UW-Eau Claire volleyball played their last regular season home game on Oct. 29 against UW-Platteville at The Sonnentag Event Center. They swept the Pioneers 25-20, 25-13 and 25-20.
The Blugolds went into the match with a nine-game winning streak, but Head Coach Kim Wudi said the team doesn’t prioritize “momentum.”
“We don’t get to carry any points or any wins over from the previous match,” Wudi said. “We really just take it one day at a time and focus on the opponent that’s directly in front of us. So, I think that’s been the biggest key is just really trying to stay in the moment.”
In the first set against the Pioneers, third-year outside hitter Mya Cinnamo led the offensive charge with six kills. First-year Alex Kiebel contributed 12 assists to the 25-20 win.
Cinnamo said she was proud of her strong start on the court.
“I just wanted to play the game that I fell in love with,” Cinnamo said. “ … (The coaches) are very encouraging to just go out there and be myself, because that’s the best volleyball player I am — when I’m just out there jumping high and swinging fast.”
The Blugolds started their second set off strong with a 3-0 lead. With service aces from fourth-year outside hitter Abby Stanwood and blocks from the middle blockers third-year Lili Hagg and fourth-year Darienne Andre, the team leaped ahead 14-4.
The set was eventually finished off 25-13 by a Cinnamo kill.
“I would say we for sure won the serve and pass battle,” Cinnamo said. “Being able to attack them behind the service line but also be ready for them to attack us back but being able to respond to that … We did that really well in that game because we are such an offensive team.”
Wudi said her main advice to the team during the game was to stay calm, have “low vision” and be ready for any type of attack from UW-Platteville.
“As teams put pressure on us, I think sometimes we tend to ride a roller coaster,” Wudi said. “But I felt like through the majority of the match, that was something that I was really proud of, that we really showed a lot of maturity and we didn’t ride the roller coaster. We really stayed consistent.”
Kiebel continued her strong performance into the third match with 14 assists; she contributed a total of 32 throughout the match as well as 11 defensive digs. Second-year libero Kaitlyn Erickson led their back row defense with a total of 16 digs.
Fourth-year right side hitter Bailey Leeke closed the third match 25-20 with her ninth kill of the evening. She said the team worked hard to be well-rounded offensively and defensively.
“We were pretty confident, also being our last home regular season match,” Leeke said. “I think we were excited to play one more time at home. Also, in previous years, I think the last time we played (UW-Platteville) they beat us, so I think a couple of us were trying to get a little revenge.”
Overall, Cinnamo and Stanwood led the Blugold offense with 15 and 10 kills, respectively. The team accumulated 43 kills total with a .217 hitting percentage. They recorded 60 digs and seven blocks throughout, resulting in a .076 hitting percentage for UW-Platteville.
The Blugolds now remain undefeated at 6-0 in their Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) play with a 25-2 overall record.
Leeke said she believes the team can go far in the upcoming WIAC tournament and that their next conference game on Nov. 7 at UW-Oshkosh will put them in a good spot. Cinnamo also said she is looking forward to future wins.
“This team is just so much fun,” Cinnamo said. “We have so many weapons on our team. Anyone who comes in off the sideline, they could be such a game changer … I just am excited to see what we continue to get to succeed with.”
Matczak can be reached at [email protected].
