Titans Continue Home Dominance Of Pioneers

Riley Kindt and Carissa Sundholm combined for 31 kills to lead UW-Oshkosh to a 3-2 comeback victory over UW-Platteville during a thrilling Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference women's volleyball match Wednesday (Oct. 6) in Kolf Sports Center.

UW-Oshkosh (11-8, 1-3 WIAC) earned its seventh consecutive win over UW-Platteville after fighting back for a 25-21, 25-27, 20-25, 25-21, 15-11 decision. The Titans, who have not lost at home to UW-Platteville since the 2011 WIAC tournament, improved their record to 3-3 in five-set matches this year and 4-1 at home.

UW-Platteville, which had its current losing streak extended to three matches, falls to 9-11 overall and 0-4 in WIAC play.

Sundholm paced the Titans with a season best 16 kills and Kindt added 15 as UW-Oshkosh, which picked up its fourth win in the last five matches, needed all of its season high 62 terminations to dispatch the Pioneers. UW-Oshkosh's previous season best was 60 kills during a 3-2 setback against Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.) on Sept. 17.

Sundholm's 16 kills are the second most of her career and three shy of a personal best of 19 established during a five-set win over Milwaukee School of Engineering on Sept. 20, 2019. Kindt also finished three kills short of the career-best 18 she produced against Gustavus Adolphus College in September. Sundholm has now led UW-Oshkosh in kills nine times this season and Kindt on 11 occasions.

The Titans also produced their second highest hitting percentage of the season, attacking at a .265 clip behind a career high-tying 10 kills from Kate Nottoli, nine terminations from Olivia Breunig, six from Joslyn Wolff and four from Madyson Pearson. Kindt led the way for the Titans with a .571 hitting percentage on 21 swings while Pearson hit .429 on seven swings, Bruenig .412 and Nottoli .320. Nottoli and Kindt had a team-leading five and four blocks, respectively.

UW-Oshkosh's Kalli Mau notched her team-leading sixth double-double of the season with 30 assists and 11 digs to go along with a pair of service aces. Sundholm produced another double-double – her second this year and fourth career – by scooping up 11 digs. Emma Kiekhofer, who compiled 21 assists and 10 digs for the Titans, recorded her third double-double this season and seventh career.

Amelia Hust, who entered the night ranked ninth in the NCAA Division III with 345 digs, once again led the UW-Oshkosh backrow defense with a match-best 21 digs against UW-Platteville.

UW-Platteville's Kaite Asche and Emma Carlson led all players with 18 kills apiece. Olivia Kudronowicz pounded down 17 kills and Lita Solbrig chipped in 12 terminations for the balanced Pioneers offense, which also received 56 assists from Sam Rossetti.

Shea Lauria had a team best 19 digs for the Pioneers while Carlson added 18.

The Titans outhit the Pioneers, .265 to .246 and owned a 9-3 blocking advantage during a contest that featured 134 combined kills. UW-Platteville held edges of 71-63 in kills and 72-70 in digs. Both sides registered five service aces. UW-Oshkosh went into Wednesday third nationally with 142 total blocks.

The teams totaled 64 kills, including 33 by the Pioneers, while exchanging wins during the first two sets. UW-Platteville pulled out the Set 2 victory despite the Titans hitting a robust .342 in the frame as the Pioneers produced 18 kills on .325 hitting of their own, claiming the frame on their fourth set-point.

UW-Platteville later took a 9-8 lead it would not relinquish in Set 3 en route to taking a 2-1 edge into the fourth frame.

UW-Oshkosh spotted the Pioneers a 4-1 lead during the fourth set until drawing even at 10 and scoring four straight points for a 14-12 advantage following consecutive kills by Courtney Pearson, Madyson Pearson and Nottoli. The Titans extended their lead to 22-18 on a Breunig kill and, after the Pioneers spoiled a pair of set-points, UW-Oshkosh sent the match to the fifth set on another Courtney Pearson termination.

The fifth set was tied for the fifth and final time at 9, when UW-Oshkosh seized control with a string of three unanswered points for a 12-9 cushion. The decisive spurt began with a Sundholm kill, continued with a Hust service ace and culminated on a Pioneers attack error. Clinging to a 12-10 lead, UW-Oshkosh reached match-point after a Kindt kill and another UW-Platteville attack error provided the Titans a 14-10 advantage. Sundholm then punctuated the Titan win with her 16th kill two points later.

UW-Oshkosh plays Illinois institutions Wheaton and Elmhurst colleges Friday (Oct. 8) in Wheaton, Ill.

Photo by Steve Frommell, UW-Oshkosh Athletics