The UW-Eau Claire volleyball team was back on the road this past Friday as they traveled to Carthage College to take on the Firebirds. 

Despite dropping the first set, the Blugolds came back to win 3-1 in the non-conference matchup, according to Blugold Athletics. 

The team started off strong, getting an early 11-6 lead in the first set before the Firebirds bounced back, claiming the first set 27-25. After a few adjustments, the rest of the night was all Blugolds, as they took the next three sets 25-20, 25-23 and 25-22. 

“Freshman Lili Hagg came in and gave us critical points offensively and defensively,” assistant coach Alex Berger said. “She single-handedly shut down their outside attackers which gave our team a huge spark.”

Controlling the net alongside Hagg was second-year pin Avery Pennekamp who tallied 16 kills, her most so far this season. 

“I feel confident, but I know that there is always room for improvement,” Pennekamp said. “I will continue working hard and giving 100% effort in everything that I do.”

Sophia Brown, third-year middle hitter, was also dominant at the net, racking up nine kills and a team-high eight blocks on the night. 

Sheridan Dettman, a fifth-year defensive specialist, took charge in the back row, leading the Blugolds with 26 digs. Dettman has been a consistent source of success all season, and she said she loves being able to assist her teammates in getting points. 

“My favorite part of playing in the back row for my team is probably keeping the rally going for my team,” Dettman said. “I do not really have the opportunity to score points, so it is crucial that I get the ball up so my teammates can be put in a good position to score and get kills.”

This wasn’t the first game of the week for the Blugolds. The team had traveled to UW-Oshkosh the Wednesday to take on the No. 3 ranked Titans, losing 1-3 with set scores of 18-25, 25-16, 15-25 and 17-25. 

The team was able to shake off the loss and turn their focus towards the rest of the week. 

“We had a quick turnaround and knew we needed to get to work, get better and bounce back for our match vs. Carthage Friday,” said Berger. 

The mentality of shaking off the game and moving on to the next one worked out well for the Blugolds as they were able to take care of their out-of-conference opponent in Carthage.

Dettman said the team uses the non-conference matchups to help prepare them for conference games in the future. 

“Our non-conference matches, like the match against Carthage, are important for preparing us for our future conference matches,” Dettman said. “We really needed to focus on using that game as fuel and preparation for the remainder of the season.”

As the team prepares for the upcoming week, Pennekamp said she’s very excited to turn her focus to having fun and getting the job done. 

“I am really excited to take on this week,” Pennekamp said. “I will be focusing on having fun and enjoying each and every moment with my teammates. I also feel really confident in the team’s ability to get the job done with our upcoming matches.”

With senior night coming up this week, Dettman is able to reminisce about her volleyball career coming to an end. 

“I am pretty sad about being done with volleyball soon,” Dettman said. “However, I am just trying to focus on having fun, being present, and enjoying every day I have left playing the sport I love.”

The Blugolds are back on the road this Tuesday as they travel to St. Scholastica to take on the Saints in a non-conference match. Game time is 7 p.m. in Duluth.

The Blugolds are at home Friday in the McPhee Center gym to celebrate senior night. They’ll take on UW-La Crosse for another conference game, starting at 7 p.m.

Hokanson can be reached at [email protected].