EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (Blugolds.com) – The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire women's volleyball team held their home opener on Wednesday night in front of a crowd of 650 strong. With the Bethel University Royals in town, the Blugolds looked to gain momentum before their annual home tournament during the weekend. Despite going up 2-0 in sets, UW-Eau Claire was forced into a fifth set after dropping the 3rd and 4th frames. The Blugolds used the momentum of the packed McPhee gym to bounce back in the fifth and secure the 3-2 victory.
As the game began, many Blugolds got their first taste of home court advantage. Mya Cinnamo Fr. – Rosemount, Minn.) wasted no time getting accustomed to her new environment as she recorded three of her team high sixteen kills in the first set. Along with Cinnamo's hot start, Bailey Leeke held a set high five kills as the Blugolds combined for 15 kills. With a two-point lead at 17-15, UW-Eau Claire closed out their first set win with an 8-2 run over the Royals.
The second set held a similar story as the Blugolds got out to a 12-7 lead. Avery Pennekamp (So. – McFarland, Wis.) led Eau Claire throughout the set with four kills. Selena Levendoski (Sr. – Clear Lake, Wis.) banked three kills on three attempts as Eau Claire pulled away. A 4-2 late in the set secured the 25-19 victory as Pennekamp and Levendoski continued to find success at the net.
During the evening, the setting duo of Charlie Nelson (Sr. – Lakeville, Minn./Farmington) and Ella Kiebel (So. – Maple Lake, Minn.) kept the Blugold hitters busy as the pair combined for 58 assists and gave UWEC 180 attack attempts.
Bethel refused to back down in the third and fourth set as they gave Eau Claire trouble at the net with five blocks and kept UWEC under .175 hitting averages during both frames. Early leads by the Royals were never touched by the home squad as a fifth set was needed to find a winner.
In the fifth set, Eau Claire shut the door on their opponents with an early 6-2 lead. Mya Cinnamo recorded her final four kills of the evening as the Blugolds continued to power through to the finish. The upperclassmen sealed the deal for UWEC as Maren Saunders (Sr. – St. Michael, Minn./STMA) recorded back-to-back kills late in the set and Charlie Nelson found the back corner on a push to give Eau Claire the 15-4 set win and 3-2 match victory at home.
The Blugolds (4-3, WIAC 0-0) will be back at home on Friday and Saturday, September 15th and 16th as they host the 10th annual Sandy Schumacher Memorial tournament presented by BSN Sports/Nike. With 11 teams in town for the three-court tournament, UW-Eau Claire will open play on Friday with St. Catherine. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.
