Pioneers Fall in WIAC Semifinals After Five-Set Thriller in Oshkosh

Photo by Steve Frommell, UW-Oshkosh Photographer

OSHKOSH, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville volleyball team (25-5, 4-3 WIAC) exited the WIAC Tournament Thursday night after falling in five sets to No. 5 nationally ranked UW-Oshkosh (25-4, 6-1, WIAC). Behind 14 team blocks across the match and a 20-18 fifth set, the No. 17 Pioneers denied the Titans of an easy route to the conference title match. 

In the opening set, the Titans led 21-17, but back-to-back kills by senior Emma Carlson and junior Kelsey Drake tied the set 23-23. The Titans picked up set point, but Carlson struck again to keep the set alive before the Titans cashed in on an attack error and a kill of their own to win 26-24. 

The teams exchanged points through the opening of the second set, but the Pioneers quickly rallied to then cruise to a 25-21 win. 

The Titans had a quick start in the third set, but a 13-3 run quickly gave the Pioneers a 16-9 lead. The Pioneers rode out the lead and took a 2-1 advantage in the match with the 25-20 win. 

The Titans led for much of the fourth frame and finished on a 6-3 run to win 25-19 and force a fifth set. In the final set of the evening, the Pioneers led the first half, reaching a 10-6 advantage, but UW-Oshkosh rallied to tie the match 13-13. The teams went on to exchange points all the way until the Titans won 20-18 on an attack error followed by a kill by Sami Perlber.

Overall, the Pioneers hit .160 in the match compared to .185 by UW-Oshkosh. 

Of the 14 blocks, Drake was in on eight of them, with six different Pioneers adding at least two block assists apiece. Drake added 10 kills in the match for a career high. 

Carlson finished with a team-high 21 kills and registered 27 digs for a double-double. Also finishing in double-digits were juniors Kierney McDonald with 18 kills, Bri Gartner with 28 digs and Gracie Gibbens with 54 assists. 

The Titans will host UW-Whitewater on Saturday with the winner earning the league's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament. The Pioneers will wait and find out on Monday if they receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships.