Previous Two National Champions Defeat Titans
Samantha Jaeke's 16 kills and five blocks were not enough as the UW-Oshkosh women's volleyball team lost a pair of contests against the past two NCAA Division III champions at the season-opening Trinity University National Invitational on Friday (Sept. 1) in San Antonio, Texas.
UW-Oshkosh (0-2), ranked 23rd in the country by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), dropped its season opener, 3-1, to defending national champion Calvin College (Mich.) before falling to 2015 champion California Lutheran University, 3-0.
Calvin College (1-0), the nation's top-ranked team, defeated the Titans by set scores of 25-18, 25-21, 22-25, 25-19 before California Lutheran University (1-0) swept UW-Oshkosh, 25-20, 25-18, 25-11.
Jaeke had six kills and three blocks against Calvin College and a team-leading 10 kills with a pair of blocks against California Lutheran University.
Tina Elstner chipped in 13 kills for the Titans while Renee Rush had 12 and Carly Lemke eight kills with a team-leading nine blocks, including six against Calvin College. UW-Oshkosh libero Rachel Gardner recorded match-high dig totals in both matches, tallying 18 in the opener and nine in the second contest.
Titans Morgan Windau and Rebecca Doughty registered 23 and 21 assists, respectively, while co-piloting an offense that notched 33 kills on .187 hitting against Calvin College and 30 kills on .213 hitting against California Lutheran University.
UW-Oshkosh committed 26 service errors in the two matches, including 14 against Calvin College.
In the setback to Calvin College, the Knights, who have claimed three of the past seven national titles, received 19 kills from Anna Kamp and 12 from Sarah DeVries. Jenna Lodewyk had 41 assists while Keilahna Castillo registered a team-best 14 digs.
The Knights held on for the victory despite committing 25 attack errors and 17 serving miscues.
Calvin College held advantages in hitting percentage (.206 to .183), kills (53-33), assists (49-30), digs (54-43) and blocks (8.5-8).
The first set was tied for the 10th and final time at 13 before the Knights closed the frame with a 12-5 run.
Tied at 18 in the second set, the Knights scored three straight points and led by at least two points for the remainder of the frame.
The Titans never trailed in the third set as consecutive service aces by Katie Hodges gave UW-Oshkosh a 6-2 edge. UW-Oshkosh extended its lead to 16-10 on a kill by Elstner and secured the set win on a service ace by Lemke.
The Knights won the match after turning a 10-8 deficit into a 16-13 lead in the fourth set. The Titans pulled within 19-18 on a kill from McKenna Scott, but Calvin College scored six of the next seven points, including three on kills and two on service aces.
In the loss to California Lutheran University, the balanced Regal offense received eight kills from Paris Dosch, seven from Hope Stewart, and five apiece from Amy McKee and Amanda Roberts.
Regals setter Jamie Smith led all players with 24 assists, and Emma Cisneros-Luebke had a team-high eight digs for California Lutheran University.
Both teams hit better than .400 in the opening set as UW-Oshkosh owned a .429 to .407 edge, but the Regals maintained a lead throughout the frame after jumping out to a 4-0 advantage.
California Lutheran University went on to outhit the Titans, .385 to .200 in the second set and .150 to -.045 in the third.
UW-Oshkosh concludes its trip to San Antonio with matches against 14th-ranked Trinity University and Whitman College (Wash.) on Saturday (Sept. 2).
Photo courtesy of Justin Parker, Trinity University Sports Information