STEVENS POINT, Wis. (Blugolds.com) – The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire women's volleyball team began their quest for a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) championship on Tuesday as they traveled to UW-Stevens Point to faceoff with the 4
th seeded Pointers in a first-round matchup. With both teams playing each other less than five days prior, the Blugolds minimized their errors and defeated the Pointers 3-1 to advance in the tournament.
With a full crowd and playoff atmosphere at an all time high, the WIAC first round matchup featured 38 ties scores and 18 lead changes throughout the four sets as each team fought to keep their seasons alive.
Charlie Nelson (Sr. – Lakeville, Minn./Farmington) distributed the ball evenly in the opening set as five Blugolds found multiple kills to open the game. Both sides were neck and neck as they traded points up to a 13-13 tie at the halfway mark.
Bailey Leeke (So. – Lakeville, Minn./North) took over the set towards the end with back-to-back kills following a UWSP timeout to earn a 21-17 lead for the Blugolds. From there,
Avery Pennekamp kept the Blugold lead strong with back-to-back kills to earn set point for UWEC.
Mya Cinnamo (Fr, - Rosemount, Minn.) sealed the 25-20 first set victory with her second kill of the night to give Eau Claire a 1-0 set lead.
The Pointers fought back in the second set, forcing UWEC to hit a team .111 average as they tied the match at one set a piece.
Bailey Leeke and
Maren Saunders (Sr. – Saint Michael, Minn./STMA) combined for seven of Eau Claire's thirteen kills in the second set as the Blugolds looked to jump back on top.
In the third set, UWEC brought the heat from the beginning as they raced out to an early 6-3 lead. Kills from Pennekamp, Leeke, and Cinnamo were complemented by Pointer errors to help Eau Claire gain the early edge. After a timeout, the #23 ranked Pointers answered swiftly with a 6-1 run of their own, giving UWEC a two-point deficit. The two WIAC squads traded runs of two and three throughout the rest of the set as they found themselves deadlocked at 25-25. After a solo block from
Bailey Leeke,
Mya Cinnamo once again sealed the set victory with a kill as the Blugolds took a 2-1 set lead.
The Blugolds' defense answered the bell all night long as they recorded nine blocks on the night.
Makina Larson (Fr. – Carver, Minn./Chaska) led the team with 3.5 blocks and
Bailey Leeke was close behind with 2.5 of her own.
The final set of the night started in the home team's favor as UWEC faced an early 12-7 deficit. The Blugolds knew the opportunity to close the door before a fifth set tiebreaker was still alive and they seized the moment in front of a packed crowd in Berg Gymnasium. UWSP errors and service aces from
Charlie Nelson and
Ella Kiebel (So. – Maple Lake, Minn.), brought Eau Claire to match point. A ball hit out of bounds sealed the 25-22 set win for Eau Claire as the Blugolds upset the fourth seeded Pointers on the road, 3-1.
Bailey Leeke led the Blugold offense with 16 kills on 38 attempts through the four sets.
Avery Pennekamp and
Mya Cinnamo recorded 14 and 10 kills respectively as the trio combined for 40 of the team's 56 kills.
The Blugolds (15-13, WIAC 3-4) will advance to the WIAC semifinals on Thursday, November 9
th when they travel to UW-Oshkosh to face the 1
st seeded Titans. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. from the Kolf Sports Center.
