STEVENS POINT, Wis.- A matchup between the top two teams in NCAA Division III women's volleyball went in favor of top-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University on Saturday (Oct. 17), as the second-ranked UW-Oshkosh women's volleyball team fell in straight sets to close out the UW-Stevens Point Polito's Invitational. The Titans dropped the match by set scores of 23-25, 18-25 and 23-25 inside Berg Gym, moving to 21-3 overall on the season.
Oshkosh finished the afternoon with 36 kills on 110 attacks for a .164 hitting percentage, while Illinois Wesleyan recorded 45 kills on 105 swings to hit .257. The Titans also finished with 35 digs and seven total blocks, while the Titans of Illinois Wesleyan held a 48-35 advantage in digs.
Grace Juergens (Lockport, Ill./Lockport Community) led the Oshkosh attack with a match-high 13 kills, while
Samantha Perlberg (Chippewa Falls/Chippewa Falls) added eight kills and eight digs.
Lauren Grier (Fond du Lac/Fond du Lac) contributed four kills and a team-high four total blocks, while
Clare McEniry (North Aurora, Ill./Rosary) added three blocks.
Ava Van Hammond (Kimberly/Kimberly) directed the offense with a team-high 16 assists, while
Alex Hopp (Spring Grove, Ill./Richmond-Burton Community) dished out 15 assists.
Callie Panasuk (Oak Creek/Oak Creek) anchored the back row with a team-high 13 digs, while Juergens added five. Perlberg also recorded Oshkosh's lone service ace.
The opening set featured a closely contested battle between the nation's top two teams. Oshkosh put down 12 kills on 36 attacks while hitting .139, with Juergens and Perlberg helping pace the offensive effort. Illinois Wesleyan countered with 12 kills of its own and a .219 hitting percentage. The teams remained close throughout the frame before Illinois Wesleyan secured a 25-23 victory to take the early advantage.
Illinois Wesleyan found more offensive success in the second, recording 17 kills with just five errors on 34 attacks for a match-best .353 hitting percentage. Oshkosh improved its efficiency to .200, putting down 10 kills with four errors on 30 swings. Despite the Titans' offensive improvement, Illinois Wesleyan took the set, 25-18, to move within one of the sweep.
Oshkosh continued to battle in the third, producing its highest kill total of the afternoon with 14 kills on 44 swings. Juergens led the Titan attack with 13 kills overall, while Perlberg and Grier continued to contribute offensively. The Oshkosh defense forced Illinois Wesleyan into eight attack errors, limiting the top-ranked Titans to a .205 hitting percentage in the frame.
However, Illinois Wesleyan countered with 16 kills in the third and held off Oshkosh, 25-23, to complete the straight-set victory. Perlberg was named to the All-Tournament Team for her efforts.
The Titans will return to Kolf Sports Center on Wednesday (Oct. 21) to face Marian University for Senior and Parents Night.
