ST. PAUL, Minn.- Samantha Perlberg (Chippewa Falls/Chippewa Falls) made history Saturday as the
top-ranked UW-Oshkosh women's volleyball team split its final two matches of the St. Catherine University Quadrangular. The Titans swept (RV) University of Northwestern (Minn.), 27-25, 25-22, 27-25, before falling to No. 7 Juniata College (Pa.) in five sets, 26-28, 22-25, 25-18, 25-20, 10-15. Oshkosh closed the weekend with an 2-1 record, moving to 11-1 on the season.
Perlberg's 13th and final kill against Northwestern moved her past Katelyn Malcheski to become Oshkosh's all-time kills leader in the rally-scoring era, which dates back to 2008. Perlberg finished the match with 13 kills and 11 digs for a double-double.
No. 1 Titans Sweep (RV) Northwestern, 3-0
Oshkosh finished the morning match with 41 kills, 10 service aces and five total blocks while hitting .188. The Titans held Northwestern to 33 kills and a .173 attack percentage. All three sets were competitive, with the match featuring 24 ties and six lead changes.
Perlberg's 13 kills led the Titan attack, while
Riley Borrowman (Oswego, Ill./Oswego) added nine kills on 17 swings for a .294 hitting percentage and served three aces.
Grace Juergens (Lockport, Ill./Lockport Community) put down seven kills with just one error, hit .286 and led Oshkosh with four service aces.
Lauren Grier (Fond du Lac/Fond du Lac) added five kills and five block assists.
Alex Hopp (Spring Grove, Ill./Richmond-Burton Community) directed the offense with 21 assists and added an ace, while
Leah Carlson (Dixon, Ill./Dixon) dished out 14 assists. Perlberg led the defensive effort with 11 digs, with
Callie Panasuk (Oak Creek/Oak Creek) adding nine.
The opening set was a battle from start to finish, featuring 13 ties and three lead changes. Perlberg, Borrowman and Juergens helped lead an Oshkosh attack that put down 16 kills on 51 swings. The Titans also held Northwestern to a .156 hitting percentage before pulling out the extended frame, 27-25.
Oshkosh found more separation in the second set. The Titans recorded 14 kills while hitting .219, while their defense held Northwestern to eight kills and a .115 attack percentage. Juergens and Borrowman helped put pressure on the Eagles from the service line as Oshkosh secured the 25-22 victory and moved within a set of the sweep.
Northwestern pushed the Titans again in the third, which featured nine ties and three lead changes. The Eagles produced their best offensive set of the match with 12 kills and a .242 hitting percentage, but Oshkosh answered when it mattered. Perlberg recorded her 13th kill of the match to pass Malcheski atop the rally-scoring era career kills list, and the Titans eventually prevailed, 27-25, to complete their fourth consecutive sweep.
No. 7 Juniata Edges No. 1 Titans in Five Sets
The Titans' unbeaten start came to an end in a five-set battle against No. 7 Juniata to close the weekend. Oshkosh finished with 41 kills, 10 service aces and 11 total blocks, while Juniata recorded 67 kills and hit .165. The Eagles also held a 79-59 advantage in digs.
Emmy Wizceb (Sullivan/Johnsburg (Ill.)) led an efficient group of Titan attackers, putting down eight kills with just one error on 18 swings for a .389 hitting percentage.
Clare McEniry (North Aurora, Ill./Rosary) added six kills on a .357 clip, while
Lauren Grier (Fond du Lac/Fond du Lac) finished with seven kills and a match-high eight total blocks, including two solo blocks.
Perlberg and Juergens each recorded eight kills and 14 digs, while Juergens added two aces. Hopp finished with 12 assists and a team-high three service aces, Carlson added 13 assists and
Ava Van Camp (Kimberly/Kimberly) served two aces.
Neither side could gain much separation in a first set that featured 11 ties and four lead changes. Oshkosh struggled to find its offensive rhythm, hitting .075 with eight kills, but remained within striking distance throughout the frame. Juniata put down 18 kills and eventually escaped with a 28-26 victory.
The second set brought another back-and-forth battle with nine ties and five lead changes. The Titans recorded nine kills while Juniata hit .286 behind 17 kills. The Eagles took the frame, 25-22, to put Oshkosh one set away from its first loss of the season.
Oshkosh responded in the third behind a much stronger defensive effort. Grier helped lead the Titans at the net, while Wizceb and McEniry provided efficient swings offensively. The Titans hit .206 and forced Juniata into nine attack errors, holding the Eagles to a .028 hitting percentage. Oshkosh took the set, 25-18, to extend the match.
The Titans carried that momentum into the fourth, again hitting .206 with 10 kills. Juergens and Perlberg continued to contribute on both sides of the ball, while Oshkosh's front line helped force Juniata into eight attack errors. The Titans took the set, 25-20, erasing the two-set deficit and forcing a decisive fifth.
Juniata regained control in the fifth, putting down 10 kills with three errors on 23 attacks for a .304 hitting percentage. Oshkosh was held to five kills and committed five attack errors in the deciding frame as the Eagles took the set, 15-10, handing the Titans their first loss of the season.
The Titans will return to Kolf Sports Center on Friday (Sept. 25) for the WIAC opener against UW-River Falls. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.
