The No. 9 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater volleyball team won its 12th consecutive match Wednesday, downing UW-Platteville 25-18, 25-20, 25-18 in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest on Breast Cancer Awareness Night at Russell Arena.
 
With the victory, the Warhawks (22-3 overall, 4-1 WIAC) move into a tie for first place in the conference with UW-Oshkosh, which lost in four sets Wednesday at UW-Stevens Point.
 
UW-Whitewater hit .214 and held the Pioneers (11-17, 0-5) to .065. The Warhawks also compiled six service aces to one for UW-Platteville.
 
Senior right side hitter Brittney Langley (Winnebago, Ill./Winnebago) and junior outside hitter Lauren Pfeifer (Fort Atkinson, Wis./Fort Atkinson) led the offense with 11 kills apiece. Freshman middle hitter Kelley Berk (Cedarburg, Wis./Divine Savior Holy Angels) posted a team-best four blocks, and Langley and sophomore Courtney Wagner (Dekalb, Ill./Dekalb) each added three blocks.
 
Junior setter Staci Hasler (Sheboygan Falls, Wis./Sheboygan Falls) tallied 32 assists, seven digs and two blocks. Freshman defensive specialist Brittany Robinson (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls) finished with a team-best 23 digs to go along with two service aces. Junior defensive specialist Tessa Weber (Pleasant Prairie, Wis./Tremper) chipped in with nine digs.
 
UW-Whitewater jumped out to a 9-2 lead in the opening set and never looked back. Langley and Pfeifer each had two kills during the run for the Warhawks, who never led by less than four points in the period.
 
In the second, UW-Whitewater turned an 11-9 advantage into 16-9 on Weber's serve and with the help of a pair of Pfeifer kills. The team claimed five of the last seven points in the frame to offset a run by UW-Platteville.
 
The Warhawks opened the third with a 7-1 lead on Robinson's serve. A Pioneer run made it 14-12, but UW-Whitewater increased its lead to 19-13 and closed the set for the match victory.
 
The Warhawks host the two-day Dig Panici Classic this Friday and Saturday at the Williams Center. UW-Whitewater begins tournament play Friday at 3 p.m. against Augustana (Ill.).
 
Later that day, UW-Whitewater will take on St. Catherine (Minn.) for Dig Panici Night at Russell Arena. All proceeds from sales of Dig Panici t-shirts, which cost $10 each, will benefit a scholarship in the name of Lisa Panici, who passed away in 2012 after a two-year battle with brain cancer.
 
Check back to uwwsports.com tomorrow for a preview of the event.