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UW-Whitewater Invitational Web Site
 
The No. 15 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater volleyball team posted two wins Friday on the first day of the UW-Whitewater Invitational at Russell Arena.
 
The Warhawks (12-2) downed Millikin (Ill.) 25-18, 26-24, 25-23, 25-10 before rolling to a 25-14, 25-22, 25-18 triumph over 25th-ranked Williams (Mass.).
 
Following the second set of the match against the Williams (7-3), UW-Whitewater's 2005 national championship team was honored on the 10th anniversary of the title. Jamie Konrath, who suffered a spinal cord injury in a car accident prior to what would have been her senior season in 2005, was recognized as an Honorary All-American.
 
Prior to the match, the program recognized program supporter Virginia Epps. She served as the team's public address announcer for nearly 20 years.
 
The Warhawks hit .223 in the affair, compared to .018 for the Ephs.
 
Senior right side hitter Brittney Langley (Winnebago, Ill./Winnebago) led UW-Whitewater with 11 kills. Junior outside hitter Lauren Pfeifer (Fort Atkinson, Wis./Fort Atkinson) tallied eight kills and 10 digs, while junior setter Staci Hasler (Sheboygan Falls, Wis./Sheboygan Falls) posted four kills, 25 assists and eight digs.
 
Freshman libero Brittany Robinson (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls) led the defense with team highs of 17 digs and five service aces. Senior captain Jaclyn Krizka (Roscoe, Ill./Hononegah) registered eight digs.
 
The Warhawks held Williams to a minus-.143 hitting percentage in the first set, extending a three-point lead to 21-12 on the serve of Robinson.
 
In the second, UW-Whitewater never trailed and held off a late rally by the Ephs. The Warhawks took control of the third midway through the set with a 6-0 run and didn't look back.
 
Against Millikin (9-5), UW-Whitewater ended the first set on a 4-0 run and continued the momentum into the second, taking a 6-1 advantage early on. The Big Blue erased the deficit and won the final two points of the period to level the match at 1-1.
 
In an intense, back-and-forth third set, the Warhawks won the final three points on the strength of kills by Pfeifer and sophomore middle hitter Courtney Wagner (Dekalb, Ill./Dekalb) to take a 2-1 lead.
 
UW-Whitewater closed the match with authority, sprinting out to a 6-0 advantage and holding Millikin to a .000 hitting percentage in the frame while hitting .414 offensively. The Warhawks finished with 13 blocks as a team.
 
Pfeifer finished with 14 kills, 11 digs and three blocks, while Wagner totaled nine kills and five blocks. Junior middle hitter Angelika Pointer (Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township) finished with a team-best eight blocks, and sophomore right side hitter Sydney Racky (Walworth, Wis./Big Foot) tallied eight kills.
 
Hasler finished with seven kills, 35 assists, 14 digs and four blocks. Robinson was one of four UW-Whitewater players with double-digit digs, recording a team-best 28. Junior defensive specialist Tessa Weber (Pleasant Prairie, Wis./Tremper) added 11 digs.
 
The Warhawks resume play in the tournament tomorrow at 10 a.m. against No. 6 Carthage. The team continues at 2 p.m. against 11th-ranked Chicago.