By Nick Hoven, UWEC Sports Information

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (Blugolds.com) - The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire volleyball team took to the court on Saturday afternoon for Day 2 of the Sandy Schumacher Memorial Tournament presented by Nike/Eastbay. The Blugolds finished the weekend strong, defeating Concordia-Moorhead (MN) and Edgewood College by scores of 3-0.

Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score | Tournament Website | Photos

In their opening match against the Cobbers, it was Eau Claire's resilience and teamwork that would help the Blugolds secure the win in three very close sets (25-20, 25-19, 25-22). With the veteran leadership contributing to the win, it was the young talent of Arianna Barrett (Fr.-Lakeville, MN/North) and Krista Meyer (So. – Germantown, WI) leading the way with consistency. The two hitters each ended the match with greater than .350 kill percentages. As a team, the Blugolds capitalized with 39 kills in 104 attack attempts.

Defensively, Taylor Scalia (So. – Lake Elmo, MN/Stillwater) and Amber Karn (Sr. – Middleton, WI) held down the back row and kept the Blugolds alive with seven total consecutive point runs of 3 or more. Scalia finished the match with 17 digs.

In their second match of the day against Edgewood, the Blugolds again earned the sweep, 25-22, 25-20 and 26-24.

In another tight match, the Blugolds found themselves down late in the third set but would rally back. Abby Volk (Fr. – Willmar, MN) gave Eau Claire the lead with a tip over an Eagle block, giving the Blugolds a 25-24 advantage and prompting an Edgewood timeout. The break would not stop the Blugold momentum as Madelyn Pashibin (Sr.-Minneapolis, MN/Southwest) would put the Eagles away with a kill to seal the win.

Pashibin recorded 11 kills in the match while Barrett tallied 10. Surprise finished with 35 assists and Scalia added 11 digs.

The Blugolds (11-1) will start Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) play on Wednesday as they travel to UW-River Falls. Follow the action on Blugold Game Day or on the 'UWEC Blugolds' app on your mobile device.