By: Jake Krier, UWEC Sports Information

WHITEWATER, Wis. (blugolds.com) - The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire volleyball team locked in a first round bye for the conference tournament and earned the second seed with their win Friday night over No. 9-ranked UW-Whitewater. The Blugolds defeated the Warhawks in five sets, which marked their first win over Whitewater since 2013.

Eau Claire won set one by a score of 25-18. They dropped the next two sets, 25-21 and 25-19. The comeback effort began in set four with a 25-20 win for the Blugolds, lining up the decisive fifth set.

Momentum was on the side of the blue and gold as they jumped out to a 7-3 start. Things quickly went awry from there, however. The Warhawks strung together seven straight points that came on four Eau Claire attacking errors and two service aces. Following a timeout, the Blugolds bounced back to make it all knotted up, 11-11.

Whitewater took a 12-11 lead before the Blugolds scored four straight to complete the upset.

Neither team put together too formidable of attacking efficiencies in the match with Whitewater hitting .175 to the Blugolds' .162. Jessica Coyne (Jr.-Verona, WI) was a part of some key blocks in the final set, and she also led the team with 16 kills. Also tallying 16 on the night was Madelyn Pashibin (Jr.-Minneapolis, MN/Minneapolis Southwest). Emily Miller (Sr.-Prior Lake, MN) and Kendra Baierl (Fr.-Marshfield, WI/Columbus Catholic) both reached double-digits as well with 13 and 11 kills respectively.

The Blugolds defense was up to the task as well, combining for 81 digs. Five players finished with ten-plus, and Makenzie Bachmann (Fr.-Chaska, MN) had a team-best 18 in the win. Madison Surprise (Jr.-Appleton, WI/Kimberly) was one of those who finished with double-digit digs, and she also led both teams with 52 assists.

Now, the Blugolds' next conference match will not be until Thursday in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) semifinals. They do, however, have a tune-up Saturday afternoon at the Benedictine Tournament. Eau Claire faces Greenville at 2:00 p.m. followed by a shot at the No. 1-ranked team in the nation, Wittenberg, at 4:00 p.m.

Follow the action all season long on Blugold Game Day.