TACOMA, Wash.- The UW-Oshkosh women's volleyball team opened the 2026 season with a pair of victories Friday at Memorial Fieldhouse, sweeping Pacific University (Ore.) before battling back for a five-set victory over Pacific Lutheran University (Wash.). The Titans defeated Pacific, 25-15, 25-16, 25-14, before earning a 26-28, 25-19, 21-25, 25-23, 15-10 victory over Pacific Lutheran to begin the season 2-0.
The top-ranked team in Division III by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, UW-Oshkosh totaled 108 kills, 22 service aces and 153 digs. Samantha Perlberg (Chippewa Falls/Chippewa Falls) paced the Titans offensively with 39 kills between the two matches, while also contributing 33 digs.
Titans Sweep Pacific, 3-0
UW-Oshkosh opened the day by hitting .301 as a team, recording 42 kills on 93 attacks with just 14 errors. The Titans also limited Pacific to a .063 hitting percentage. Perlberg led the offense with 15 kills on 27 attacks for a .444 hitting percentage, while Grace Juergens (Lockport, Ill./Lockport Community) added eight kills on 16 attacks (.375) and three service aces. Riley Borrowman (Oswego, Ill./Oswego) recorded five kills on eight attacks (.625) and added three aces and three total blocks.
Leah Carlson (Dixon, Ill./Dixon) directed the Titan offense with 20 assists and three aces, while Alex Hopp (Spring Grove, Ill./Richmond-Burton Community) added 13 assists and one ace. Callie Panasuk (Oak Creek/Oak Creek) anchored the defensive effort with nine digs and three aces.
The Titans established control early in the opening set, recording 14 kills on 23 attacks while hitting .348. Pacific managed just three kills and three errors in the frame as UW-Oshkosh secured a 25-15 victory.
UW-Oshkosh continued its strong play in the second set, overcoming seven attack errors with 13 kills to hit .158. Pacific finished the frame with a .161 hitting percentage, but the Titans maintained control to take the set, 25-16, and move within one set of the sweep.
The Titans saved their most efficient offensive performance for the third set, exploding for 15 kills with just one attack error on 32 attempts for a .438 hitting percentage. Pacific was held to a .000 hitting percentage in the final frame as UW-Oshkosh completed the sweep with a 25-14 win.
Titans Battle Past Pacific Lutheran in Five Sets
UW-Oshkosh faced a much tighter test in its second match of the day, battling Pacific Lutheran through five sets before securing the 15-10 victory in the deciding frame. The Titans finished with 66 kills and 112 digs, while Perlberg turned in a career-best defensive performance with 26 digs to go along with a match-high 24 kills and 25 points.
Juergens added 14 kills, 24 digs and four service aces, while Lauren Grier (Fond du Lac/Fond du Lac) contributed nine kills and four total blocks. Borrowman finished with eight kills, three assists, eight digs and a solo block. Carlson recorded 27 assists and three aces, Hopp added 19 assists, and Panasuk turned in a career-high 32 digs.
The opening set featured a back-and-forth battle, with 13 ties and eight lead changes. UW-Oshkosh recorded 13 kills but hit just .020 in the frame, while Pacific Lutheran held a narrow advantage offensively. The Lutes eventually edged the Titans, 28-26, to take the opening set.
UW-Oshkosh responded in the second set, improving its offensive efficiency to .205 behind 13 kills and only four errors. The Titans held Pacific Lutheran to a .061 hitting percentage and evened the match with a 25-19 victory.
Pacific Lutheran regained the lead in the third set, hitting .286 while UW-Oshkosh produced 15 kills at a .186 clip. The Titans remained within striking distance offensively but ultimately dropped the frame, 25-21, putting the Lutes one set away from the match victory.
Facing elimination, the Titans answered with another tightly contested set. The fourth frame featured 12 ties and seven lead changes, with UW-Oshkosh producing a match-best 16 kills. Despite hitting .143, the Titans held Pacific Lutheran to a .116 mark and pulled out a 25-23 victory to force a decisive fifth set.
UW-Oshkosh took control in the deciding frame, recording nine kills with just two errors for a .259 hitting percentage. The Titans limited Pacific Lutheran to five kills and a .107 hitting percentage, closing out the comeback with a 15-10 victory and moving to 2-0 on the young season.
The Titans will be back in action Saturday for day two of the Puget Sound Premiere in Tacoma, Wash as they take on (RV) Franklin & Marshall College (Pa.) and University of Puget Sound (Wash.).
