The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater volleyball team will make its way to Salem, Virginia next week to compete in the NCAA Division III Volleyball Championship. The Warhawks open with a quarterfinal matchup against Emory Wednesday, December 4 at 11:30 AM ET. The quarterfinals, semifinals and championships are hosted by Roanoke College and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference at the Cregger Center in Salem.
The Matchup
The Warhawks (29-3) are seeded sixth heading into the quarterfinals. Their opponent is third-seed Emory University (26-2). Seedings were determined by NPI rankings following all regional contests. Since 1995, UW-Whitewater is 1-3 against the Eagles. The last meeting between these two squads was in October of 2019 - Emory won 3-1. The Warhawks head into the match riding a 13-match win streak while the Eagles have won their last eight.
Where to Watch
Fans can watch all matches on ESPN+. Subscription is required.
How They Got Here
UW-Whitewater claimed the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament title for the third consecutive season and 19th time overall. The victory secured the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Warhawks swept through regional competition on their home floor taking down Ohio Wesleyan, UW-Eau Claire and UW-Platteville along the way.
Emory won the program's 11th University Athletic Association title to secure the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Eagles swept their first two regional matches against Covenant and Claremont-Mudd Scripps before punching their ticket to Salem with a 3-1 win over Trinity (TX).
Powered by Tradition
The Warhawks have made 35 NCAA postseason appearances and are making their 11th trip to the quarterfinals. UWW holds an overall NCAA Tournament record of 56-33 with a 15-9 mark in the final eight. In the last 10 trips to the final eight, UW-Whitewater has won the national title twice (2002, 2005) and finished as the runner-up three times (2000, 2001, 2007). This is the fourth quarterfinal appearance for UWW under Head Coach
Stacy Boudreau who garnered AVCA Regional Coach of the Year honors this season.
No Stranger to Salem
UW-Whitewater's last trip to Salem for volleyball ended with a national title. In 2005, the Warhawks defeated Emory in the quarterfinal, La Verne in the semifinal and took down Juniata in the national championship match. All three opponents are back in Salem this season.
Defensive Dominance
The Warhawks are the top blocking team in the nation averaging 3.14 blocks per set with a season total of 336.5 - a program record. Middle hitter
Abbie Dix (Brodhead, Wis./Brodhead) leads the way with 1.59 blocks per set - the best in Division III. She was named the Most Outstanding Player at the Whitewater Regional last week. Dix along with fellow middle
Hannah Proctor (Durand, Ill./Durand) have combined for 277 blocks so far this season.
Offensive Leaders
Offensively, UWW is led by 2024 All-Americans
Alayna Jansky (Mukwonago, Wis./Mukwonago),
Aubrie Krzus (Wheaton, Ill./Warrenville South) and
Jenna Weinfurt (Waukesha, Wis./Catholic Memorial). Krzus, a sophomore setter, and Jansky, a graduate outside hitter, were both named to the regional All-Tournament Team last week. Right side
Chloe Werner (Waterford, Wis./Waterford Union) is fourth on the team in kills with 139 this season and is coming off of a 10 kill, 9 block performance in the regional title match.
The Other Matchups
Top-seeded Juniata (29-0) will take on No. 8 La Verne (23-5). The No. 2 seed, Johns Hopkins (29-2), will open against No. 7 UW-Oshksh (26-5). The No. 4/No. 5 pairing has Washington & Lee (32-2) meeting Hope (25-2) in the quarterfinal.
