TACOMA, Wash.- The top-ranked UW-Oshkosh volleyball team added two more victories Saturday to close out the Puget Sound Premiere with a perfect 4-0 record. The Titans opened the day with a 3-1 (25-12, 23-25, 25-18, 25-17) victory over (RV) Franklin & Marshall College (Pa.) before rallying from a 2-0 deficit to defeat host University of Puget Sound (Wash.) in five sets, 25-27, 19-25, 25-22, 25-19, 15-11. UW-Oshkosh has now won 14 consecutive matches dating back to last season.
#1 Titans Take Down (RV) Franklin & Marshall, 3-1
UW-Oshkosh opened Saturday by hitting .230 with 41 kills and 13 errors on 122 attacks while holding Franklin & Marshall to a .043 hitting percentage. The Titans also held advantages in service aces, 11-9, and total blocks, 10-3.
Samantha Perlberg (Chippewa Falls/Chippewa Falls) led the Titans with 10 kills and three service aces, committing just one attack error on 38 swings. Riley Borrowman (Oswego, Ill./Oswego) added eight kills on a .429 hitting percentage while recording a match-high five total blocks. Lauren Grier (Fond du Lac/Fond du Lac) and Grace Juergens (Lockport, Ill./Lockport Community) each contributed seven kills, with Grier hitting .333 and adding four total blocks. Clare McEniry (North Aurora, Ill./Rosary) also finished with seven kills and four blocks.
Callie Panasuk (Oak Creek/Oak Creek) led the back row with 18 digs, while Juergens added 14. Ava Van Hammond (Kimberly/Kimberly) dished out a team-high 16 assists and served three aces, while Leah Carlson (Dixon, Ill./Dixon) finished with 12 assists and three aces.
The Titans set the tone immediately in the opening frame, holding Franklin & Marshall to six kills and forcing nine attack errors. The Diplomats finished the set with a -.097 hitting percentage while UW-Oshkosh hit .214 on its way to a commanding 25-12 victory.
Franklin & Marshall responded with its best offensive set of the match in the second, recording 11 kills with four errors for a .219 hitting percentage. The frame featured six ties and two lead changes before the Diplomats edged UW-Oshkosh, 25-23, to even the match at one set apiece.
UW-Oshkosh regained control in the third. The Titans held Franklin & Marshall to a .027 hitting percentage and recorded 10 kills of their own to take the frame, 25-18. Oshkosh continued its defensive pressure in the fourth, forcing eight attack errors and limiting the Diplomats to a .025 clip. The Titans committed just two attack errors in the set and closed out the match with a 25-17 victory.
#1 Titans Rally From Two Sets Down to Defeat Puget Sound
UW-Oshkosh closed out the weekend with its second five-set victory in as many days, overcoming a 2-0 deficit to defeat host Puget Sound. The Titans recorded 59 kills, 57 assists, eight service aces and 80 digs in the victory.
Grace Juergens (Lockport, Ill./Lockport Community) paced the Titan attack with 18 kills on a .275 hitting percentage and added 10 digs and two aces for a double-double. Perlberg followed with 17 kills and 14 digs for a double-double of her own, while McEniry put together an efficient performance with 10 kills and just one error on 24 attacks for a .375 hitting percentage.
Panasuk once again led UW-Oshkosh defensively with 24 digs. Carlson recorded 24 assists, 10 digs and a match-high four service aces, while Alex Hopp (Spring Grove, Ill./Richmond-Burton Community) added 13 assists and Van Hammond contributed eight.
The opening set featured six ties and two lead changes as the teams battled for the early advantage. UW-Oshkosh recorded 11 kills but committed nine attack errors and hit .063. Puget Sound eventually prevailed in the tightly contested frame, 27-25.
The Loggers extended their advantage in the second set, taking the frame 25-19 to put the Titans on the brink of their first loss of the season. UW-Oshkosh hit .071 with 10 kills in the set, while Puget Sound recorded 14 kills at a .243 clip.
Facing a 2-0 deficit, UW-Oshkosh began its comeback in the third set. The Titans put down 13 kills to capture a 25-22 victory and extend the match. UWO continued to gain momentum in the fourth, hitting .242 with 13 kills and five errors while holding the Loggers to a .100 hitting percentage. The Titans took the set, 25-19, to force a winner-take-all fifth frame.
UW-Oshkosh saved its best offensive performance of the match for the deciding set. The Titans did not commit an attack error in the fifth, putting down 12 kills on 25 swings for a .480 hitting percentage. Puget Sound hit .318 without an attack error of its own, but UW-Oshkosh's offense proved too much as the Titans secured the 15-11 victory to complete the reverse sweep and finish their opening weekend undefeated.
Samantha Perlberg (Chippewa Falls/Chippewa Falls) was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament while Grace Juergens (Lockport, Ill./Lockport Community) and Callie Panasuk (Oak Creek/Oak Creek) also earned All-Tournament honors.
The Titans will return to the court Wednesday (September 9) when they host St. Norbert College for their home opener as part of the UW-Oshkosh Double Dual.
