Spring Break
Blugolds sweep Blue Devils
Volleyball continues 11-game winning streak over UW-Stout rivals
Nick Gourdoux
Issue date: 10/15/09 Section: Sports
Posted: 09/18/09
The only thing that has been close between the UW-Eau Claire and UW-Stout volleyball teams has been the distance between gyms.
The Blugolds, ranked No. 17 in the nation, had won 10 consecutive matches against their I-94 rival entering Wednesday's contest and extended that number to 11 with a 3-0 sweep.
In the 11-game streak, Eau Claire has lost a mere three games. Wednesday's sweep - 25-20, 25-18, 25-17 - was the second sweep of the Blue Devils for the Blugolds this season, with the first coming on Sept. 4 in the UWEC Labor Day Classic. The two teams have a third match scheduled for Oct. 31 UW-River Falls Trick-or-Treat Classic.
"Every conference game is pretty big, so we just focus on playing really well against conference teams," junior Blair Murphy said.
Leading the offense for the Blugolds in the match was senior Kristen Moore, who recorded a team-high nine kills. Murphy led the team with 15 digs, while freshman Emily Neave recorded a match-high 40 assists.
On the weekend, Eau Claire traveled to UW-Whitewater and then to UW-Stevens Point for a pair of WIAC matches. Whitewater, ranked No. 10 in the nation, is currently trailing only UW-Oshkosh in the WIAC standings, while the Blugolds find themselves at No. 4 in the WIAC, making the game with Whitewater very important for any WIAC title aspirations the team might have.
In game one, the Blugolds found themselves on the wrong end of a lopsided, 25-13 game. While the team did improve in the next two games, the result was the same. The two loses - 25-22, and 26-24 - ended the match, and dropped Eau Claire's WIAC record to 3-3.
"They came out and they were ready to play us, and I don't feel that we were ready to play them," Murphy said. "We're fighting for third now though, but that does mean we get to host our first conference (championship tournament) game."
Juniors Rachael Ver Voort and Emily Zupon each recorded seven kills, while Murphy contributed another 21 digs and Neave added 17 assists.
Against Stevens Point, the Blugolds bounced back to a 3-0 sweep. The victories - 25-18, 25-10 and 25-22 - improved the Blugolds overall record to 18-5 and the WIAC record to 4-3. Zupon once again lead the team in kills with 12, while Murphy added another 12 digs and Neave added another 22 assists.
The Blugolds return to the court on Wednesday, Oct. 21, to host another WIAC foe, UW-Superior.
The only thing that has been close between the UW-Eau Claire and UW-Stout volleyball teams has been the distance between gyms.
The Blugolds, ranked No. 17 in the nation, had won 10 consecutive matches against their I-94 rival entering Wednesday's contest and extended that number to 11 with a 3-0 sweep.
In the 11-game streak, Eau Claire has lost a mere three games. Wednesday's sweep - 25-20, 25-18, 25-17 - was the second sweep of the Blue Devils for the Blugolds this season, with the first coming on Sept. 4 in the UWEC Labor Day Classic. The two teams have a third match scheduled for Oct. 31 UW-River Falls Trick-or-Treat Classic.
"Every conference game is pretty big, so we just focus on playing really well against conference teams," junior Blair Murphy said.
Leading the offense for the Blugolds in the match was senior Kristen Moore, who recorded a team-high nine kills. Murphy led the team with 15 digs, while freshman Emily Neave recorded a match-high 40 assists.
On the weekend, Eau Claire traveled to UW-Whitewater and then to UW-Stevens Point for a pair of WIAC matches. Whitewater, ranked No. 10 in the nation, is currently trailing only UW-Oshkosh in the WIAC standings, while the Blugolds find themselves at No. 4 in the WIAC, making the game with Whitewater very important for any WIAC title aspirations the team might have.
In game one, the Blugolds found themselves on the wrong end of a lopsided, 25-13 game. While the team did improve in the next two games, the result was the same. The two loses - 25-22, and 26-24 - ended the match, and dropped Eau Claire's WIAC record to 3-3.
"They came out and they were ready to play us, and I don't feel that we were ready to play them," Murphy said. "We're fighting for third now though, but that does mean we get to host our first conference (championship tournament) game."
Juniors Rachael Ver Voort and Emily Zupon each recorded seven kills, while Murphy contributed another 21 digs and Neave added 17 assists.
Against Stevens Point, the Blugolds bounced back to a 3-0 sweep. The victories - 25-18, 25-10 and 25-22 - improved the Blugolds overall record to 18-5 and the WIAC record to 4-3. Zupon once again lead the team in kills with 12, while Murphy added another 12 digs and Neave added another 22 assists.
The Blugolds return to the court on Wednesday, Oct. 21, to host another WIAC foe, UW-Superior.
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