By Bryce Meade, UWEC Sports Information
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (Blugolds.com) - The No. 13 University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire volleyball team captured their sixth regular season conference title in program history, and first since 2011, on Friday evening defeating the visiting No. 18 UW-Whitewater Warhawks 3-1 (20-25, 25-15, 25-17, 25-20).
Box Score | Hoepner Photos | Miller Photos
After dropping the first set, the Blugolds responded by taking three straight sets decisively. In the final three, the Blugolds outhit the Warhawks .308 to .115.
Madelyn Pashibin (Sr. – Minneapolis, MN/Southwest), who has now recorded at least 16 kills in three straight matches, led the Blugolds offensively, hitting .429. With Pashibin's first kill of the night, the senior recorded her 1,000th kill as a Blugold after hitting the overall career mark on Oct. 6th.
Arianna Barrett (Fr. – Lakeville, MN/North) contributed 11 kills of her own and Makenzie Bachmann (So. – Chaska, MN) recorded a double-double with 12 kills and 10 digs. Taylor Scalia (So. – Lake Elmo, MN/Stillwater) topped 20 digs for the fifth time this season and Madison Surprise (Sr. – Appleton, WI/Kimberly) led Eau Claire with 43 assists.
Eau Claire now owns the top seed in the WIAC Championship tournament, which will kick off on October 30th. As the #1 seed, the Blugolds earn a first round bye and will host the winner of 4th and 5th seed match on Nov. 1st.
The Blugolds will travel west to close out their regular season with a match against St. Thomas (Minn.) tomorrow evening. The Blugolds defeated the Tommies three sets to one on September 8th. Follow the action on Blugold Game Day or on the 'UWEC Blugolds' app on your mobile device.
