service aces. Haese again led the team with 30 assists. Smith had a solid match on defense, recording a team-high 22 digs, with Haese and Jackie Tucker (So.-Sun Prairie, Wis.) collecting 11 apiece.

The Blugolds return to action tomorrow at 10 a.m. for a match against St. Olaf (Minn.). Eau Claire then takes on Buena Vista (Iowa) for their final match of the tournament at 2 p.m. The Blugolds lead the all-time series against St. Olaf with a 26-12 record, and is undefeated in two matches against Buena Vista with their last victory coming on September 15 of last season with a three set sweep.

Eau Claire-Hope Box Score

Eau Claire-Carthage Box Score

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