EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (blugolds.com) — The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire volleyball team wrapped up play at its home Sandy Schumacher Memorial Tournament on Saturday at the McPhee Center. The Blugolds dropped matches to Concordia Wisconsin and St. Norbert College.
UW-Eau Claire started the day with a 3-0 defeat to Concordia Wisconsin. The first set went in favor of the Falcons 25-16, with an early run building an eight-point lead that the Blugolds couldn't surmount. The second set was a 27-25 battle, but Concordia Wisconsin was able to take a 2-0 lead. It was tied at 25-25 before the Falcons won the final two points. Concordia Wisconsin took the final set 25-21 to close out the match. The Falcons turned a 12-10 lead into a 17-11 advantage and held on from there.
Bailey Leeke (So. - Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North) led UW-Eau Claire with 10 kills in the match.
Mya Cinnamo (Fr. - Rosemount, Minn.) and
Lili Hagg (Fr. - Roscoe, Ill./Hononegah) were close behind with six kills each.
Charlie Nelson (Sr. - Lakeville, Minn./Farmington) and
Ella Kiebel (So. - Maple Lake, Minn.) shared the assist lead with 17 apiece. Leeke and
MacKenzie Houser (Sr. - Pleasant Plains, Ill.) had seven digs each.
The match against St. Norbert finished 3-1 in favor of the Green Knights. Three of the four sets were decided by two points.
St. Norbert took the first set 30-28, scoring four of the final five points in the set to pull away. The Blugolds bounced back with a 25-20 win in the second set though, overcoming a five-point deficit to do so. The Green Knights led 11-6 before UW-Eau Claire scored five straight points to get back in it. Later, trailing 20-19, the Blugolds ripped off a 6-0 run to clinch the set.
The Green Knights answered with a 26-24 victory in the third set. UW-Eau Claire trailed by nine midway through the set, but outscored St. Norbert 9-1 at one point to claw back into it. The Blugolds took a few late leads, but St. Norbert again took four of the final five points in the set to go ahead 2-1.
St. Norbert finished off the match with a 28-26 score in the fourth set. In a back-and-forth affair, the Green Knights pulled away across the final five points.
Leeke and Cinnamo had 11 kills to lead the Blugolds.
Selena Levendoski (Sr. - Clear Lake, Wis./Clayton) added seven kills for UW-Eau Claire. Kiebel passed 26 assists and Nelson added 21 of her own.
Sheridan Dettmann (Sr. - Watertown, Wis.) had 15 digs, and Houser and Nelson added 13 apiece.
Bailey Leeke was named to the All-Tournament team after her weekend performances.
UW-Eau Claire will open Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action when it visits UW-Stout on Wednesday, Sept. 20. The match is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
