By: Jake Krier, UWEC Sports Information

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (blugolds.com) - The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire volleyball team had about as good of a start to the season's conference play as they could ask for, defeating No. 19-ranked University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in straight sets. UW-Eau Claire extended their unbeaten streak at home to four games with the win over the Eagles and their fifth in a row overall.

After La Crosse began their season with an untainted record of 9-0, the Blugolds handed the Eagles their second straight defeat, led in large part by a big night from Heather Sawchuk (Jr.-Roseville, MN/Cretin-Derham Hall). The junior continued her successful start to the season with a team-leading 17 kills on 29 attempts, good for a .552 hitting percentage.

"That was the toughest we've played as a team this year," Sawchuk said. "We talked how we needed to play our game tonight, and that's exactly what we did. I couldn't be more proud of this team."

After Eau Claire jumped out to an early 7-2 lead, the Eagles responded with a 7-point run in the opening set. Despite being out-hit .278 to .256, the Blugolds battled to take the first set 26-24.

Of the three sets, the second was the most one-sided, as UW-Eau Claire was victorious 25-17. The Blugolds used a pair of four-plus point runs in the set on way to the win.

In the final frame, the squad put together an impressive .483 team hitting efficiency to lock up the sweep.

Adding to the cause were Mackenzee Pierog (Jr.-Eau Claire, WI/North) and Madelyn Pashibin (So.-Minneapolis, MN/Minneapolis Southwest), each with nine kills in the match and attacking percentages north of .400. Pierog added a team-best five blocks as well. Madison Surprise (So.-Appleton, WI/Kimberly) led the way with 23 assists, with Katrina Raskie (Sr.-Weston, WI/D.C. Everest) having the most digs with 13.

With the win, Eau Claire now has a record of 1-0 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) and 11-2 overall. They travel to Stevens Point this weekend for the WIAC/CCIW Crossover Tournament, with two games on Friday and two more on Saturday.