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Elmhurst Invitational Web Page
 
ELMHURST, Ill. – The No. 24 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater volleyball team began its 2015 season on a high note Friday night, posting two victories on the first day of the two-day Elmhurst Invitational.
 
The Warhawks (2-0) downed Fontbonne (Mo.) 25-7, 25-13, 25-23 in their season opener before finishing the evening with a 17-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-XX triumph over Wheaton (Ill.).
 
In the opener against Fontbonne (1-2), the Warhawks hit .395 for the match, including a sizzling .619 in the first set, to jump out to a 1-0 start for the season.
 
Junior outside hitter Lauren Pfeifer (Fort Atkinson, Wis./Fort Atkinson) led the offense with 13 kills, while sophomore middle hitter Courtney Wagner (Dekalb, Ill./Dekalb) contributed seven kills and a team-best four blocks. Junior Staci Hasler (Sheboygan Falls, Wis./Sheboygan Falls) and freshman Elizabeth Niestrom (Darien, Ill./Hinsdale South) shared setting duties and registered 17 and 11 assists, respectively.
 
Senior captain Jaclyn Krizka (Roscoe, Ill./Hononegah) recorded a team-best 15 digs to lead the defense and added seven assists and two service aces. Freshman defensive specialist Brittany Robinson (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls) totaled eight digs, and junior defensive specialist Tessa Weber (Pleasant Prairie, Wis./Tremper) posted three service aces.
 
UW-Whitewater used a 10-0 run in the first set on the strength of Krizka's serve to jump out to a 14-2 advantage. The team closed the frame on a 5-0 run on Wagner's serve.
 
In the second, the Warhawks turned a 5-4 lead into 13-4 on Weber's serve, and the Griffins never got closer than seven points the rest of the set.
 
Neither team led by more than five in a tightly contested third set. UW-Whitewater led 17-12 midway through, but Fontbonne continued to push, tying the match at 21-21. The Warhawks claimed four of the last six points, including two on kills by Pfeifer and one on a kill by sophomore right side hitter Sydney Racky (Walworth, Wis./Big Foot), to take the match.
 
After claiming the match's opening point against Wheaton (1-1), UW-Whitewater never led again in a first-set loss. The team rebounded in the second, breaking a 16-16 tie with a 4-0 run, highlighted by a pair of Wagner kills, to take control of the set.
 
The Warhawks took a 17-10 advantage midway through the third and held off a late charge by the Thunder to take a 2-1 match lead. In the fourth, UW-Whitewater led 15-8 and, after a mini-run by Wheaton, retook control of the set, tallying the final three points to claim the match.
 
Pfeifer and senior outside hitter Jessica Sabey (Merrill, Wis./Merrill) led the Warhawks' offense with 15 and 14 kills, respectively. Pfeifer added a team-best 12 digs defensively. Freshman middle hitter Kelley Berk (Cedarburg, Wis./Divine Savior Holy Angels) posted four blocks up front.
 
Hasler recorded 37 assists and eight digs, while Krizka and Robinson had nine and seven digs, respectively.
 
UW-Whitewater continues play in Elmhurst Saturday with matches against UMass Boston and Hendrix (Ark.) at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m., respectively.