EAU CLAIRE, Wis. — UW-Eau Claire swept St. Catherine in straight sets, 25-19, 25-16, 27-25, on Friday at The Sonnentag Event Center. The Blugolds held the edge in attacking proficiency with a .274 hitting percentage, compared to St. Catherine's .146 hitting average. UWEC's service game was consistent with seven aces, bringing their season average to 7.44 aces per game.
Eau Claire secured the first set 25-19 against St. Catherine, overcoming an early 3-0 deficit.
Abby Stanwood led the way with eight kills, including the set-clinching point.
Bailey Leeke was close behind with four kills and two service aces. A six point run by the Blugolds led by kills from four different Blugolds helped create a lead. Despite a six point swing by the Wilcats late, UWEC foudn the final point from Stanwood, going up on sets to none.
The Blugolds took control of the second set against the Wildcats with a 25-16 victory, capitalizing on multiple errors from the visiting team. Stanwood and
Kaitlyn Erickson contributed to UW-Eau Claire's offensive push, with Stanwood recording key kills while Erickson added a service ace. Despite service errors, the Blugolds maintained the lead, aided by defensive blocks from
Izzy Grace and
Lili Hagg, which helped secure the set. Eau Claire finsihed the set with a 6-2 run, electrifying the home crowd of 500+.
UWEC edged St. Catherine 27-25 in a tightly contested third set. Stanwood led the way with crucial kills, including the set-clinching point, while Leeke also played a pivotal role with multiple kills, posting the Blugolds best hitting set of the night. UWEC overcame the Wildcats' late push to secure the set and match victory.
Stanwood led the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire with 17 kills and contributed 18.5 points. Leeke added 11 kills and recorded four total blocks, finishing with 15.5 points.
Alex Kiebel facilitated the offense with 18 assists, while
Hannah Thole provided 16 assists and recorded two service aces.
UWEC holds an overall record of 8-1. The Wildcats' current record stands at 3-6.
Looking ahead, the Blugolds continue play during the Sandy Schumacher Memorial Tournament and are set to face Lakeland University on Saturday, Sept. 13. The match will take place at The Sonnentag Event Center, with first serve scheduled for noon.
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