The No. 8 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater volleyball team suffered its first loss of the 2021 season Wednesday night, falling 25-22, 25-19, 25-21 at No. 15 UW-Eau Claire in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match.
The Warhawks (8-1 overall, 1-1 WIAC) were held to a season-low .170 hitting percentage and were unable to overcome long scoring runs by the Blugolds in each set.
Jenna Weinfurt (Waukesha, Wis./Catholic Memorial) paced the offense with 10 kills and added five digs and three blocks.
Erin McNeil (Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge) registered eight kills, and
Baylie Hansen (Bonduel, Wis./Shawano) tallied seven kills, four digs and two blocks.
KellyAnn Sotiros (New Berlin, Wis./West Allis Hale) finished with 20 assists and three digs, while
Paige Manssen (Bull Valley, Ill./McHenry West) collected 11 assists and four digs.
Morgan Jensen (Sun Prairie, Wis./Sun Prairie) posted seven digs to lead the defense.
The two teams traded points in the first set, but UW-Eau Claire (13-2, 2-0) gained control late in the period. After a kill by Hansen gave UW-Whitewater a 17-16 advantage, the Blugolds ran off six straight points for a 22-17 lead.
The Warhawks staved off three straight set points before UW-Eau Claire took a 1-0 match lead.
The Blugolds' decisive run in the second set came earlier than it did in the first.
Morgan Wardall (Merrill, Wis./Merrill) brought UW-W to within 9-8 before UW-Eau Claire tallied the next five points for a 14-8 advantage. The Warhawks drew to within 19-17, but the Blugolds captured five of the next six points to retake control of the set.
In the third, UW-Whitewater led 8-7 before seven straight points by UW-EC turned the tide of the set. The Warhawks clawed their way back to 23-21 after kills by
Hannah Proctor (Durand, Ill./Durand) and Weinfurt, but the Blugolds took back-to-back points to clinch the match.
The Warhawks return to action Friday as they host No. 24 Carthage at Russell Arena on the first day of the two-day UW-Whitewater Invitational.
