STEVENS POINT, Wis. (Blugolds.com) – The UW-Eau Claire women's volleyball team defeated 18th-ranked and No. 2-seeded UW-Whitewater 3-1 in a semifinal match of the 2012 WIAC Championship at Berg Gymnasium in Stevens Point today.
With the win, the Blugolds will now compete in the title match of the WIAC Championship against either UW-Stevens Point or UW-Oshkosh at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
The Blugolds got off to a good start against the Warhawks, winning the first two sets with scores of 25-23 and 25-18, respectively. But in the third set, the Warhawks defeated the Blugolds 25-13 before Eau Claire won a long fourth set 32-30 to take the match.
In the opening set, Whitewater held a lead the majority of the match but the Blugolds tied it up at 18 after using an 11-5 run. The teams then went back and forth and Eau Claire took its first lead of the set at 21-20 and went on to win 25-23.
The second set started similar to the first, and after Whitewater led early, the Blugolds tied it up at eight and then took a lead they would not give up the rest of the way. Eau Claire won the set 25-18.
In the third set, while it was close early, the Warhawks steadily increased their lead throughout and built a 20-9 lead and went on to win 25-13.
The fourth set was an exciting one from the start. The teams went back and forth initially but the Blugolds began to pull away a little, taking an 11-5 lead. Whitewater chipped away at the Blugolds' lead and tied it at 19, and the teams then went back and forth again before the Blugolds finally pulled off the 32-30 victory.
Amy Bomgren (Sr.-Woodbury, Minn.) led the Blugolds with 17 kills. Lauren Sutherland (Jr.-Dayton, Minn./Meadow Creek Christian) led the team with 16 digs and Emily Neave (Sr.-Salem, Wis./Westosha Central) had a team-high 45 set assists.
Both Eau Claire and Whitewater are now 24-11 on the season. In the match between the two teams earlier this year, the Warhawks won 3-2.
View WIAC Championship Website
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