The No. 11 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater volleyball team won one match and lost another Saturday on its second and final day of competition at the Trinity Fall Classic in San Antonio, Texas.
The Warhawks (7-3 overall) started the day with a 25-12, 27-25, 25-17 triumph over Pomona-Pitzer (Calif.) before falling against No. 2 Southwestern (Texas) in a tightly-contested 25-21, 25-20, 26-28, 25-23 affair.
Following the conclusion of the tournament, senior middle hitter
Courtney Wagner (Dekalb, Ill./Dekalb) and junior defensive specialist
Brittany Robinson (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls) were selected to the All-Tournament Team.
Against Pomona-Pitzer (3-9), Wagner and sophomore outside hitter
Rachel Butterfield (Milton, Wis./Milton) tallied 16 and 14 kills, respectively, to lead UW-Whitewater's offensive attack, which finished with a .333 hitting percentage.
Junior outside hitter
Amanda Spera (Antioch, Ill./Antioch) chipped in with seven kills and two blocks, and junior setter
Elizabeth Niestrom (Darien, Ill./Hinsdale South) collected 43 assists.
Robinson led the defense with 17 digs, and sophomore
Elizabeth Tworek (Lake Zurich, Ill./Carmel Catholic) and freshman
Abigail Boyden (Malta, Ill./DeKalb) totaled eight and seven digs, respectively.
The Warhawks jumped out to an 8-3 advantage in the first set and didn't look back. The Sagehens drew to within 14-10, but UW-Whitewater ran off 11 of the next 13 points to finish the set.
In the second, the Warhawks led 22-17 before a 6-0 run gave Pomona-Pitzer a one-point lead. Consecutive kills by junior middle hitter
Kelley Berk (Cedarburg, Wis./Divine Savior Holy Angels) and Wagner gave UW-Whitewater a set point, and the two teams exchanged points before Wagner clinched the set with a kill.
UW-Whitewater continued the momentum into the third set, sprinting out to a 14-5 advantage. From there, the Sagehens got no closer than six points.
In the second match of the day, the Warhawks went toe-to-toe with unbeaten Southwestern (12-0), the second top 10 team they faced during the tournament, but were outlasted in a seesaw match.
Wagner registered team highs of 14 kills and four blocks, senior right side hitter
Sydney Racky (Walworth, Wis./Big Foot) finished with a double-double of 13 kills and 11 digs and Spera contributed 12 kills and three blocks.
Niestrom tied a season high with 44 assists and added 12 digs, and Butterfield totaled six kills, eight digs and three blocks.
Robinson led the defense with a season-best 29 digs. Sophomore defensive specialist
Mackenzie Evers (St. John, Ind./Lake Central) finished with six digs and a team-high three service aces.
UW-Whitewater opens Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play Wednesday at UW-Stevens Point. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. at the Williams Center.