From Oct. 17-18, UW-Eau Claire women’s volleyball hosted the Blugold Alumni Weekend Invitation at The Sonnentag Center. The Blugolds entered their first match of the invitational as winners of their last five matches.
Their opponent, the number sixth ranked Illinois Wesleyan Titans, came into the match with one loss on the season and a record of 16-1. This match represented the Blugolds’ fifth match versus a ranked opponent.
In the first set, the Titans collected 14 kills on 32 total attempts, which was good for a 0.406 hitting percentage and a set victory of 25-18. The Blugolds, who have a hitting percentage of .251 on the season, had a hitting percentage of 0.182.
The Blugolds’ second point in the second set represented fourth-year outside hitter Bailey Leeke’s 1,000th career kill. In her four years with the program, Leeke has collected 93 service aces alongside earning WIAC First Team All-Conference in 2024.
After the Titans took a 16-13 lead in the set, four Blugold kills and a Titans kill tied the score at 17-17. Following that sequence, three Blugolds’ errors and four Titans’ kills led to a second set victory for the Titans.
Down 0-2, the Blugolds hadn’t been swept in a regular season match since Oct. 5, 2024, versus North Central College.
Fourth-year outside hitter Abby Stanwood said the first two sets were very hesitant for the Blugolds.
“I feel like we were letting them play their game and we weren’t playing ours,” Stanwood said.
The Blugolds responded with an 18-kill third set, clinching the set off three straight points. Stanwood had seven kills, which was a team high in the set.
In the fourth set, the Titans worked a 14-13 lead. Following the Titans’ one-point lead, the score was tied four times until the Blugolds were able to break through the fourth tie and claim the fourth set 25-22, sending the match into its final set.
The Titans held a 15-14 lead, needing one more point to win the match. A Stanwood kill tied the score, giving the Blugolds the next serve.
Four lead changes eventually led to a 21-19 Blugold win with Leeke finishing the match with a kill.
Stanwood led the Blugolds in kills with a collegiate high of 28 kills. This was the first reverse sweep for the Blugolds since 2019, when they did it against the same opponent in Illinois Wesleyan.
First-year setter Alex Kiebel, who had team highs in digs and assists, said the first two sets weren’t the Blugolds’ best volleyball, but they knew they could take on Illinois Wesleyan.
“I feel like we really talked to each other, we were just being aggressive,” Kiebel said. “We were playing as a team and we were just showing our Blugold volleyball in that game.”
Head Coach Kim Wudi said that she wishes she could bottle up the resilience and grit the team showed after the first two sets to come back.
“Unless you’re in that situation, you don’t know if you have it,” Wudi said. “I think that’s the thing that I’m really glad happened to us.”
Friday’s game was also senior night, where seniors, after the match, were recognized and received speeches from the underclassmen on the team.
Stanwood, who transferred to UW-Eau Claire in 2024 from Stony Brook University, said she is grateful she made the decision to transfer.
“Being able to have all these wonderful women around me who have completely embraced me for who I am and allowed me to be successful is something so special,” Stanwood said.
With their fourth-ranked win on the season, the Blugolds faced Cornell College the following day. Entering the match, Cornell was 1-1 on the invitational, defeating UW-Stevens Point and falling to Illinois Wesleyan.
Compared to their first set against Illinois Wesleyan, the Blugolds were more efficient, getting 12 kills on 26 total attempts while holding Cornell to a 0.097 hitting percentage en route to a 25-18 first set win.
Raising their hitting percentage by over 100 points, the Blugolds in the second set connected for 16 kills, taking the second set 25-19. The Blugolds started the set with five kills in a row and ended the set with a Leeke kill.
The third set included seven lead changes and 31 kills, but the Blugolds held on, clinching the sweep 25-23. The Blugolds finished the match with a .337 hitting percentage.
The Blugolds’ last opponent of the invitational was Augsburg College. In the first set, the Blugolds recorded five service aces alongside 12 kills and two errors for a first set victory 25-11.
Three of the five Blugolds’ points in the second set came from Leeke, who had six kills in the set. Later in the set, an attack error committed by the Blugolds brought the score to 17-16. Six more kills fueled a 25-22 second set win for the Blugolds.
Facing a potential sweep, Augsburg scored the first four points of the match. Later on, a five-point rally gave the Blugolds an 18-12 lead. The Blugolds held on to the lead, winning the third set 25-19.
The Blugolds had seven blocks in the match, holding Augsburg to a .167 hitting percentage. In practice, Wudi said the team has been working hard on getting on the ball as the hitter is attacking.
“I felt like we really kind of put it together in this match particularly,” Wudi said. “We were able to kind of press and hold and put a lot of pressure on their attackers.”
With their fourth tournament sweep of the season completed and an eight-match winning streak, the Blugolds next host UW-Stevens Point on Wednesday, Oct. 22 at Sonnentag.
Benes can be reached at [email protected].
