The No. 3 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team used a strong third quarter and an opportunistic defense Saturday afternoon to defeat UW-Eau Claire 24-14 in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference game on a rainy, cool day at Perkins Stadium.

The Warhawks (4-0 overall, 1-0 WIAC) forced three turnovers, all on fumbles, and took advantage with 14 points off the Blugolds’ miscues in the third quarter to turn a three-point lead into a three-score advantage.

Junior running back Alex Peete led the offense with 13 carries for 108 yards and two touchdowns. Junior quarterback Zach Oles passed for 173 yards, and freshman wide receiver Sam DeLany caught two passes for 55 yards.

Senior running back Matt Anderson tallied nine tackles, including three for a loss, to pace the defense. Senior defensive lineman Jordan Brand collected two sacks, and junior defensive back Mark McGrath registered five tackles, including two for a loss, and forced and recovered one fumble.

On UW-Whitewater’s third offensive play from scrimmage, Peete bounced off of three tacklers and sprinted down the right sideline for a 45-yard touchdown just two minutes into the contest.

After a botched punt snap by UW-Eau Claire early in the second quarter, the Warhawks took over at the Blugolds’ 15-yard line and had one play before the contest was suspended due to inclement weather.

Following an approximately 45-minute delay, junior kicker Wojciech Gasienica knocked a 27-yard field goal attempt through the uprights to give UW-Whitewater a 10-0 advantage with 9:27 left in the period.

UW-Eau Claire (2-2, 0-1) took advantage of a botched punt snap later in the quarter and scored with 1:06 remaining before halftime to cut the Warhawks’ advantage to 10-7.

After a three-and-out by UW-Whitewater to start the second half, senior defensive back Garrett Purdy stripped Keshaun Story on a long run into Warhawk territory on the next drive, and senior defensive back Jacob Frey recovered the loose ball.

The Warhawks then embarked on a seven-play, 64-yard drive capped by a 1-yard touchdown run by Peete to make it 16-7 with 8:44 to play in the third.

On the ensuing drive, McGrath forced and recovered a Blugold fumble near midfield, and UW-Whitewater took advantage again. On third-and-16 near midfield, Oles hit senior wide receiver Josh Ringelberg for a 32-yard gain. Three plays later, senior running back Jarrod Ware rushed in from two yards out, and senior running back Ronny Ponick picked up the two-point conversion on a running play to make it 24-7 at the 3:06 mark of the quarter.

UW-Eau Claire scored with 1:25 remaining to cut its deficit to 10, and after a UW-W fumble, had the ball deep in Warhawk territory in the final minute.

UW-Whitewater made a defensive stand at its own 14-yard line, forcing an incompletion with 11 seconds remaining to seal the win.

The Warhawks resume conference play next Saturday, Oct. 12, against unbeaten UW-Platteville. Kickoff on Homecoming Saturday at UW-Whitewater is slated for 2 p.m. at Perkins Stadium.

From Coach Tim Nelson

For most of the team the season came to an end at Racine Prairie on Monday, 10/7. The number 2 doubles team of Melanie Reyes and Mariana Cano advanced with an excellent day. They opened the day with a big upset over the #3 seeded team of Kerstin Miller and Kylie Miller. The two had been beaten by the Monroe team in the first quad of the year 6-3, 7-6(4); today the Whippet pair defeated the Cheesemakers 6-1, 6-2. In their sectional qualifying match they started out slow, falling behind 5-1 to Eden Dempsey and Meghan Magner of Jefferson before rolling off 6 straight games to take the first set and then closing out the match with a 6-2 win in the second. The pair will play in tomorrow’s sectional at East Troy starting at 9 a.m. 

The No. 10 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater volleyball team remained undefeated in Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play Friday night with an 18-25, 25-15, 26-24, 25-20 triumph at UW-Stout. The Warhawks (14-3 overall, 3-0 WIAC), who also extended their win streak to eight matches with the win, overcame a slow start to claim the final three sets in the match.

UW-Whitewater trailed 12-6 in the first set and was unable to recover as the Blue Devils (14-6, 0-3) jumped out to a 1-0 match lead. The Warhawks made a run early in the second set on the serve of sophomore outside hitter Emma Aske and never relinquished the advantage from there to level the match at 1-1. UW-Stout led 17-12 in the third before UW-Whitewater chipped away at the deficit and eventually take the lead at 20-19. The two teams went back and forth from there before the Warhawks claimed the final two points of the frame, with Aske posting the deciding kill on set point. UW-Whitewater held a commanding 16-9 advantage in the fourth before the Blue Devils ran off seven straight points to tie the set at 16-16. The Warhawks rallied for five of the next six points, and the two teams traded points from there, allowing UW-Whitewater to hang on for the four-set victory.

Senior middle hitter Ashton Doll, who put home the final kill of the match, led the Warhawks with 13 kills to go along with three blocks. Senior Rachel Butterfield contributed 10 kills on a .333 hitting percentage and added four digs and three blocks.

Freshman outside hitter Chloe Buescher totaled a double-double with 10 kills, 12 digs and four blocks. Aske finished with five kills, two service aces and 11 digs, and sophomore setter KellyAnn Sotiros collected 18 assists and five digs. Freshman setter Maggie Streckert tallied 17 assists and one block.

Freshman defensive specialist Morgan Jensen led the back row with 23 digs and added two assists. Sophomore defensive specialist Hailey Mackenthun registered 10 digs and two service aces.

UW-Whitewater resumes WIAC play Wednesday, 10/9, against UW-Platteville. Match time is set for 7 p.m. at Russell Arena.