STEVENS POINT, Wis. (Blugolds.com) – The UW-Eau Claire volleyball team played a close Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament semifinal match against No. 21 UW-Whitewater but came up just short with a final score of 3-2 tonight in Stevens Point.

The Blugolds opened with a 25-18 win in the first set and played Whitewater close in the second set but fell 25-23.

While the Warhawks won the third set 25-19, the Blugolds battled back to take the fourth set 25-17 to tie the match up at 2-2.

In the fifth set, the Blugolds jumped out to a 3-0 lead but the teams went back and forth until Whitewater took a 13-12 lead. The Blugolds were unable to get any more points while the Warhawks closed the set with a 3-0 run to record the win.

Eau Claire managed to outhit the Warhawks .214-.149 but the teams tied with 59 kills apiece.

Both the Warhawks and Blugolds had four players with double-digit kill totals. Amy Bomgren (Jr.-Woodbury, Minn.) led the Blugolds with 13 while Whitewater's Leanna Lillge led the match with 19.

Lauren Sutherland (So.-Dayton, Minn./Meadow Creek Christian) had a team-high 20 digs to lead four Blugolds in double-figures while Emily Neave (Jr.-Salem, Wis./Westosha Central) recorded 47 set assists to lead Eau Claire.

With the loss, the Blugolds drop to 21-12 and their 12-match winning streak come to an end. Whitewater is now 25-7.

Saturday the Blugolds will face UW-Platteville in the WIAC Tournament's third-place match beginning at noon.

-KM-