Volleyball wins conference opener over Stout

MENOMONIE, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-Platteville Volleyball team defeated Stout 25-15, 15-25, 25-15, 21-25, 15-10 for the first time since 2013 to start conference play.

The Pioneers improve to 9-2 overall (1-0 WIAC) while the Blue Devils fall to 9-4 (0-1 WIAC).

The Pioneers and Blue Devils each finished with 54 kills but the difference came in the efficiency column. The Pioneers hit .294 as a team and held the Blue Devils to .196. The Pioneers had 14 hitting errors to their 24 errors.

Freshman Sam Rossetti finished with 39 assists and spread the ball around to all of her hitters. Senior Katie Jones had 10 kills and hit .471 while sophomore Lita Solbrig also had 10 kills and hit .269. Outside hitters sophomore Olivia Kudronowicz and Hailey Youngren led the team with 14 and 11 kills, respectively. Kudronowicz hit .286 and chipped in two aces and Youngren hit a solid .321 with only two errors. 

The biggest factor defensively for the Pioneers was their ability to out-block their opponent. The Pioneers finished with 11 total blocks to the Blue Devils' three blocks. Jones finished with six block assists while Solbrig had one solo and five block assists.

The Pioneers play Friday at 5:00 pm against St Olaf in the Mabel Lee Tournament at Coe College. The Pioneers plat at 12:00 pm and 2:00 pm on Saturday.