Volleyball beats UW-Superior

Written by: Colten Bartholomew

SUPERIOR, Wis. -- The Pioneer volleyball team took care of business on the road at UW-Superior, winning 3-1 (17-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-22).

University of Wisconsin-Platteville moved to 9-12 with the win, and the Yellowjackets fell to 14-7.

The Pioneers fell behind in the first set 8-1 before calling a timeout. UW-Superior increased their lead to 14-5, and did not let UW-Platteville within seven the rest of the set.

Senior middle hitter Stephanie Kirchner keyed the Pioneers' comeback effort in the second set, leading the team with eight kills.

Tied 17-17 in the second, the Pioneers went on a 4-0 run to take control, powered by effective serving from senior Allee Yundt.

The third set was another tight contest, as the Pioneers and Yellowjackets were knotted at 18 when UW-Platteville again took over late.

Kills by freshman Lidia Frias and Kirchner, as well as a tandem block from Yundt and Kirchner sealed the win for the Pioneers.

The Pioneers jumped out to a 9-2 lead in the fourth set, capitalizing on four UW-Superior attack errors.

UW-Superior climbed back into the set, and were tied with the Pioneers at 21, but Kirchner, Frias and sophomore Jennifer Schmidt contributed a kill each to stop any chance of a Yellowjackets comeback.

Kirchner posted 15 kills, eight digs, finishing two shy of a double-double. She also added two block assists. Frias finished with double-digit kills as well, tallying 10 kills. Yundt contributed 32 assists to the effort, and junior Andrea Larsen lead the squad with 22 digs.

The Pioneers return to the floor Oct. 11 for the North Central Tournament, where they will face Wheaton (Ill.) at 2 p.m. and the host North Central at 4 p.m.