Pioneers Win Twice On Day One Of Triangulars

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville volleyball team (13-2) hosted a pair of matches on Friday and picked up two wins in the process, sweeping Wartburg (10-4) to being the day before beating Augustana (Ill.) (6-6) 3-1 to close out the day inside Williams Fieldhouse.

Invite Schedule Tickets Photos Photos Video Video Box Score Box Score Box Score
Pioneers Win Twice On Day One Of Triangulars
September 27, 2024

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville volleyball team (13-2) hosted a pair of matches on Friday and picked up two wins in the process, sweeping Wartburg (10-4) to being the day before beating Augustana (Ill.) (6-6) 3-1 to close out the day inside Williams Fieldhouse.

Match One Highlights

The opening set against Wartburg went back-and-forth, with neither team leading by more than three points for most of the set. UW-Platteville managed to gain some separation late on a kill by senior Emma Carlson and two kills by freshman Brooklyn Radecke to make it 23-19, and the Pioneers held off a three-point Knights run to win 25-23.

UW-Platteville took control early the second set and jumped out to a quick 10-4 advantage. The Knights chipped away at the deficit and got back within two, but the Pioneers closed it out with an 8-3 run to win 25-18. The Pioneers wrapped up the first match sweep by taking the third set 25-14 behind several multi-point runs.

Carlson had a match-high 15 kills, and the Pioneers totaled 42 as a team in the sweep. Radecke added nine kills, while junior Kierney McDonald tallied seven on a .353 hitting percentage. UW-Platteville hit .252 as a team in the match, including a .278 mark in the final set.

Junior Bri Gartner led the way with 19 digs, while Carlson collected the double-double by finishing with 12 digs. Junior Gracie Gibbens paced the team with 31 assists.

Match Two Highlights

Against Augustana, the Pioneers used a pair of early four-point runs to hold a 9-4 lead in the opening set. That lead continued to grow as the set moved forward, and UW-Platteville eventually claimed a 25-16 win. The Vikings responded by taking the second set 25-21 after erasing a Pioneers four-point lead with an 11-3 run.

The third set was tightly contested until UW-Platteville pulled away late with six unanswered points. McDonald highlighted the run with three kills before putting the exclamation point on the 25-18 set win with a kill. The Pioneers then wrapped up the win by taking set four 25-16 after racing out to an early 6-0 advantage.

Three Pioneers reached double-digit kills, led by McDonald's 18. Carlson added 17, while Radecke finished with 15 to lead the offensive attack. UW-Platteville finished with 55 kills as a team, and hit .247 for the match.

Gartner's 38 digs led the team, while freshman Abby Bauer (17) and Carlson (13) joined her in double figures in that category. Gibbens had a team-high 44 assists, and the Pioneers were strong at the net, tallying five solo blocks and 14 block assists in the win. McDonald had three solo blocks and five block assists to lead the way.

Up Next

The Pioneers will host day two of Triangulars tomorrow when they welcome in two new teams. UW-Platteville will face Gustavus Adolphus at 11 a.m. to begin the day before playing Aurora at 4 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.