ST. JOSEPH, Minn. (Blugolds.com) – The winning streak continues for the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire volleyball team. The Blugolds returned to the Midwest after going 4-0 at the Kean University (NJ) Tournament this week and travelled to the College of Saint Benedict on Wednesday, coming away with a 3-2 win.
After the two teams traded points at the beginning of the first set, UW-Eau Claire went on a 12-1 run to go up 19-9. St. Ben's went on a run of its own to cut the gap to seven, 20-13, but the Blugolds held on for the win, 25-16.
CSB rallied back in their home opener, taking set two 25-18 and three 25-17. Eau Claire found themselves down 21-13 in set four when the tide began to turn. The Blugolds fought back to tie the set at 21 but CSB regained the lead with a kill. UWEC responded with three kills from Kendra Baierl (So. – Marshfield, WI/Columbus Catholic) and one from Makenzie Bachmann (So. – Chaska, MN) to take set four, 25-22 and force the fifth set.
CSB led 5-3 before UWEC went on a 5-0 run to take an 8-5 advantage midway through the final set. St. Ben's tied it at 10 and again at 12 but attack errors by CSB and a block by Krista Meyer (So. – Germantown, WI) gave Eau Claire the 15-12 win.
Four Blugolds earned double-digit kills, Baierl leading the way with 21 while Madelyn Pashibin (Sr. – Minneapolis, MN/Southwest), Bachmann and Meyer added 16, 12 and 10, respectively.
Bachmann also tallied 26 digs while Taylor Scalia (So. – Lake Elmo, MN/Stillwater) added 25 and
Amber Karn (Sr. – Middleton, WI) tallied 17. Madison Surprise (Sr. – Appleton, WI/Kimberly) also dished out 55 assists on the night.
The Blugolds (5-0) will travel back to Minnesota Friday and Saturday, this time for the Augsburg Invitational. Follow the action on Blugold Game Day or on the 'UWEC Blugolds' app on your mobile device.