Pioneers Sweep UW-Oshkosh in WIAC Tournament Quarterfinals

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville volleyball team avenged a 20-25, 25-19, 25-18, 25-23 loss earlier in the season on Tuesday night when it swept in straight sets host UW-Oshkosh, 25-20, 25-21, 25-17, in the quarterfinals of the WIAC Tournament.

The Pioneers (21-14) out hit the Titans by a .333 to a .190 margin and did not trail in the second and third sets. The .333 hitting percentage is the fourth highest on the season for UW-Platteville. Sophomore Emily Kaiser had a team-best 12 kills to lead three Pioneers with double-digit kills. Joining her in the attack was freshman LeeAnn Mizgalski and senior Briana Kaiser, who also recently became a member of the 1,000-kill club in her career, with 11 kills each. Briana Kaiser also had a hand in five block assists as the Pioneers recorded seven blocks for the match.

The Titans (18-18) were led by Morgan Nick, who had 10 kills in the loss. Earlier in the season, UW-Oshkosh had defeated UW-Platteville in four sets on September 21 in the Kolf Sports Center.

In the opening set, the Pioneers trailed 6-5 but the deficit was shortlived. UW-Platteville scored the next three points and never trailed not only for the remainder of the set but also for the match. The Pioneers took the opening set, 25-20, by out hitting UW-Oshkosh, .341 to .243.

In the second set, UW-Platteville built an 8-3 lead to silent the crowd except for the Pioneer faithful that had made the trip to Oshkosh. The Titans would only be able to get as close as three as the Pioneers took the two set lead with a 25-21 victory.

The momentum stayed on the Pioneer side in the third set, taking a 10-4 lead to start the set. The Pioneers remained in control and hit a blistering .536 with 16 kills and just one error to close out the match.

With the win, the Pioneers advance to the WIAC Tournament semifinals, where they will face host and No. 1 seeded UW-Stevens Point at 7:30 p.m. The Pointers are currently ranked No. 25 in the latest AVCA poll.