Pioneers Split Two Matches Saturday

AURORA, Ill. – On the second day of the Jim Coleman Memorial Classic, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville volleyball team split the two matches it played on Saturday, falling to host school Aurora in the morning before defeating Rose-Hulman in the early afternoon.

Aurora started strong in the opening set but UW-Platteville cut the early deficit to one with kills from Claudia Johnson and Camryn Johnston. The Spartans responded with a 10-2 run and clinched the first set 25-19. In the second set, Aurora led early and never trailed as they won 25-17. The third set featured back-and-forth play from both sides, with neither team leading by more than three. But with the score tied at 21, the Spartans scored the final four points to sweep the Pioneers.

Emma Carlson paced UW-Platteville with 13 kills and added nine digs. Freshman Bri Gartner posted a team-high 24 digs and recorded one service ace while senior Sam Rossetti led the team with 33 assists.

Against Rose-Hulman, the Pioneers overcame an early deficit and went on a six-point run to take the lead. The Fightin' Engineers got back within two points late in the set, but UW-Platteville scored six of the final seven points to win 25-18. Rose-Hulman took the second set 25-22 behind an 11-1 run midway through the set. The Pioneers won the third set 25-15, using a seven-point run to pull away late in the set and wrapped up the 3-1 victory with a 25-18 win in the fourth set.

Carlson posted a season-high 21 kills on a .277 hitting percentage and added a team-high three service aces. Freshman Kierney McDonald had a strong performance, totaling 19 kills on a .486 hitting percentage. Gartner led the way with 26 digs, while Shea Lauria finished with 17 digs. Rossetti recorded a season-high 49 assists. The Pioneers finished with 14 block assists over the course of the game, with McDonald tallying four.

UW-Platteville returns to the court Wednesday night when it hosts UW-Oshkosh at 7 p.m.

*As with every UW-Platteville win this year, the Platteville A&W will be offering a $3 Pioneer burger the day after the win and the Platteville Taco John's will be offering 10 tacos for $10 the day after each Pioneer win.