EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (Blugolds.com) – The UW-Eau Claire women's volleyball team was unable to get a win over UW-Whitewater as the Blugolds fell 3-0 (25-17, 25-15, 25-19) to the 25th-ranked Warhawks in the McPhee Physical Education Center tonight.
In the opening set, the Blugolds got down 4-0 and while they were able to tie it up 7-7, the Warhawks were able to steadily build a lead the rest of the way to win by eight.
It was just the opposite in the second set as Eau Claire got out to a 3-0 lead. The Blugolds then got up 7-3 but the Warhawks took a 9-7 lead with a 6-0 run and never trailed the rest of the way.
In the third set, the teams played close and after they went back and forth early, the Blugolds worked their way to a 13-12 lead. But a 3-0 run by Whitewater put the Blugolds down and they never came back.
As a team, Whitewater hit .303 with 49 kills and 13 errors while the Blugolds hit .074 with 26 kills and 18 errors.
Katrina Raskie (So.-Weston, Wis./D.C. Everest) led the Blugolds with eight kills while Talia Jaskulske (Fr.-Maplewood, Minn./North St. Paul) led the Blugolds with 15 digs. Jenna Smits (Jr.-Green Bay, Wis./Preble) had a team-high 24 set assists.
Eau Claire drops to 16-16 overall and 3-4 in the WIAC while Whitewater improves to 24-7 on the season and 6-1 in conference play.
The Blugolds will play in their final match of the regular season Saturday, hosting UW-Oshkosh at 2 p.m. The match is a must-win for the Blugolds in order to advance to the WIAC Tournament, which starts next week.
-KAM-
