MADISON, Wis.- There was no slowing down the
top-ranked UW-Oshkosh volleyball team Tuesday evening, as the Titans swept their way through the Edgewood University Triangular at the Todd Wehr Edgedome. Oshkosh dispatched Carthage College, 25-20, 25-23, 25-21, before taking down host Edgewood College, 25-17, 25-23, 25-18. The pair of victories gave the Titans their fourth and fifth sweeps of the season and pushed Oshkosh to 9-0 for the second consecutive year.
No. 1 Titans Sweep Carthage, 3-0
Oshkosh hit .234 with 38 kills and 13 errors on 107 attacks while limiting Carthage to a .155 hitting percentage. The Titans were especially effective at the net, recording a season-high 12 total blocks compared to five for the Firebirds. The match featured 32 ties and 17 lead changes across the three sets.
Samantha Perlberg (Chippewa Falls/Chippewa Falls) paced the Titan attack with a match-high 17 kills on 40 swings, hitting .350 while adding a team-high 13 digs and two service aces for a double-double.
Grace Juergens (Lockport, Ill./Lockport Community) joined her in double figures with 12 kills on a .417 hitting percentage and added nine digs.
Lauren Grier (Fond du Lac/Fond du Lac) led Oshkosh at the net with seven total blocks, including two solo blocks, while
Riley Borrowman (Oswego, Ill./Oswego) added five total blocks.
Leah Carlson (Dixon, Ill./Dixon) directed the offense with 19 assists and five digs, while
Alex Hopp (Spring Grove, Ill./Richmond-Burton Community) added 13 assists.
Callie Panasuk (Oak Creek/Oak Creek) finished with 11 digs.
The Titans came out firing in the opening set, recording 13 kills with just one error on 29 attacks for a .414 hitting percentage. The frame featured seven ties and three lead changes, but Oshkosh was able to create separation and take the opening set, 25-20.
Carthage challenged the Titans throughout the second set as the teams battled through 10 ties and four lead changes. Oshkosh was held to a .119 hitting percentage but limited the Firebirds to 10 kills on a .073 clip. The Titans prevailed in the tightly contested frame, 25-23, to move within one set of the sweep.
The back-and-forth battle continued into the third with 15 ties and 10 lead changes. Oshkosh put down 13 kills while hitting .222 and held Carthage to a .176 attack percentage. The Titans pulled away to take the set, 25-21, securing their fourth sweep of the season.
No. 1 Titans Complete Triangular With Sweep of Edgewood
The Titans carried their momentum into the nightcap, holding Edgewood to a .032 hitting percentage in a three-set victory. The Eagles committed 25 attack errors against 28 kills, while Oshkosh finished with 34 kills and hit .217. The Titans also recorded 11.5 total blocks in the victory.
Perlberg once again led the Titans offensively, putting down a match-high 13 kills with just two errors on 30 attacks for a .367 hitting percentage. She also recorded a team-high 11 digs for her second double-double of the night. Juergens added eight kills and seven digs, while
Maren Motz (Hartland/Arrowhead Union) turned in an efficient performance with six kills without an error on nine swings for a .667 hitting percentage.
Borrowman contributed across the board with four kills, four service aces and five block assists, while Grier led the Titans with seven block assists. Hopp dished out 17 assists, Carlson added 14 and Panasuk recorded 10 digs.
Oshkosh controlled the opening set, putting down 12 kills while hitting .250 and holding Edgewood without a positive hitting percentage. The Eagles recorded nine kills and nine errors on 35 attacks as the Titans took the frame, 25-17.
Edgewood provided its strongest challenge in the second set, which featured three ties and two lead changes. The Titans were held to a .147 hitting percentage, but their defense limited the Eagles to a .054 clip. Oshkosh held on for the 25-23 victory to take a 2-0 advantage.
The Titans closed out the evening with their most efficient offensive set against the Eagles, recording 12 kills on 26 attacks for a .269 hitting percentage. Edgewood managed eight kills and hit .043 as Oshkosh took the third set, 25-18, to complete its second sweep of the night and improve to 9-0 for the second straight season.
The Titans will be back in action Friday (Sept. 18) for day one of the St. Catherine University Quadrangular in St. Paul, Minn. Oshkosh will begin with the host St. Catherine at 6 p.m. CT.
