Today is Monday, January 6, 2025
The national championship game will stream from Salem, VA this afternoon, Saturday, December 7, at 3 p.m. CST. Unfortunately, the game will only be shown on ESPN+, a pay service that is only available through an app.
Previously posted on The Banner:
Salem, Va. — The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater volleyball topped Johns Hopkins 3-2 bolstered by an incredible fifth set to advance to secure their spot in the national title match. The Warhawks will play the winner of Hope and Juniata for a chance to hoist the national championship trophy on Saturday at 4 PM EST/3 PM CST. [The Warhawks (No. 6) will play Juniata of Pennsylvania (No. 1) for the championship after Juniata beat Hope 3-2. Juniata has been the champion the past two years.] The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Thursday’s national semifinal featured big wins by each squad with Johns Hopkins taking sets one and three while UWW cruised to wins in sets two and four. It all came down to the decisive fifth set and the Warhawks showcased why they are the best blocking team in the nation.
Outside hitter Alayna Jansky tooled the block for the first point of the fifth. A fantastic serve by Riley Braunschweig had JHU out of system, but a UWW miscue tied the set 1-1. On the next rally setter Aubrie Krzus and middle hitter Hannah Proctor teamed up for the Warhawks’ first block of the set. A Blue Jay kill from the right side made it 2-2.
The Johns Hopkins float serve sailed well long of the end line for a 3-2 lead. The Blue Jays set to the right side again but outside Jenna Weinfurt and Proctor turned their hands in on the attack sending the ball back to the floor quickly for the second block of the set — 4-2 Warhawk lead.
The next rally had Proctor teaming with right side Chloe Werner to shut down another Blue Jay attack to force a timeout with UWW leading 5-2. On the other side of the break, Jansky’s tough serve forced a free ball and Weinfurt capitalized hammering down a kill from the outside for a 6-2 advantage.
Weinfurt and Proctor made it five straight for UW-Whitewater with yet another block, this one deflected straight back into the hitter for the point and a 7-2 advantage.
A cut shot for JHU hit the floor to end the run, but the Warhawks responded quickly with the team’s fifth block of the set. Werner and Proctor shut down the outside to force the side switch with UWW leading 9-3.
A Blue Jay kill after the brief intermission made it 9-4, but once again, UW-Whitewater answered. An attack from Werner nearly hit the floor but a pancake kept the play alive. JHU was able to get the ball over the net and Krzus went back to Werner. This time she opted for the deep corner with the ball landing just inside the lines for a 10-4 lead.
Back-to-back points for the Blue Jays narrowed the gap to four, 10-6.
On the next play, Krzus pushed the set to the pin and Weinfurt elevated hitting over the block down the line for a kill and an 11-6 lead. The best blocker in the nation, middle Abbie Dix, got in on the block action on the next rally. She teamed up with Krzus for a huge one to force the final Johns Hopkins timeout of the set.
Out of the timeout it was Dix and Krzus yet again for the Warhawks’ seventh block of the set to make it 13-6.
Following a UWW service error, the Blue Jay server was whistled for going over the line on her serve to force match point. UW-Whitewater ended it in perfect fashion, with their eighth, yes eighth, block of the set as Krzus and Proctor sealed the win.
The Warhawks ended up out-blocking the Blue Jays 14-9 with Dix leading all players with eight. Krzus and Proctor each had six while Werner added four and Weinfurt three.
Offensively, Jansky hammered down 17 kills while Weinfurt posted 16. Krzus dished out 43 assists. In the dig column, Weinfurt registered 17 with libero Jaedynn Evans tallying 12 and Jansky adding 11.
On Saturday, the Warhawks will play for the national title for the third time under Head Coach Stacy Boudreau. UWW hoisted the trophy in 2005, her first season at the helm, and finished as the national runner-up in 2007.
The UW-Whitewater Women’s Basketball team is hosting the Hoops4Hunger Event on Wednesday, December 11 at 5:30 p.m. at the Kachel Gymnasium in Williams Center. As of December 5, the team’s record is 5-1.
Editor’s note: This announcement was submitted by Kendall Roquet, grad assistant, who welcomes any questions at roquetk23@uww.edu
By Angela Kelm
Asst. Athletic Director for Sports Information
Salem, Va. — The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater volleyball team opened play at the NCAA Division III Championship with a phenomenal three-set sweep over Emory Wednesday morning. The Warhawks took down the Eagles 25-13, 25-23, 25-19 in the Cregger Center in Salem, Virginia.
With the win, the Warhawks advance to the semifinals to face the winner of a match between Johns Hopkins and UW-Oshkosh currently underway at the Cregger Center. UWW’s semifinal match is slated for Thursday, December 5 at 4 PM CST. [Per the bracket, Johns Hopkins beat UW-O by 3-2.] The championship is being streamed exclusively on ESPN+.
UW-Whitewater set the tone early in set one to draw all of the momentum in the arena. The Warhawks followed up a 6-2 run with five consecutive points to open up an 18-9 advantage. The five-point spurt featured a pair of kills from Alayna Jansky and a huge block by Chloe Werner and Hannah Proctor. UWW capped the set with a 6-1 run to take an early match lead.
The second set was a back-and-forth affair with the teams trading the lead eight times. The battle came down to the wire in the end. With the Eagles leading 22-21, Jenna Weinfurt hammered down a kill to knot the set. After a miscue from each team, the squads were tied for the 14th time in the set, 23-23. Jansky gave the Warhawks set point with a cue and another Eagle mishap had UWW enjoying a 2-0 lead in the match.
Set three was all Whitewater from the first serve. The Warhawks scored the first three and never looked back, leading the entire way through to secure their spot in the semifinals.
Like it has been all season for UWW, defense was a key difference maker in the match. The Warhawks held the Eagles to a .000 attack percentage in the first set and a negative hitting efficiency in the third. Meanwhile, the offense was working in tandem as UWW hit .234 for the match with double digit kills in each set.
Jansky led all players with 13 kills, adding 17 digs. Weinfurt also posted a double-double with 12 kills and 10 digs. Jaedynn Evans tallied 16 digs in the match.
Aubrie Krzus averaged over 10 assists a set with 37 total in the sweep. Middles Abbie Dix and Hannah Proctor combined for seven blocks in the match.
UW-Whitewater has now won their last 14 matches and is a perfect 25-0 in three-setters this season. The Warhawks are amid the program’s 11th trip to the final eight.
Salem, Va. — The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women’s volleyball team is set to open the 2024 NCAA Division III Championship with a quarterfinal match against Emory University Wednesday, December 4. The championship is being held at the Cregger Center at Roanoke College.
The sixth-seeded Warhawks (29-3) will take on the number three seed Eagles (29-2) at 11:30 ET Wednesday. The match will be broadcast exclusively on ESPN+.
For more information: https://uwwsports.com/news/2024/11/27/ncaa-championship-preview-warhawk-volleyball-sets-sights-on-salem.aspx
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