WHITEWATER, Wis. -- The No. 25 UW-Whitewater women's volleyball team fell to No. 3 UW-Eau Claire 3-1 (25-20, 17-25, 13-25, 25-27) in Russell Arena Friday night.
The atmosphere was electric with the largest crowd of the season on hand to watch the high-powered matchup. The Warhawks delivered on the first point to get the crowd engaged from the start as
Emily Lego (Rock Falls, Ill./Rock Falls) and
Abbie Dix (Brodhead, Wis./Brodhead) teamed up to roof the Blugolds' first attack attempt. A 6-2 run later in the set gave UWW an 18-13 advantage, but UWEC wouldn't go quietly. With UW-Whitewater leading 23-15, the Blugolds ran off five straight to pull within three. A UWEC attack error gave the Warhawks set point and Dix delivered, hammering down a kill for the final point.
UW-Eau Claire took the next two before an absolute thriller ensued in set four. The set went back-and-forth with the teams trading points until UWW strung together four straight. Lego sparked the run with a kill and
Gaby DiMotto (New Berlin, Wis./West) followed with a pair of aces in the next three points to give the Warhawks a 17-13 advantage. Another small run, this time a three-point burst, extended the UWW lead to 22-16.
Natalie Powers (Mukwonago, Wis./Mukwonago) tallied an ace while DiMotto pounded down a kill in the run.
With UWW leading 23-17, the Blugolds battled back to tie the game 23-23 with six consecutive points. DiMotto's kill gave the Warhawks set point, but EC scored the next two. A service error tied the set at 25, but Eau Claire captured the next two points for the 27-25 win.
DiMotto paced UW-Whitewater offensively with 14 kills adding a pair of aces. Dix was a force at the net with seven blocks and eight kills.
Aubrie Krzus (Wheaton, Ill./Warrenville South) registered 27 assists while adding five blocks on the night. In the backcourt,
Natalie Lawton (Elmhurst, Ill./IC Catholic Prep) tallied 18 digs with Powers posting 11 in the match.
The Warhawks continue their WIAC slate Wednesday evening as they are set to host UW-Stevens Point at 7 PM. UWW will wrap up the week with another Friday match in Russell, a 7 PM start against Carthage.
