Skip to navigation Skip to content Skip to footer
The Official Athletic Site of ASU

Women's Volleyball

Brianna Witter (12) and Shelby Coron (1) combine to block an attack by UW-La Crosse's Rachel Barthel.
Brianna Witter (12) and Shelby Coron (1) combine to block an attack by UW-La Crosse's Rachel Barthel.

Eagles Sweep Titans In WIAC Opener

Box Score Preview

Reigning WIAC Offensive Player of the Year Stephanie Henk tallied a match-best 12 kills to lift UW-La Crosse to a 3-0 victory over the UW-Oshkosh women's volleyball team on Wednesday (Sept. 20) in Kolf Sports Center.

UW-La Crosse, which has won four straight matches in the series, defeated UW-Oshkosh in the team's WIAC opener by set scores of 25-23, 25-22, 25-17. The Titans suffered just their second loss in their last 21 matches held in Kolf Sports Center.

The Eagles held slim advantages in kills (34-31) hitting percentage (.136 to .122) and assists (33-29) while both teams registered 41 digs. UW-Oshkosh had a 7-6 edge in blocks despite UW-La Crosse entering the match ranked fourth in the NCAA Division III with 2.51 blocks per set.

Laine Hoeffel added nine kills for UW-La Crosse (7-4, 1-0 WIAC). The Eagles' Maddie Entinger and Halle Barnabo both had match-highs with 29 assists and 13 digs, respectively.

UW-Oshkosh (8-5, 0-1 WIAC) was led offensively by Tina Elstner, Samantha Jaeke and Alyssa Wolslegel with eight kills each. Elstner had a team-leading 11 digs and two service aces while Jaeke chipped in nine assists and seven digs.

Rebecca Doughty recorded 13 assists to pace the Titans, who also received a match-high four blocks from Shelby Coron and nine digs from Rachel Gardner.

The opening set was tied for the ninth and final time at 19. A UW-La Crosse kill and a pair of Titan errors gave the Eagles a 22-19 advantage, but UW-Oshkosh closed to within 23-22 following back-to-back kills from Elstner and Jaeke. A combination block from Coron and Jaeke cut UW-Oshkosh's deficit to 24-23, but the Eagles notched a kill on the ensuing point to claim the set.

UW-Oshkosh scored seven consecutive points to take a 7-1 lead in the second set. The Titans owned a 19-16 advantage before three straight UW-Oshkosh attack errors allowed the Eagles to tie the score at 19. UW-La Crosse then extended its scoring run to eight unanswered points to take a commanding 24-19 lead. The Eagles eight-point surge featured five UW-Oshkosh attack errors, two UW-La Crosse kills and one service ace. The Titans erased three set-points to cut its deficit to 24-22, but a UW-La Crosse kill concluded the frame.

UW-La Crosse never trailed during the final set. Clinging to a 9-8 advantage, the UW-La Crosse lead increased to 20-11 as the Eagles recorded seven kills and one service ace during their decisive 11-3 scoring run.

UW-Oshkosh, which had its four-match winning streak snapped, owns an 11-6 record against UW-La Crosse since 2006.

The Titans travel to Bloomington, Ill., for a pair of matches on both Friday (Sept. 22) and Saturday (Sept. 23) at the Illinois Wesleyan University Invitational. UW-Oshkosh will battle nationally ranked Millikin University (Ill.) and Illinois Wesleyan University on Friday. Millikin University ranks eighth in the NCAA Division III by the American Volleyball Coaches Association while Illinois Wesleyan University lists 19th.