By Angela Kelm
Asst. Athletic Director for Sports Information
The No. 7 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater volleyball team swept UW-Stout 3-0 (25-15, 25-16, 25-20) in the first round of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament presented by Culver’s Tuesday night. The win marks the 40th consecutive for UWW over the Blue Devils and secures a spot in the WIAC Tournament semifinal.
The Warhawks will head to UW-Stevens Point on Thursday for the semifinal. The other match has UW-Oshkosh hosting UW-Platteville. Both matches are slated for a 7 PM start with the winners advancing to the title match on Saturday.
UW-Whitewater set the tone from the service line with 13 aces in the contest Tuesday. Offensively, the Warhawks hit .240 with double digit kills in each set. Meanwhile, the defense held UWS to single digits in the kill column and an attack percentage of just .079.
UWW was dominant in the first set scoring eight straight early to jump out to a 9-2 lead. From there, the Warhawks cruised to an early 1-0 lead in the match bolstered by a .333 team attack percentage. UW-Stout hit .000 with six kills and six errors in the first set.
The big Warhawk run didn’t come until later in set two. With just a three-point lead, 18-15, UWW scored six consecutive to push set point, 24-15. Chloe Werner put the finishing touches on the set with a kill.
The third set was a combination of the first two — UWW used a five-point run early to take a 9-3 lead. A six-point run later in the set gave the Warhawks a 20-10 lead. After pushing to match point, 24-15, the Blue Devils refused to fold scoring the next five when Ava Rebarchik hammered an attack off the block for the final kill of the evening.
The UWW middle hitters combined for a stellar performance — Hannah Proctor hit .571 with five kills in seven attempts while Abbie Dix hammered down nine kills in 15 attempts for an attack percentage of .533. The pair combined for just two attack errors on the night.
Outside hitters Alayna Jansky and Jenna Weinfurt matched Dix’s nine kills to share team-high honors.
Defensively, Jansky registered a match-high 13 digs while libero Jaedynn Evans added 10. At the net, Dix posted four blocks while Weinfurt and Abbie Krzus each tallied three.
Jansky and Emma Bludgen bolstered the Warhawks from the service line with four aces each. Ally Longden added three on the night. Krzus dished out 35 assists adding three blocks in the contest.
