WHITEWATER, Wis. — Volleyball fans were treated to a show in Russell Arena Friday night as UW-Whitewater and Cornell College battled it out. Phenomenal defense and powerful hitting provided the excitement as the Warhawks swept the Rams (25-20, 31-29, 25-23).
In the first set, the Warhawks broke a 19-19 tie on a
Penny Schell (Cross Plains, Wis./St. Ambrose Academy) kill from
Amanda Hillmann (Cedarburg, Wis./Kettle Moraine Lutheran), then
Michelyn Hansen (Hillsboro, Wis./Hillsboro) served consecutive aces before a Cornell College attack error made it 23-19. Schell added another kill for set point, and Hillmann's block closed the set 25-20.
The Warhawks used an 8-0 run in the second set to move in front 17-10, with
Addie Bruns (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls) serving seven straight points and recording two aces. The Rams later moved ahead 23-22, but UW-Whitewater answered through the extended finish. Schell put the Warhawks back in front at 30-29, and Hillmann followed with the final kill to close out a 31-29 set win.
After Cornell tied the third set at 23,
Gaby DiMotto (New Berlin, Wis./West) and
Abbie Dix (Brodhead, Wis./Brodhead) hammered down kills to close out a 25-23 set.
The Warhawks were outhit in the match but used the service line to their advantage with nine aces compared to just two for the Rams.
Schell finished with 12 kills to lead UWW offensively. Dix - one of the nation's top blockers for the third year in a row - registered six blocks Friday while adding nine kills on a .389 attack percentage. Krzus recorded 31 assists, eight digs and two block assists. The backrow Natalie's - Powers and Lawton - tallied 13 digs each.
