By: Jake Krier, UWEC Sports Information

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (blugolds.com) - The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire volleyball team's run in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) tournament was unfortunately short-lived. On Thursday night, No. 16 UW-Whitewater defeated the Blugolds in four sets in the conference tournament semifinals.

Setting the tone for the rest of the match, set one was key to the Warhawks' success. They trailed Eau Claire 20-12 in the opener before a big 7-0 run got them back in it and got momentum on their side. Whitewater managed to steal that first set, 25-23.

The third-seeded Warhawks took set two, 25-20, to go up two sets on the second-seeded Blugolds. Eau Claire bounced back in the third, however, winning it, 25-23.

Whitewater booked their ticket to the WIAC Championship with a 25-20 fourth set victory for the win. They hit .405 in the set, which led to a .276 efficiency on the night.

Madelyn Pashibin (Jr.-Minneapolis, MN/Minneapolis Southwest) proved why she was named to the All-Conference team with 16 kills on Thursday. Madison Surprise's (Jr.-Appleton, WI/Kimberly) selection was also made evident with her 41 assists on the night.

Three Blugolds reached double-digits in digs. Makenzie Bachmann (Fr.-Chaska, MN) led the charge with 19; Talia Jaskulske (Sr.-Maplewood, MN/North St. Paul) had 16; and Surprise finished with 12 in the defeat.

With the loss and elimination from the WIAC tournament, the Blugolds will now await their fate to see if they receive an at-large bid into the NCAA tournament.

Follow the action all season long on Blugold Game Day.