PELLA, Iowa - The UW-Eau Claire volleyball team bounced back from two losses yesterday to put up two wins today in a tale of two matches at the Central College (Iowa) Tournament.

In the first match against St. Olaf (Minn.), Eau Claire battled back from a two-set deficit to take the next three sets, with scores of 19-25, 24-26, 25-9, 25-23 and 15-8. In the second match, the Blugolds had an easier time with Buena Vista (Iowa), picking up a three-set sweep, 25-17, 26-24 and 25-15. With the two victories, Eau Claire moves to 10-8 on the season.

Against St. Olaf, Eau Claire recorded 48 kills, 10 service aces and five blocks. After struggling in kill percentage the first two sets, the Blugolds settled in and finished the final three sets with kill percentages of .243, .146 and .389. Emily Zupon (So.-Antigo, Wis.) led the team with 15 kills, and Danielle Lucia (So.-St. Cloud, Minn./Apollo) chipped in with 12. Emily Haese (Sr.-Mishicot, Wis.) racked up 40 assists on offense for the Blugolds, and led the team in digs with 15. Abby Freiborg (Sr.-Sacred Heart, Minn./Renville County West) recorded 12 kills along with four service aces.

In three sets against Buena Vista, Eau Claire tallied 44 kills, eight blocks and three aces. Zupon and Freiborg hit double-digits in kills with 13 and 12, respectively. Lucia picked up eight kills with a .375 kill percentage. Haese again led the team in assists with 35. Defensively, Lindsey Smith (Jr.-Maple Lake, Minn.) had a solid effort with 17 digs, while Freiborg pitched in 10. Haese was also named to the All-Tournament team.

The Blugolds are back in action on September 30 to take on St. Thomas (Minn.) in Minneapolis, Minn. Eau Claire leads the all-time series against the Tommies with a 12-8 record. However, the Blugolds fell in their last meeting just three weeks ago with a 2-3 loss at the Augsburg Tournament. The match is set to begin at 7 p.m.

Eau Claire-St. Olaf Box Score

Eau Claire-Buena Vista Box Score

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