Titans Win WIAC Road Contest Against Blue Devils

Amelia Hust had a match high 19 digs and six service aces, Emma Kiekhofer produced a double-double and the UW-Oshkosh women's volleyball team defeated UW-Stout, 3-1, in a pivotal Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest Friday (Oct. 15) in Menomonie.

UW-Oshkosh (13-10, 2-3 WIAC) staved off a pair of set-points during the fourth frame and tallied the final three points on the match on back-to-back kills from Riley Kindt ahead of a double block by Kindt and Becky Brezen.

The win – UW-Oshkosh's second straight over the Blue Devils and sixth in the past seven meetings – moves the Titans into fifth in the WIAC standings with two league matches remaining while UW-Stout (11-10, 1-4 WIAC) is now tied for sixth. The top six team qualify for the WIAC Championship that commences Nov. 2.

UW-Oshkosh held edges Friday of .190 to .158 in hitting percentage and 7-2 in service aces. UW-Stout had a 64-61 advantage in digs, and both teams registered 52 kills and six blocks. The Titans went into the match ranked third in the NCAA Division III with 171 total blocks on the year.

Kalli Mau distributed 25 assists while copiloting the balanced UW-Oshkosh offense with Kiekhofer, who collected 14 assists and 11 digs for her fifth double-double this season and ninth career. Hust's six service aces were the most by a Titan since Brezen also had six against Millikin University (Ill.) on Sept. 1, 2018.

Carissa Sundholm paced UW-Oshkosh with 12 kills, followed by Kindt with 11, Kate Nottoli with eight, and Olivia Breunig and Madyson Pearson with seven apiece. Kindt added a team leading four blocks while Sundholm led the Titans in terminations for the 13th occasion this year.

Sidney Hoverman had 16 kills to lead UW-Stout, which also received 11 terminations from Jessica Barr. Lexie Nelson chipped in eight kills for the Blue Devils to go along with a team best 37 assists and 17 digs.

UW-Oshkosh pounded down 16 kills on .353 hitting en route to claiming the first set in which UW-Stout knotted the score at 21 before the Titans answered with four points in a row, including two on Pearson terminations.

UW-Stout rebounded to hit .355 during the second frame to tie the match and bolted out to a 13-7 lead in the third set, but the Titans pulled even at 16 following a Kindt kill and again at 20 on a Nottoli termination. Nottoli's kill sparked a 6-1 Titans run to end Set 3 as the Blue Devils committed three attack errors ahead of a Kindt termination on set-point.

The Blue Devils built leads of 18-15, 21-18 and 23-21 during the fourth set until a Sundholm kill evened the score at 23. UW-Stout then spoiled match-points at 24-23 and 25-24 before achieving set-points of its own at 26-25 and 27-26. The Titans avoided their ninth five-set match of the season when Sundholm once again tied the score at 26 with a kill before notching the final three points of the contest.

UW-Oshkosh plays nonconference matches Saturday (Oct. 16) against North Park University (Ill.) and Carthage College in Kenosha.

Photo by Layne Pitt, UW-Stout