Titans Close Successful Weekend With Win Over 16th-Ranked Maroons
Carissa Sundholm had a team-leading 24 kills on the day, Amelia Hust collected 41 total digs and seven service aces, and the UW-Oshkosh women's volleyball team capped an unbeaten weekend with 3-1 victories over St. Olaf College (Minn.) and nationally ranked University of Chicago (Ill.) at UW-Stevens Point's Pointers Invitational II on Saturday (Sept. 25).
UW-Oshkosh (10-7), which downed Ripon College, 3-0, on Friday (Sept. 24), defeated St. Olaf College in set scores of 25-15, 25-27, 25-16, 25-19 and University of Chicago by scores of 25-18, 26-24, 15-25, 25-18 to finish the Pointers Invitational II with a 3-0 record. University of Chicago (8-5) went into the week ranked 16th in the NCAA Division III by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
The Titans improved to 12-5 in their all-time series with University of Chicago and 8-7 against St. Olaf College. UW-Oshkosh snapped a four-match losing streak to University of Chicago, earning its first win over the Maroons since 2010. The Titans have now won their past four meetings with St. Olaf College (5-7).
Sundholm, who added 21 digs and four service aces Saturday, represented the Titans on the eight-member Pointers Invitational II All-Tournament Team.
During the win over St. Olaf College, the Titans never trailed in the first set before taking the lead for good at 2-1 in both the third and fourth frames.
UW-Oshkosh owned advantages of 49-41 in kills, .227 to .165 in hitting percentage, 49-42 in digs, 12-3 in service aces and 9-4 in blocks during the first meeting between the teams since 2017. The Oles, who entered the match ranked ninth nationally at 12.6 assists per set, mustered just 9.5 per frame against the Titans.
Riley Kindt registered a match-high 14 kills for the Titans while Sundholm had 13 terminations and Brynna Mayer tied a career high with nine kills on .500 hitting. Mayer and Madyson Pearson paced UW-Oshkosh with four blocks apiece. Sundholm chipped in eight digs and matched a career best with three service aces.
Kalli Mau and Emma Kiekhofer distributed 18 and 16 assists, respectively, in co-running the Titans offense. Hust scooped up a team-best 23 digs to go along with three service aces. Abby Fregien contributed eight digs along the UW-Oshkosh backrow defense.
St. Olaf College leaders included Catherine Moore with 11 kills, Brynne Gray with 21 assists and Selena Rodriguez with 14 digs.
UW-Oshkosh dominated the opening set, going on an 8-1 run for a 14-5 lead as Mayer, Pearson and Sundholm all notched kills, and Mau produced a pair of service aces during the surge. Sundholm's service ace later secured the frame for the Titans.
After the Oles pulled out a narrow Set 2 win to tie the match, UW-Oshkosh took control of the final two frames early, building cushions of 10-4 during the third set and 8-4 in the fourth.
A string of three consecutive UW-Oshkosh points that featured a Joslyn Wolff and a Sundholm service ace upped the Titans lead to 20-11 during Set 3. Clinging to a 15-12 advantage in the fourth frame, UW-Oshkosh scored seven of the next nine points, including terminations from Mayer, Sundholm and Robyn Kirsch in addition to blocks by Mayer, Pearson and Kate Nottoli, for a 22-14 lead. Hust later concluded the match with the Titans' 12th service of the contest.
In the four-set triumph over University of Chicago – the Titans' first over a nationally ranked opponent this season – UW-Oshkosh cruised to a Set 1 win, erased a 23-15 deficit during the second set and coasted once again during the fourth frame.
Sundholm had a team-leading 11 kills and a season-best 13 digs to produce her first double-double of the season and third career. Mau recorded her double-double of the year with 23 assists and 11 digs.
UW-Oshkosh also received a season high-tying nine kills and three blocks from Olivia Breunig, eight kills from Kindt, seven terminations on .357 hitting from Mayer, five kills on seven errorless swings from Wolff, and four kills and three blocks from Nottoli.
Kiekhofer chipped in 13 assists while Hust had 18 digs and four service aces, and Fregien added 11 digs. Hust went into the day seventh in the country in total digs.
UW-Oshkosh, which held advantages of 6-4 in blocks and 8-3 in service aces, earned the win despite University of Chicago owning edges of 51-48 in kills, .214 to .178 in hitting percentage and 72-62 in digs. The Titans entered Saturday ranked second in the country in total blocks, sixth in total digs and eighth in total kills.
Maggie McInereny paced three Maroons in double figures with 15 kills. Natalie Schildt and Ellie Alden followed with 13 and 11 terminations, respectively.
University of Chicago's Maya Patel dished out a match-best 38 assists, Temilade Adekoya had 21 digs and McInerney collected 17 digs to complete a double-double for the Maroons.
The Maroons bolted out to a 7-2 advantage in the first set until the Titans took their first lead of the match at 9-8 and then 10-8 following a run of five straight points, including a kill and a service ace from Sundholm and a pair of Mayer terminations. University of Chicago knotted the score at 11, but UW-Oshkosh responded with three unanswered points on combination blocks by Breunig, Nottoli and Pearson sandwiched around a Mau service ace. A Kindt kill later punctuated a 7-3 Titans run that ended the frame.
University of Chicago once again raced out to a large early lead during the second set, building a 10-4 cushion before extending the advantage to 23-15. However, the Titans rallied to claim 10 of the last 11 points of the frame to take an unlikely two-set lead. Hust recorded three aces during the set-ending run that was also highlighted by two kills apiece from Breunig and Sundholm.
The Maroons outhit the Titans, .286 to .029, en route to picking up the Set 3 win, but UW-Oshkosh led each point of the fourth frame to down a ranked foe for the first time since a 3-2 decision over 18th-ranked University of St. Thomas (Minn.) on Sept. 20, 2019, in Stevens Point.
A Sundholm kill gave the Titans a 9-4 advantage in Set 4. University of Chicago pulled within two points on several occasions before UW-Oshkosh closed out the match on a kill by Wolff, a double-block from Breunig and Kindt, and a Breunig termination on the final three points.
UW-Oshkosh hosts 15th-ranked UW-Eau Claire on Friday (Oct. 1) in Kolf Sports Center.