COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. (Blugolds.com) – Competing on the final day of the Saint Benedict Labor Day Tournament, the UW-Eau Claire volleyball team dropped its first match 3-1 against Concordia-Moorhead (Minn.) but rebounded with a 3-0 victory over 16th-ranked Augsburg College (Minn.).
Facing Concordia, the Cobbers won the opening set 25-19 and the Blugolds won the next one 25-19. Concordia won the third set 25-19 and narrowly won the fourth set 26-24.
While the first three sets featured the same scores, the Blugolds had an edge in the fourth set, up 24-21, but Concordia closed with a 5-0 run to win the set and the match.
Kelly Riesgraf (Jr.-Chaska, Minn.) led the Blugolds with 14 kills while Jenna Smits (Jr.-Green Bay, Wis./Preble) had a match-high 23 digs and 31 set assists.
Against Augsburg, which came into the match with the Blugolds with a 2-1 record, the teams played close but Eau Claire won all three. The Blugolds opened with a 25-23 win and followed with two 25-21 set victories to secure their first win of the year.
Leading the Blugolds in kills was Katrina Raskie (So.-Weston, Wis./D.C. Everest), who recorded 10 of the team's 36. She also had a team-best 12 digs. Smits again led the team with 25 set assists.
In the two matches Saturday, the Blugolds had 20 service aces with Talia Jaskulske (Fr.-Maplewood, Minn./North St. Paul) and Megan Tracy (Sr.-New Hope, Minn./Robbinsdale Cooper) each recording five.
Eau Claire finished its first weekend with a 1-3 record.
Next weekend the Blugolds will compete at the Augsburg College Invitational in Minneapolis, Minn. They will open the four-match tournament against Bethany Lutheran College (Minn.) at 2 p.m. Friday.
-KAM-
