Pioneers Fall At Home To Titans

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville volleyball fell 3-1 at home to UW-Oshkosh on Wednesday night. The Pioneers rallied from a large deficit in the third set, but the Titans clinched the match with a fourth-set victory.

The Pioneers dropped to 10-4 on the season, including 0-2 in conference play.

A pair of quick runs allowed the Titans to take an early 11-4 lead in the opening set. UW-Oshkosh maintained the seven-point advantage for the remainder of the set, winning 25-18. In the second set, the Pioneers kept the score close early, but the Titans pulled ahead and closed the set on a six-point run for a 25-14 win.

UW-Oshkosh raced out to a 15-6 lead in the third set before UW-Platteville responded with four- and eight-point runs to take a lead of 18-17. Sophomore Emma Carlson and junior Claudia Johnson combined for six kills to help the Pioneers claim the set 25-22. The duo was instrumental in the UW-Platteville comeback in the third set, with Carlson tallying six kills and Johnson connecting on three kills in the final six points.

Carlson and Johnson continued their strong play into the fourth set, recording kills on eight of the Pioneers first 15 points. The Titans rallied back from a four-point deficit to tie the game at 16, forcing a UW-Platteville timeout. The two teams traded points before the Titans scored four straight points to win 25-22.

Carlson led the team with 14 kills while Johnson added 11 on a .259 hitting percentage. Freshman Bri Gartner posted a team-high 29 digs while sophomore Shea Lauria finished with 10. Junior Abby Feldmann recorded 26 assists. The Pioneers posted 14 block assists in the match, led by four from freshman Kierney McDonald and three by Johnson.

The Pioneers travel to MSOE this weekend to play three matches. UW-Platteville will face Carleton for the second time this season on Friday at 6 p.m. to open the invitational.