UWO Opens Ohio Trip With Two Wins
The UW-Oshkosh women's volleyball team opened the Ohio Northern University Invitational with a pair of victories after downing previously unbeaten Muskingum University (Ohio), 3-2, and then first-time opponent DePauw University (Ind.), 3-1, on Friday (Sept. 16) in Ada, Ohio.
UW-Oshkosh (10-3) slipped past Muskingum (7-1) in set scores of 22-25, 26-28, 25-22, 25-23, 15-11 and downed DePauw (5-5) in scores of 25-12, 25-15, 21-25, 25-19. UW-Oshkosh and Muskingum are both receiving votes in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association NCAA Division III poll.
UWO 3, Muskingum 2
UW-Oshkosh roared back from a 2-0 deficit in sets by pounding down 16 kills in both the third and fourth frames before tallying nine terminations during the decisive fifth set.
The Titans, who owned a 41-30 advantage in kills over the final three sets, have now gone 2-1 in five-set matches on the year after playing a program-record 12 five-setters last season.
UW-Oshkosh concluded the match with edges of 67-61 in kills, .158 to .148 in hitting percentage, 12-10 in blocks and 7-6 in service aces. Muskingum held a 107-106 advantage in digs in the first meeting between the teams since a 3-0 Titans victory in 2005. The 67 kills were the Titans' most in their 174 matches since collecting 69 versus Birmingham-Southern College (Ala.) on Sept. 3, 2016.
UW-Oshkosh went into the first matchup in nearly two decades leading the division in total blocks while ranking third in total digs and eighth in total kills. Muskingum, which had lost just one set during its seven season-opening wins, was ranked seventh nationally in opponents' hitting percentage and ninth in hitting percentage. The Muskies' .148 hitting percentage was a season low.
Carissa Sundholm matched a career high with 19 kills to go along with 13 digs and four blocks for the Titans, who also received 16 terminations and four blocks from Riley Kindt, and 12 kills and a career-high 13 digs from Robyn Kirsch.
Kalli Mau and Izzy Coon dished out 36 and 23 assists, respectively, while co-piloting the UW-Oshkosh offense. Abby Fregien scooped up a career-best 35 digs and recorded two service aces for UW-Oshkosh while Amelia Hust chipped in 13 digs and a pair of service aces. Riley Dahlquist led the Titans net defense with five blocks.
Fregien entered the day second in the country in total digs, and Kindt was seventh nationally in blocks. The UW-Oshkosh double-doubles were Mau's team-leading sixth this season and 14th career, Sundholm's second on the year and 10th career, and the first of Kirsch's career. Sundholm also finished one attack shy of matching her career high of 66 attempts.
Muskingum showed why it was among the top 10 teams in the country in opponents' hitting percentage as the Muskies limited the Titans to a .106 rate en route to winning the first two sets. Muskingum overcame Set 2 deficits of 18-11 and 24-22, cashing in on its third set-point opportunity following a UW-Oshkosh attack error.
UW-Oshkosh's impressive comeback was sparked by a string of four consecutive points that turned a 21-19 deficit into a 23-21 lead in the third set. The pivotal four-point run began with three straight blocks and culminated with a Kindt kill. Clinging to a 23-22 lead, the Titans secured the third frame on back-to-back terminations by Kirsch and Maddy Pearson.
The Titans seized control of the fourth frame with six unanswered points for a 19-16 lead. The six-point surge was highlighted by a block and a kill by Kindt, and a Mau service ace. UW-Oshkosh reached set-point at 24-20 after a Sundholm termination. However, Muskingum rattled off three straight points to pull within 24-23. Another Sundholm kill on the Titans' fourth set-point then sent the match to a fifth frame.
UW-Oshkosh made the side change with an 8-7 edge and never trailed after Hannah Moe's kill provided the Titans a 9-8 advantage. Consecutive terminations from Pearson and Kindt gave UW-Oshkosh match-point at 14-9, and a Muskies service error ended the match three points later.
Khloe Taylor paced Muskingum with 15 kills. Other Muskies team leaders included Emma Conrad with 43 assists, and Quinn Horn with 25 digs and four service aces.
UWO 3, DePauw 1
Nineteen different Titans saw action as UW-Oshkosh defeated DePauw handily in the first ever meeting between the programs.
Kindt led all players with 11 kills on 20 swings, four blocks and a .500 hitting percentage. The Titans also got eight terminations from Sundholm and seven from Kirsch.
Mau notched yet another double-double – her seventh on the year and 15th career – with 24 assists and 14 digs. Coon had her second double-double this season with 15 assists and 11 digs.
Fregien had a match-high 21 digs and four service aces for the Titans while Hust tied a season best with five service aces.
Thirteen Titans recorded kills, including Angie Blinderman with four and Pearson with three. Thirteen Titans also collected digs in the match, including Pearson with eight. Dahlquist and Pearson both added three blocks.
UW-Oshkosh owned advantages of 44-36 in kills, .152 to .074 I hitting percentage, 80-71 in digs and 12-3 in service aces. Both teams registered seven blocks.
DePauw's Olivia Karwin had a team-high nine kills and 18 assists. Grace Myers registered 20 digs in the Tigers back row.
The Titans held DePauw to -.065 hitting in the first set and -.059 hitting during the second frame to cruise to a 2-0 lead. Dahlquist punctuated the opening set with a service ace before a Tigers attack error capped the second frame.
After DePauw claimed the third set, UW-Oshkosh scored seven points in a row for an 11-5 cushion during the fourth frame. The momentum-shifting seven-point run featured a pair of Fregien service aces, two Sundholm kills, and a block and a kill by Dahlquist. The Tigers fended off one match-point, but Kirsch ended the match with a termination on the ensuing point.
UW-Oshkosh wraps up its trip to the Buckeye State against Denison University (Ohio) and host Ohio Northern on Saturday (Sept. 17).