OSHKOSH, Wis.- The top-seeded UW-Oshkosh women's volleyball team fell for the first time this season, dropping a 3-0 decision to second-seeded UW-Whitewater in the WIAC Championship match at the Kolf Sports Center on Saturday night (Nov. 11).
The No. 6 nationally ranked Warhawks (26-4, 6-1 WIAC) swept No. 2 Oshkosh (34-1, 7-0 WIAC) in set scores of 25-23, 25-20 and 25-22.
Riley Kindt (Sr. • Brookfield) paced the Titans with 10 kills on 29 attacks. Izzy Coon (So. • Fond du Lac) and Kalli Mau (Sr. • Kimberly) each eclipsed double digit assists with 14 and 13, respectively. Abby Fregien (Jr. • Waukesha) was the leading defensive player with 22 digs, while Emmy Wizceb (Fr. • Johnsburg, Ill.) registered three blocks (two solo).
The Titans took an early lead in the first set on back-to-back kills from Sami Perlberg (Fr. • Chippewa Falls) and Kindt before the score was tied at every point from five to 10. Whitewater grabbed the lead with a Kristen Anderson kill, but the Warhawks couldn't shake the Titans. They tied it up again at 13, 15, 18, 19 and 20 points. Wizceb brought the Titans back to within a points at 24-23, but the Warhawks killed their 25th point of the set right after.
Whitewater used 5-1 lead at the beginning of the second set to keep Oshkosh at least two points away for the entirety of the second set. The Titans scored three in-a-row, cutting the deficit down to 20-16, however they could not start a meaningful run and went down 0-2 for just the second time this season. The first was on Oct. 13 when they reverse swept Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.).
Oshkosh scored the first two points of the third set and kept the score close when it did lose the lead until Whitewater went on an eight-point spurt to grab a 17-11 lead. Not to be out-done, the Titans scored six-straight of their own and tied it back up at 17-17. The Warhawks broke an 18-18 tie with three points that Oshkosh didn't have an answer for and eventually knocked off the previously undefeated Titans.
The Titans will tune into NCAA.com on Monday (Nov. 13) at noon to watch for where they will compete in the regional round of the NCAA Division III Tournament.
