Nicole RobinsonMENOMONIE – Tight matches and long rallies marked the Blugold women’s volleyball team’s first conference match of the season.
The Blugolds lost Wednesday night to UW-Stout 0-3 at Johnson Fieldhouse in Menomonie. The loss marked the first for the Blugolds, who were undefeated entering the game.
| “We had great defense, and we both play the same style of game.” –Carly Freiborg Junior setter |
Throughout all three matches, the Blugolds and the Blue Devils stayed close to one point of each other. UW-Stout’s Lacey Bunkelman led the night with 17 kills, and Stout had 46 total.
The ‘Golds lost the first two matches 24-30 and 25-30. They came closer in the third match, tying the score almost to the end. But at 26-26 the Blue Devils pulled ahead, and the Blugolds were not able to recover.
The Blugolds were coming off a championship win at the Augsburg Invitational in Minneapolis. Last weekend, the ‘Golds defeated St. Scholastica (Minn.) and St. Olaf (Minn.) to go undefeated and had a tournament match record of 12-1. Stout took second at that tournament.
The tournament also named juniors Shanna Berger and Carly Freiborg and senior Jenny Wolter for the all-tournament team.
Stout really stepped up against the team, Freiborg said.
“Stout is always a big rival,” she said.
Junior Jodi Dunbar led the Blugolds with 10 kills, and senior Molly Menard following with 8 kills. The team had 36 kills overall.
Stout held off Eau Claire, hitting above 200 in all three matches and reaching .500 in the third and final match of the night.
“We had great defense, and we both play the same style of game,” Freiborg said.
The Blugolds defense was able to match up with Stout with 33 total digs. Stout had 31 digs. Berger led the ‘Golds with 10 digs.
Coach Lisa Herb said she predicts conference play will be tight all season because of the tough conference.
“We were playing with a lot of confidence, but here we had everything to lose, and that is how we played,” she said.
Freiborg said the loss showed the team that it knows it has to win out in the conference because a team might knock them out of conference play.
Herb said the team needed a faster-paced game and just could not do that Wednesday. She said it is hard to get some momentum going and to develop a rhythm when matches are stopped all the time.
Next, the Blugolds take on the defending WIAC champions, UW-Whitewater, 7 p.m. Friday at Whitewater.
Herb said every single match in the conference could be tight like Wednesday’s match.
“We were probably trying to be too perfect this game.”
