OSHKOSH, Wis.- The UW-Oshkosh women's volleyball team came into the Kolf Sports Center fieldhouse looking to avenge the loss to UW-Whitewater in the WIAC Championship last season, and left with a 3-2 (25-18, 13-25, 22-25, 25-23, 15-10) win over the Warhawks in front of over 2,000 fans on Wednesday night (Sept. 18).
 
The Titans (11-2, 1-0 WIAC) moved up to fifth in the American Volleyball Coaches Association NCAA Division III poll this week after upsetting then-ranked No. 2 Hope College (Mich.) on Saturday (Sept. 14) and the Warhawks (10-1, 0-1 WIAC) were ranked third.
 
As a team, UW-Oshkosh notched 62 kills, 59 assists, eight blocks, four aces, and 79 digs against UW-Whitewater's 55 kills, 54 assists, 15 blocks, three aces, and 74 digs.
 
Sami Perlberg (So. • Chippewa Falls) hit 20 kills, besting her previous career high of 18 kills on Sept. 30, 2023, against Hope. Robyn Kirsch (Sr. • Wausau) and Olivia Breunig (Sr. • Sauk Prairie) recorded 11 and 10 kills respectively. Kalli Mau (Fifth • Kimberly) accumulated 27 assists while Izzy Coon (Jr. • Fond du Lac) racked up 23 and both Perlberg and Abby Fregien (Sr. • Waukesha) served up two aces. Fregien tallied 31 digs in the match.
 
Three early points put the Titans in the driver's seat in the first set and they extended their lead to seven points with a 4-point run that included kills from Breunig and Lauren Grier (So. • Fond du Lac). Neither team scored more than two points straight for the rest of the set and Riley Kindt (Fifth • Brookfield) put Oshkosh up 1-0 with a set-ending kill.
 
UW-Whitewater jumped ahead early in set two by going 6-0 and 4-0 to make the score 12-4. After an attack error, Breunig and Kindt notched kills to bring the Titans back within five points at 12-7, however the Warhawks tallied another five points and eventually took the set.
 
Oshkosh and Whitewater traded leads throughout the third set with small 2- and 3-point runs. The Titans led as late as 22-21 before four straight Warhawk points ended the set.
 
Perlberg put UW-Oshkosh ahead right away in set four with back-to-back kills. Whitewater held in at a 1-point deficit until Oshkosh moved ahead 17-12 on the back of two Perlberg aces and two Warhawk aces. UW-Whitewater pulled within a point by scoring four consecutive points but Breunig's kill and another Warhawk error won the set.
 
Wednesday's win was the first five set match for UW-Oshkosh this season and it took advantage of the new situation by jumping ahead 5-2 early. The Titans retained their edge the rest of the way while Perlberg recorded two kills and Emmy Wizceb (So. • Johnsburg, Ill.) added another in the final four points of the match.
 
The Titans head to the University of Northwestern (Minn.) Faith Radio Triangular on Saturday and face off with the No. 13 Eagles and St. Catherine University (Minn.) at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.