The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater volleyball team opened play at the NCAA Division III Championship with a phenomenal three-set sweep over Emory Wednesday morning. The Warhawks took down the Eagles 25-13, 25-23, 25-19 in the Cregger Center in Salem, Virginia. 

With the win, the Warhawks advance to the semifinals to face Johns Hopkins Thursday, December 5 at 5 PM ET. The entire championship is being streamed exclusively on ESPN+. 

UW-Whitewater set the tone early in set one to draw all of the momentum in the arena. The Warhawks followed up a 6-2 run with five consecutive points to open up an 18-9 advantage. The five-point spurt featured a pair of kills from Alayna Jansky (Mukwonago, Wis./Mukwonago) and a huge block by Chloe Werner (Waterford, Wis./Waterford Union) and Hannah Proctor (Durand, Ill./Durand). UWW capped the set with a 6-1 run to take an early match lead. 

The second set was a back-and-forth affair with the teams trading the lead eight times. The battle came down to the wire in the end. With the Eagles leading 22-21, Jenna Weinfurt (Waukesha, Wis./Catholic Memorial) hammered down a kill to knot the set. After a miscue from each team, the squads were tied for the 14th time in the set, 23-23. Jansky gave the Warhawks set point with a cue and another Eagle mishap had UWW enjoying a 2-0 lead in the match. 

Set three was all Whitewater from the first serve. The Warhawks scored the first three and never looked back, leading the entire way through to secure their spot in the semifinals.

Like it has been all season for UWW, defense was a key difference maker in the match. The Warhawks held the Eagles to a .000 attack percentage in the first set and a negative hitting efficiency in the third. Meanwhile, the offense was working in tandem as UWW hit .234 for the match with double digit kills in each set. 

Jansky led all players with 13 kills, adding 17 digs. Weinfurt also posted a double-double with 12 kills and 10 digs. Jaedynn Evans (Kalona, Iowa/Iowa City Regina) tallied 16 digs in the match. 

Aubrie Krzus (Wheaton, Ill./Warrenville South) averaged over 10 assists a set with 37 total in the sweep. Middles Abbie Dix (Brodhead, Wis./Brodhead) and Hannah Proctor (Durand, Ill./Durand) combined for seven blocks in the match. With four blocks Wednesday, Dix broke UW-Whitewater's single season record for total blocks.

UW-Whitewater has now won their last 14 matches and is a perfect 25-0 in three-setters this season. The Warhawks are amid the program's 11th trip to the final eight.