Lexi Thiel notched her 32nd career double-double with 32 assists and 10 digs against Carroll University.
Lexi Thiel notched her 32nd career double-double with 32 assists and 10 digs against Carroll University.

Pioneers, Muskies Provide Little Trouble For Titans

Tina Elstner recorded 29 total kills to lead the nationally ranked UW-Oshkosh women's volleyball team to a pair of victories on Tuesday (Oct. 25) in Waukesha.

UW-Oshkosh (25-6), ranked 23rd in the NCAA Division by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, defeated Carroll University, 3-1, in set scores of 25-17, 23-25, 25-18, 25-16 before ousting Lakeland University, 3-0, in results of 25-18, 25-21, 25-23.

The Titans have won each of their nine meetings with Carroll University and all 20 of their matchups with Lakeland University since 1995.

Elstner led all players with 15 kills and a career-best five service aces against Carroll University. She added a match-high 14 kills with 12 digs against Lakeland University for her 11th double-double of the year.

Lexi Thiel notched her 32nd career double-double with 32 assists and 10 digs against Carroll University before amassing 34 assists against Lakeland University.

In the victory over Carroll University (7-20), Samantha Jaeke and Nerissa Vogt added eight kills for the Titans while Shannon Herman chipped in six on 13 errorless attempts.

The Pioneers held a 51-45 advantage in kills, but the Titans outhit Carroll University, .283 to .182, and compiled a season-high 12 service aces.

Vogt had five blocks and two service aces for the Titans, who also received 10 digs and two service aces from Laura Trochinski and 10 digs from Rachel Gardner. Elstner and Carly Lemke contributed four and three blocks, respectively.

UW-Oshkosh opened the match with a kill by Vogt and never trailed for the remainder of the first set as the Titans built leads of 12-5, 18-10 and 20-12 behind .333 hitting in the frame.

The Pioneers tallied 18 kills and hit .400 in the second frame to even the match at 1. A combination block by Erika Dunnam and Kylie Mueller gave Carroll University the lead for good at 3-2. UW-Oshkosh pulled within 17-16 on a service ace by Trochinski, but the Pioneers answered three consecutive kills to push their advantage to 20-16. A pair of service aces by Elstner cut the UW-Oshkosh deficit to 23-22, but a service error provided the Pioneers set-point at 24-22, and a kill by Dana Voltolina two points later secured the set for Carroll University.

UW-Oshkosh scored four straight points to take its first lead of the third set at 10-9. Tied at 10, the Titans rattled off eight consecutive points to open an 18-10 cushion. The decisive eight-point skein was highlighted by two kills and two service aces by Elstner. The Pioneers closed to within 21-17 on a service ace by Karley Wolf, but the Titans responded with four of the final five points of the frame, including a pair of kills by Elstner to end the set.

The Titans led each point of the fourth set, including a 13-6 advantage following a a string of five unanswered points that were capped by a service from Thiel and two kills from Elstner. A kill and a service ace by Herman extended the UW-Oshkosh lead to 20-10, and consecutive kills from Herman and Elstner concluded the match.

Voltolina paced the Pioneers with 14 kills. She was followed by the nine kills from both Dunnam and Josie Wierzal, and eight from Wolf. Jennilyn Joy Cave and Emma Przeslicke had 22 assists apiece for Carroll University, which also received seven kills and a match-high 13 digs from Cassidy Mrotek.

In the win over Lakeland University (14-13), Vogt contributed 12 kills on .455 hitting while Brooke Brinkman chipped in six kills on 15 errorless attempts.

The UW-Oshkosh defense was led by the 14 digs from Gardner and the two blocks from Jaeke. Brianna Venturini also established a career high with 11 digs for the Titans.

The Titans held advantages in kills (41-30), hitting percentage (.237 to .149) and digs (62-50) while the Muskies had a 10-3 advantage in service aces. UW-Oshkosh outhit Lakeland University, .290 to .000, in the opening set and collected 16 kills on .308 hitting in the second frame.

In the first set, UW-Oshkosh erased a 3-2 deficit by scoring nine of the next 11 points for an 11-5 lead. The Titan scoring run featured three kills by Brinkman and four errors by the Muskies. A kill by Thiel provided UW-Oshkosh a 20-10 advantage, and the Titan scored their last three points of the frame on kills by Elstner.

In the second set, Lakeland University claimed a 6-4 lead following a string of five straight points. Trailing 11-9, UW-Oshkosh took control of the set with eight consecutive points for a 17-11 advantage. The scoring run included three kills by Elstner, two kills by Vogt and a service ace by Gardner. Consecutive kills from Brinkman and Jaeke upped the Titan lead to 22-14 before Lakeland University tallied five straight points to cut its deficit to 22-19 on a pair of service aces by Emma Bruder. UW-Oshkosh reached match-point at 24-20 on a kill by McKenna Scott, and Elstner secured the set with a kill two points later.

In the third set, Lakeland University scored five consecutive points, including the final four on Titan errors, for a 14-11 lead. Trailing 15-13, UW-Oshkosh tallied five unanswered points on a pair of kills from Elstner and three Muskie errors to reclaim an 18-15 advantage. Lakeland College owned a 23-21 edge after a service ace by Brianna Johnson, but the Titans completed the sweep by scoring the final four points of the match. A kill by Vogt and a Muskie error knotted the score at 23, and a pair of kills by Vogt capped the victory.

Kathy Flanagan led Lakeland University with seven kills while Davan Fleming and Madison Schweitzer recorded 14 and 13 assists, respectively. Bruder had a match-best five service aces and 10 digs while Allison Errthum registered a team-leading 14 digs for the Muskies.

UW-Oshkosh takes to the road for WIAC matches at UW-River Falls on Friday (Oct. 28) and UW-Stout on Saturday (Oct. 29).