MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (Blugolds.com) – The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire women's volleyball team was back on the road Saturday evening with a nonconference doubleheader against Augsburg University and St. Olaf College. The Blugolds split the decisions with a 3-1 victory over the Auggies and a 3-1 defeat to the Oles.
The first contest of the day pitted two teams sitting at .500 records looking to turn the corner on their seasons. Coming into the nonconference match, the Blugolds had dropped 3 of the last 5 matchups against Augsburg and looked to get back in the win column.
Darienne Andre (So. – Lakeville, Minn./Rosemount) led the Blugolds' offense in the opening set from the middle with four of her 13 total kills in the match. UWEC pulled away early in the set with a five-point run, making it 8-4. The two teams traded runs of two through the middle off the set before Augsburg tied the set at 18-18 with a five-point run of their own. The two sides went back and forth down to the wire, but it was the home squad Augsburg putting together the final two points to take set one, 25-23.
As they faced a 1-0 set deficit, the Blugolds found themselves down to start the second set too as the Auggies raced out to a 5-1 lead. Dairenne Andre led the Blugold charge back into the match as Eau Claire recorded a six-point swing from kills and blocks from Andre,
Abigail Wherland (So. – Lakeville, Minn./North), and
Avery Pennekamp (So. – McFarland, Wis.). Andre finished the first match with one solo block and seven block assists, keeping the Auggies below a .100 hitting average. The momentum swing for UWEC was never ousted in the second set as an errant set from Augsburg secured the 25-20 set victory for the Blugolds.
With things tied at 1-1, the third and fourth set were deciding factors for the two nonconference opponents. Augsburg wasted no time jumping at another early lead as the Blugolds trailed 10-4 to begin the third frame. The lead by the home squad kept intact until late in the third as the Blugolds closed the gap to 23-23. Kills from
Bailey Leeke (So. – Lakeville, Minn./North),
Darienne Andre, and
Mya Cinnamo (Fr. – Rosemount, Minn.) secured the 26-24 comeback set victory and put UWEC up 2-1. Cinnamo and Leeke combined for nine of Eau Claire's 18 kills during the third set as
Charlie Nelson (Sr. – Lakeville, Minn./Farmington) recorded 10 of her 26 total assists in game one.
With the momentum on their side and a 1-0 set lead, the Blugolds came out fast in the fourth with a 6-1 lead.
Sophia Brown (Jr. – Colgate, Wis./Germantown) and
Avery Pennekamp added to the strong Blugold defense with an early block during the multipoint run. Brown recorded two solo blocks and two block assists in the final frame. Late in the set, the Auggies erased their deficit and tied the game at 16-16 as they fought for a fifth set tiebreaker. Pennekamp and UW-Eau Claire kept their composure and sealed the 26-24 victory with Pennekamp's 13
th kill of the game to earn the 3-1 win over the Auggies.
The second nonconference game of the evening found familiar foes on the court as the Blugolds and St. Olaf Oles squared off from Si Melby Hall. The two squads opened the 2023 season with a pair of exhibition matches in Eau Claire.
Coming off a 3-1 win over Augsburg, UW-Eau Claire found their groove early with a 10-4 early lead.
Avery Pennekamp continued to swing well for UWEC as she recorded four of her nine total kills in the opening set. Despite the early UWEC lead, St. Olaf hung around and tied things at 20-20 late in the set with a 10-5 run. After trailing for the first time in the set at 23-22, the Blugolds rattled off three straight points to take the opening frame, 25-23.
The second and third sets featured consistent and hard-fought gameplay as both teams kept their attacking errors to a minimum. A five-point run in the second and a seven-point run in the third were the difference makers for St. Olaf as they took a 2-1 set lead over the Blugolds.
In the fourth set, the two squads combined for nine tie scores and three lead changes as the contest came down to the wire.
Bailey Leeke led the UWEC offense in the final set with six of her ten total kills in the fourth. With the game tied at 16-16, the Oles went on a five-point run that ultimately loomed over the Blugolds for the remainder of the match as they fell 25-20 in the frame to close out the 3-1 defeat.
The Blugolds (9-9, WIAC 1-2) will jump back on the road next Wednesday, October 11
th for a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) matchup against the #3 ranked UW-Oshkosh Titans. First serve from the Kolf Sports Center is scheduled for 7 p.m.
