The No. 14 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater volleyball team claimed a share of its 16th Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season championship and third in the last six years Friday night with a 25-12, 25-20, 25-16 victory at UW-Eau Claire.
 
With the win, the Warhawks (23-6 overall, 5-2 WIAC) also clinched the No. 1 seed in next week's WIAC Tournament by virtue of tiebreakers with UW-La Crosse, which also claimed a piece of the title Friday, and UW-Oshkosh, which can wrap up a share of the championship with a win Saturday at UW-Stout.
 
UW-Whitewater will host a WIAC Tournament semifinal match Thursday at 7 p.m. against an opponent to be determined at Kris Russell Volleyball Arena.
 
The Warhawks raced out to a fast start against the Blugolds (22-9, 3-3) and didn't look back.
 
Senior outside hitter Lauren Pfeifer (Fort Atkinson, Wis./Fort Atkinson) registered a double-double with 11 kills and 11 digs to lead UW-Whitewater, which hit .330 and totaled 11 blocks compared to UW-Eau Claire's two.
 
Freshman outside hitter Amanda Spera (Antioch, Ill./Antioch) posted eight kills. Junior right side hitter Sydney Racky (Walworth, Wis./Big Foot) tallied seven kills and three blocks, and junior middle hitter Courtney Wagner (Dekalb, Ill./Dekalb) registered seven kills, a team-high four service aces and five blocks.
 
Senior setter Staci Hasler (Sheboygan Falls, Wis./Sheboygan Falls) collected four kills, 31 assists, six digs and three blocks. Freshman middle hitter Ashton Doll (Lancaster, Wis./Lancaster) finished with a team-best six blocks.
 
Sophomore libero Brittany Robinson (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls) contributed 10 digs, and senior defensive specialist Tessa Weber (Pleasant Prairie, Wis./Tremper) and freshman defensive specialist Elizabeth Tworek (Lake Zurich, Ill./Carmel Catholic) each chipped in with eight.
 
The Warhawks took a 6-1 lead to start the first set and, from that point, never led by fewer than three the rest of the way.
 
UW-Whitewater took a 5-1 advantage in the second set before UW-Eau Claire took an 11-10 lead midway through. The two teams exchanged points to a 20-20 tie before the Warhawks claimed the last five points of the period on Weber's serve.
 
In the third, UW-Whitewater turned an 11-9 deficit into a 21-11 lead with a 12-0 run on Tworek's serve. Pfeifer recorded three kills during the decisive run.
 
Doll put away a kill on the final point of the match.
 
The Warhawks close out the regular season Saturday with matches against Millikin (Ill.) and Bethel (Minn.) at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively, at Russell Arena.
 
Prior to the match against Bethel, UW-Whitewater will recognize Hasler, Pfeifer, Weber and fellow seniors Morgan Parker (Brookfield, Wis./East), Angelika Pointer (Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township) and Jessica Sabey (Merrill, Wis./Merrill).