RIVER FALLS, Wis.- The UW-Oshkosh women's volleyball team was perfect at the UW-River Falls Quadrangular on Saturday (Oct. 4), defeating Macalester College (Minn.) and the College of Saint Benedict (Minn.) and extending its streak of 3-0 victories to 15 matches.
 
The Titans (19-2, 3-0 WIAC), ranked third in Division III by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, beat Macalester (3-14, 0-3 MIAC), 25-19, 25-13, 25-17, and Saint Benedict (11-4, 2-1 MIAC), 25-18, 25-23, 28-26.
 
Clare McEniry (North Aurora, Ill./Rosary) led Oshkosh with nine kills in the first match. Riley Borrowman (Oswego, Ill./Oswego) set a career high in blocks with 4.5 while Samantha Perlberg (Chippewa Falls/Chippewa Falls) recorded 10 digs and Jaclyn Dutkiewicz (Franklin/Franklin) contributed 23 assists. Izzy Coon (Fond du Lac/St. Mary's Springs Academy) registered a personal best seven service aces to go with her 12 assists.
 
Against the Scots, the Titans had 39 kills, 11 aces and 13 blocks, while hitting .204 as a team. UW-Oshkosh led in each statistic.
 
The first set started with Macalester jumping out to a 6-2 lead on the back of a 5-0 run. The Titans later scored six straight points, with three Coon service aces, to flip the lead at 11-9 for the Titans. UW-Oshkosh then took seven of the next 10 points to stretch its lead to 18-12 before Macalester went on a run of four points. The Titans responded to with two points of their own and they closed out the first set securing five of the next eight points.
 
Perlberg and Maren Motz (Hartland/Arrowhead Union) recorded back-to-back kills to begin the second set, however Macalester then jumped out to a 5-3 lead. The Titans responded with five consecutive points including two Perlberg kills, a kill from McEniry, and a block each by Perlberg and Lauren Grier (Fond du Lac/Fond du Lac) to create an 8-5 lead. Macalester tallied seven of the following nine points to extend their lead to 12-10, however Oshkosh recorded four kills and two blocks to again flip the lead. After a Scot point, the Titans scored in each of the next nine serves, four of which came on Coon service aces, and went up two sets to none.
 
Set three started with a quick 4-2 lead for Macalester. UW-Oshkosh then scored seven straight points to take back the lead at 9-4. Perlberg, McEniry, Grier, and Grace Juergens (Lockport, Ill./Lockport Community) all had kills in that span. The teams then went back and forth before Macalester cut the lead to two points after three straight points. Oshkosh closed out the match sby coring nine of the next 12 points to take set three and earn the sweep.
 
In their second match of the day the Titans hit .214 with 42 kills to Saint Benedict's .144 and 40 kills. Perlberg led the way for the Titans as she recorded a team high 15 kills. Borrowman was again the Titans' lead blocker with four and Izzy Coon (Fond du Lac/St. Mary's Springs Academy) had 12 digs and 18 assists. Coon reached 1,000 career digs in the match.
 
In set one it was a back and forth beginning and the teams eventually knotted at 7-7. UW-Oshkosh found some separation after scoring three points thanks to two kills from Juergens and Perlberg. There was some more back and forth with the two teams, but Oshkosh maintained their lead headed into an 8-0 spurt with two aces from Panasuk and a kill each for McEniry and Borrowman, stretching the lead to 23-13. The Bennies fought back, scoring five of the next six points, making the score 24-18 before Motz closed out the set with a kill.
 
UW-Oshkosh created an early 4-1 lead by responding to a set-opening point for Saint Benedict, however the Bennies climbed back to tie the set at 9-9. Oshkosh then created separation by scoring four straight, including two kills by Borrowman and one by Juergens. Oshkosh and Saint Benedict went back and forth, scoring four and three straight points respectively. An 8-3 spurt for the Bennies tied the score at 22-22, however Oshkosh closed out the set with two Juergens kills and an unforced error against a Bennie kill.
 
Set three was another back and forth affair, eventually knotting at 7-7. Oshkosh responded to a 4-1 Saint Benedict lead with four points of its own to make the score 12-10 midway through the set. Neither team could create a lead of more than three points down the stretch. The Bennies reached set point at 26-25 with a kill, however Juergens notched a kill, Saint Benedict committed an attack error and Borrowman blocked a shot to flip the lead and win the match.
 
Oshkosh is back on the court on Wednesday (Oct. 8) to take on Carroll University (10-8, 1-3 CCIW) at 7 p.m. at Kolf Sports Center. The contest is also Senior Night.