Box Score The UW-Whitewater volleyball team, ranked sixteenth in the most recent American Volleyball Coaches Association poll, topped UW-Stevens Point 3-1 (22-25, 25-20, 25-22, 27-25) in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match in Whitewater Wednesday night.

Photo Gallery (courtesy of Jenny  DuPuis)

Every set was close as the final scores show with each team battling until the end. The first set went to the Pointers after two four point runs gave UW-SP just enough to squeak by the Warhawks 25-22.

UW-W found themselves down 1-5 in set two but inched their way back to within three, 5-8, before Kim Frei (West Bend/West Bend West) went to the service line. Frei held the serve for five Whitewater points off of three Pointer attack errors and kills from Jessica Sabey (Merrill/Merrill) and Leanna Lillge (Ixonia/Watertown) to give UW-W its first lead of the match 10-8. The teams traded points with the score being tied six times until the 16-16 mark when the Warhawks went on a 9-4 run to finish out the set. Brittney Langley (Winnebago, IL/Winnebago) and Lillge contributed from the service line combining for three aces in the final run as UW-W evened the match score 1-1 with a 25-20 set two win.

The Warhawks had to battle back once again in set three from a 7-3 deficit. Stevens Point extended their lead little by little up to six points, 17-11. Then with Chelsea Mutton (Rockford, IL/Rockford East) serving, an ace and four combined kills from Langley, Lillge and Ariel Johnston (Rockford, IL/Guilford), Whitewater went on a 9-0 run to take a 20-17 lead. The Pointers would push to 21 but the Warhawks scored four straight on two aces off the hand of Kelsey Nobilio (Johnsburg, IL/Johnsburg) and two kills from Langley. Lillge finished off the set pounding down a kill to give UW-W a one set lead in the match.

Set four broke the pattern with the Warhawks holding a lead for the first half of the set. UW-SP battled back, the same way the Warhawks had for the last two sets, but UW-W held off the Pointers. With the score tied at 21, each team traded points to the game at 24. Lillge notched a kill to give Whitewater a 26-25 lead and swing all of the momentum into the UW-W corner. A UW-SP error for the final point gave the Warhawks the 3-1 match win.

UW-W pounded down 55 kills in the match compared to just 43 for the Pointers. The Warhawks also doubled up UW-SP's total for aces while remaining even in total team blocks.

Four Warhawk hitters posted double digit kills led by Lillge's 15. Langley pounded down 13 in the contest followed closely by Johnston and Kristen Ruchti (Brodhead/Brodhead) with 10 a piece. Langley and Ruchti made their presence known at the net on defense as well tying for match high honors with five assist blocks each. Lillge added three service aces as the team notched eight total from the line. Mutton, Nobilio and Langley combined for the other five aces. Nobilio thwarted 25 Pointer attack attempts recording her eleventh 20+ dig match of the season and fifth straight. Mutton added 17 digs and Frei had 11 to go along with 46 assists in the contest.

The Warhawks are now 16-6 this season and 3-1 in league play. UW-Stevens Point's conference record mirrors Whitewater's as the team falls to 14-4 overall.

UW-W will travel to Platteville, Wisconsin Tuesday, October 9 for another WIAC match-up beginning at 7:00 against UW-Platteville.



AK/ah