SUPERIOR, Wis. (Blugolds.com) – The UW-Eau Claire women's volleyball team kicked off conference play with a 3-0 victory over UW-Superior at Mertz Mortorelli Gymnasium tonight.
Eau Claire won with set scores of 25-15, 25-21 and 25-22.
The win was the Blugolds' 36th straight over the Yellowjackets, their last loss coming Oct. 1, 1994. Eau Claire has not lost at UW-Superior since Sept. 22, 1990. The Blugolds now lead the series 70-21, holding a 62-2 record against Superior since 1985.
In the first set, the Blugolds never trailed as they jumped out to a 3-0 lead. Superior got to within two points (12-10) but Eau Claire then went on a 6-0 run to get up 18-10 and outscored the Yellowjackets 7-5 the rest of the way.
In the second set, the teams kept it close early but Superior worked its way to a 17-13 lead. The Blugolds used a 4-0 run to tie it up at 17 and never trailed after that, outscoring Superior 8-4 the rest of the set to win 25-21.
The teams again played close in the final set and found themselves tied late in the match at 22. But Eau Claire was able to score the final three points to capture the win.
The Blugolds led the match, hitting .244 with 43 and 13 errors while Superior hit .016 with 30 kills and 28 errors.
Alexis Wong (Sr.-Maple Grove, Minn.) led the match with 11 kills while Jamie Dimka (Jr.-Wausau, Wis./East) recorded 18 digs, also a match high. Jenna Smits (Jr.-Green Bay, Wis./Preble) led the Blugolds with 31 set assists.
Eau Claire improves to 9-9 on the season and 1-0 in WIAC play while Superior drops to 7-12 overall and 0-1 in the conference.
Next up, the Blugolds will be home tomorrow for a match against UW-La Crosse beginning at 2 p.m. for Student Appreciation Day in the McPhee Physical Education Center.
-KAM-