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WIAC Championship Web Page
NCAA Selection Show – Monday, 11:30 a.m.
 
The No. 16 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater volleyball team was defeated 25-19, 25-21, 25-22 at UW-La Crosse on Saturday in the title match of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship Presented by Culver's.
 
The Warhawks (22-8 overall), who were competing in their fifth consecutive conference tournament championship match, will await Monday's NCAA Division III Championship Selection Show to find out if they've extended their streak of appearances in the national tournament to 26.
 
The selection show begins at 11:30 a.m. and will be streamed live on NCAA.com.
 
Senior middle hitter Courtney Wagner (Dekalb, Ill./Dekalb) tallied a team-high 14 kills on a .360 hitting percentage to go along with two blocks. Junior outside hitter Amanda Spera (Antioch, Ill./Antioch) registered six kills, and sophomore Rachel Butterfield (Milton, Wis./Milton) finished with five kills.
 
Senior right side hitter Sydney Racky (Walworth, Wis./Big Foot) collected four kills, 10 digs and two blocks, and junior setter Elizabeth Niestrom (Darien, Ill./Hinsdale South) contributed 29 assists, four digs and three blocks.
 
Junior defensive specialist Brittany Robinson (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls) recorded a team-high 17 digs, and freshman defensive specialist Abigail Boyden added five digs and a team-best three service aces.
 
UW-Whitewater grabbed an 11-8 advantage in the first set before the Eagles (21-6) surged to a 13-11 lead. Wagner posted two straight kills to tie the set, but UW-La Crosse scored four consecutive points and didn't look back.
 
In the second, the Warhawks fell behind 14-8 before rallying to tie the set at 21-21 with an 8-1 run. UW-La Crosse tallied the final four points of the period to take a 2-0 match lead.
 
UW-Whitewater fell behind in the third by a 16-12 margin before making a run for a 20-19 advantage. The Eagles stole the momentum back, ending the match with a 6-2 run.

Post-Match Quotes:

Head Coach Stacy Boudreau:

General thoughts on the match:
"We never gained a lot of momentum. We played great at moments, but couldn't get over hump to go ahead. UW-La Crosse played really well. We struggled to block Stephanie Henk (of the Eagles). Our offense struggled a little bit. They played very efficiently.

"I don't think it was an effort thing. We were well prepared. We just didn't execute. They were executing at a pretty high level. It wasn't our night tonight and they played well."

On the play of Courtney Wagner (Dekalb, Ill./Dekalb):
"Courtney definitely played very hard. She was pretty impressive. She wanted to win and was going to do what it took. We were trying to get her the ball as much as we could. She played really well, especially last couple of sets. She was into it and ready to put team on her back. We just couldn't do it."

On the team's chances for an NCAA Tournament bid:
"We have to expect to get in right now. We've done what we can this week. We wanted the automatic bid, but we have to wait. Aside from getting the automatic bid, we did the things we needed to do. We got a good 'W' against UW-Stout, and we came back and beat UW-Eau Claire on the road. They were ranked right ahead of us in the region. Things have to work right across the country. We tell the team we expect to get in and we're planning on it."

Senior middle hitter Courtney Wagner (Dekalb, Ill./Dekalb):

On the team's resiliency during the match:
"We didn't get down on ourselves. We just kept pushing back and they did too. Everyone gave it their all on both sides of the net.

On her own play during the match:
"I kept telling (junior setter Elizabeth Niestrom (Darien, Ill./Hinsdale South)) to keep feeding me the ball. We didn't want that to be our last game, and we don't think it will be. But we told ourselves we didn't want it to be our last."

On the team's mindset heading into Monday's Selection Show:
"The team is pretty confident. We have our heads high. That's all we can do right now."

Senior outside hitter Sydney Racky (Walworth, Wis./Big Foot):

On the team's resiliency during the match:
"That was kind of our key. We were resilient. No matter what scoreboard said, if we had the chance to talk to each other, we were all motivating. There was never a point where we were saying we can't do this. We tried to stay confident with our passing and hitters. We never let ourselves get down and allow failure be an option mentally."

On the team's offense during the postseason:
"Sometimes it's nice to get up and smash a ball and put it through the floor. But we have a lot of smart hitters. We were moving the ball around and kept them on their toes. That's an attribute we have on our team, we're smart on offense. We see the court very well. Even when we didn't, we had great coverage. I was confident that someone would help me find a spot to score."

On the team's chances at an NCAA Tournament bid:
"We definitely have done enough. We did a lot of reformatting this year in practice and in our motivation. We changed our look this year and it helped us be successful. We talk about it as a team. There's only one option: be hopeful. We can't go back and change past. In retrospect, we have been successful and have a lot of talent. No matter what happens, we are confident in each other and have each others' backs."