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NCAA Grand Rapids Regional Web Page
 
The No. 9 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater volleyball team concluded its fantastic 2021 season Friday with a closely-contested 25-23, 18-25, 19-25, 25-19, 21-19 setback against No. 24 Otterbein in the semifinal of the NCAA Grand Rapids Regional at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Mich.
 
The Warhawks finish their season with a 27-3 record after playing in the second round of the national tournament for the second time in the last three seasons. UW-W earned a Pool C, or at-large, bid to the NCAA Tournament after finishing as the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference runner-up in both the regular season and postseason tournament.

Following the completion of the regional, Erin McNeil (Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge) was selected to the All-Tournament Team.
 
Friday's match was capped by a thrilling, back-and-forth fifth set. The Cardinals (25-5) jumped out to a 9-5 advantage before the Warhawks fought back to tie it at 9-9.
 
Otterbein rallied for four of the next six points for a 13-11 lead, but UW-W tied it again at 13-13.
 
The Warhawks fought off a match point trailing 14-13, but the Cardinals responded by thwarting four UW-Whitewater match points to an 18-18 tie.
 
The two teams traded the next two points before Otterbein scored the final two points for the needed margin to take the match.
 
McNeil led the Warhawk offense with a season-high 18 kills on a .326 hitting percentage with three digs and two blocks. Kirsten Anderson (Sun Prairie, Wis./Sun Prairie) recorded 11 kills on a .321 hitting percentage to go with four digs and two blocks, while Jenna Weinfurt (Waukesha, Wis./Catholic Memorial) posted 11 kills and six digs.
 
Morgan Wardall (Merrill, Wis./Merrill) finished with eight kills and two digs, and Payton Kuepers (Madison, Wis./Lakeside Lutheran) collected eight kills on a .333 hitting percentage with a team-high three blocks.
 
KellyAnn Sotiros (New Berlin, Wis./West Allis Hale) and Paige Manssen (Bull Valley, Ill./McHenry West) each tallied double-doubles. Sotiros contributed 25 assists, 21 digs and two kills, while Manssen amassed 25 assists, 12 digs and one service ace.
 
Morgan Jensen (Sun Prairie, Wis./Sun Prairie) led the defense with a season-high 32 digs to go along with eight assists. Hailey Mackenthun (Webster, Minn./Northfield) registered 15 digs and two service aces.
 
The Cardinals pulled away to take the first set. After being held to a .083 hitting percentage in the period, the Warhawks hit a .361 in the second set and a .220 in the third for a 2-1 match lead.
 
Otterbein totaled 20 kills on its 25 points in the fourth to force the fifth and deciding set.
 
UW-Whitewater's senior class includes Mackenthun, Manssen, McNeil, Sotiros, Wardall, Emma Aske (Aurora, Ill./Metea Valley) and Emily Gillen (Richfield, Wis./Slinger). The group helped the Warhawks reach three NCAA Tournaments over the last four years and win the 2019 WIAC regular season championship.