RIVER FALLS, Wis. (blugolds.com) – The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire volleyball team began Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) play on Wednesday night. Coming into the match, UW-Eau Claire held a record of 26-10 all-time against the hosts, UW-River Falls. With a seventh consecutive WIAC tournament appearance in mind, the Blugolds flew past the Falcons with a three-set sweep, 3-0.
After a loss in the final match of the Auggie Invite, the Blugolds came out with a fiery start to begin conference play. A 4-1 start kept the Blugolds from falling behind at all in the first set. Charlie Nelson (So. – Lakeville, MN/Farmington) picked up 14 of her 35 assists on the night in the first frame as the UWEC offense kept active.
The second set saw three different lead changes and ten tie scores, but errors on the UWRF side and Abby Volk (Sr. – Willmar, MN) swinging for .750 carried UWEC to the set win, 25-19.
In the final set, Eau Claire never waivered the lead and cruised on to a 25-18 win.
Charlie Nelson currently leads the WIAC in total assists (309) and average assists per set (11.04). Kendra Baierl (Sr. – Marshfield, WI/Columbus Catholic) leads the conference in blocks with 47 and averages the most blocks per set, 1.47.
The Blugolds will be host their first home game of the 2021 season on Friday, September 17th when they host the ninth annual Sandy Schumacher Memorial Tournament presented by Nike/Eastbay. The full two-day tournament schedules featuring five additional teams from around the Midwest can be found here.
Follow the Blugolds all season long at Blugold Game Day or on our app, UWEC Blugolds.
