Less than 2 weeks away from the start of the season and the Pre-season AVCA poll was just released today with 4 WIAC teams debuting in the top 25 and Point just sitting in on the outside at "#27".
2024 National Tournament Runner-up UW-Whitewater comes in at #2.
UW Oshkosh #6
UW Platteville #13
UW-Eau Claire #22
Can't wait for the season to get going.
Pretty strong showing for the polled WIAC teams over the last 2 days to start the season.
Out East...
#2 UW-Whitewater goes 3-0 taking 3 (3-1) victories at the Christopher Newport's Captain Classic that included a win over host #21 Christopher Newport.
#6 UW-Oshkosh goes out to Salisbury and goes 3-0 over 3 unranked opponents at the Salisbury University Margie Knight Classic.
Both UWEC and UWSP were out West at the Pikes Peak Challenge out in Colorado Springs.
#22 UW-Eau Claire went 3-1 with its lone loss coming to #14 East Texas Baptist. Blugolds nearly pulled off the reverse sweep after falling behind 0-2, but ETBU finished the 5th set with a 7-2 run after the Blugolds went up 12-9 in the 5 set to take the win.
UWSP had the roughest weekend after opening with a 3-0 win over Milwaukee School of Engineering as they also fell to ETBU, Edgewood College (2-3) and host Colorado College (1-3).
Down South...
#13 UW-Platteville headed South and had probably the most challenging slate of games and came out with a solid 2-1 record. Wins over #23 NYU and host #10 Trinity (TX) sandwiched a loss to #12 Millikin.
Week 1 AVCA Poll Update
#2 UW-Whitewater (3-0): no change
#6 UW-Oshkosh (3-0): no change
#13 UW-Platteville (2-1): no change
#20 UW-Eau Claire (3-1): +2
Receiving Votes: UW-Stevens Point went from receiving 96 votes to 10.
Week ahead:
Should be smooth sailing for the Warhawks as they host their first invite of the year and face 4 unranked teams.
UW-Oshkosh hosts the Marty Petersen invitational and will be challenged heavily as they face 3 ranked teams in: #10 Wash U, #5 Emory, & #14 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. Marian University Friday night rounds out the opponents for the weekend.
UW-Platteville got off to an early start this week as they already took care of Augustana (IL) tonight 3-0. Cornell is on the docket for Friday night.
UW-Eau Claire heads to University of Chicago for 3 matches that includes one against host #22 Chicago, Lawrence, and Illinois Institute of Technology.
KWIK TRIP - WIAC PLayers' of the Week Awards
Offense
Abby Stanwood, Senior (Excelsior, Minn./Minnetonka), Outside Hitter of UW-Eau Claire
Stanwood led the Blugolds to a 3-1 record to open the season at the Pikes Peak Challenge, hosted by Colorado College, with a team-high 52 kills. In three matches played, Stanwood averaged 4.73 kills per set in her 11 sets played. While hitting at a .327 percentage, she averaged 4.82 points per set and added 23 digs.
Defense
Kelsey Ewert, Senior (Hustisford, Wis./Hustisford), Defensive Specialist/Libero of UW-Platteville
Ewert recorded 5.09 digs per set as the Pioneers finished 2-1 against three ranked opponents at the Trinity University (Texas) Tournament. She posted 23 digs in the season-opening win over No. 23-ranked New York University and then added 12 more in a four-set loss to No. 12-ranked Millikin University (Ill.) to begin action on Aug. 30. Ewert concluded the weekend with 21 digs as the Pioneers swept No. 10-ranked Trinity (Tex.).
Setter
Aubrie Krzus, Junior (Wheaton, Ill./Warrenville South), Setter of UW-Whitewater
Krzus led UW-Whitewater to a 3-0 week to open the 2025 campaign. In the team's opener against No. 21-ranked Christopher Newport University (Va.), Krzus tallied 33 assists and added three aces to lead the Warhawks to the sweep. She followed with 45 assists against Coast Guard and 28 in a win over Catholic University (D.C.). Krzus dished out 10.60 assists per set, adding 1.30 kills per set and a total of five aces across three matches. She was named the Captains Classic MVP for her performance at the invitational.
Quote from: '95 Blugold on September 03, 2025, 11:35:50 PMUW-Oshkosh hosts the Marty Petersen invitational and will be challenged heavily as they face 3 ranked teams in: #10 Wash U, #5 Emory, & #14 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. Marian University Friday night rounds out the opponents for the weekend.
Looks like UWO was up to the challenge, as they defeated all three ranked opponents by identical 3-1 scores to improve to 8-0 on the season.
What a weekend for the ranked WIAC teams highlighted by UW-Oshkosh taking down 3 ranked opponents as cubs mentioned above.
UW-Oshkosh takes down #10 Wash U 3-1 with the final 2 sets going extra (20-25, 25-13, 26-24,26-24), #5 Emory (25-17, 25-22, 17-25, 25-18), #14 C-M-S (26-24, 22-25, 25-23, 25-23) and also unranked Marion in 3 sets.
UW-Whitewater went 4-0 at their first invite host of the season. I was incorrect in my above post in that I though all 4 opponents were unranked, but I missed that Berry College was ranked #24 who they took down in 5 in reverse sweep fashion (24-26, 17-25, 25-17, 25-20, 16-14). Sweeps of Concordia (WI), Pacific Lutheran & Elmhurst started off their invite.
UW-Eau Claire went down to Chicago and went 3-0 starting with a 3-1 victory over host #22 Chicago (23-25, 25-15, 25-15, 25-16) on Friday. Saturday was a sweep of both unranked Lawrence and Illinois Institute of Technology.
UW-Platteville did not have an invite, but did go on the road Friday night and swept Cornell College.
KWIK TRIP - WIAC Players' of the Week Awards: September 8
WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Offense
Samantha Perlberg, Junior (Chippewa Falls, Wis./Chippewa Falls), Pin Hitter of UW-Oshkosh
Helping UW-Oshkosh to six wins during the week, including three over top 15 opponents, Perlberg recorded 100 kills across UW-Oshkosh's six matches, averaging 5.26 kills per set. She hit .295 on 258 total attacks with only 24 errors. Perlberg recorded at least 16 kills in the five matches she started in with a career best 27 against No. 10-ranked Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.) on Sept. 5. In three of the Titans' four matches of the Marty Petersen Invitational at Kolf Sports Center on Sept. 5-6, she registered kill and dig double-doubles and totaled nine blocks on the week.
Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Abby Stanwood, Senior, Outside Hitter, Excelsior, Minn. (Minnetonka)
UW-La Crosse, Grace Nommensen, Junior, Outside Hitter, New Glarus, Wis. (New Glarus)
UW-Platteville, Kierney McDonald, Senior, Middle Blocker, Taylor Ridge, Ill. (Rockridge)
UW-River Falls, Reese Bauman, Junior, Middle Blocker, Hayfield, Minn. (Hayfield)
UW-Stevens Point, Ella Trieloff, Junior, Outside Hitter/Rightside Hitter, Park Ridge, Ill. (St. Viator)
UW-Stout, Brooke McCune, Junior, Outside Hitter, Osseo, Wis. (Osseo-Fairchild)
UW-Whitewater, Abbie Dix, Junior, Middle Hitter, Brodhead, Wis. (Brodhead)
Defense
Brynn Hessel, Junior (South Range, Wis./Northwestern), Middle Hitter of UW-Stout
Hessel totaled 14 blocks in the three matches to open the season for the Blue Devils. Against No. 19-ranked Colby College (Maine), she had three. Then added two against Maine Maritime Academy and nine against Endicott College (Mass.) to help the Blue Devils hand both teams their first losses of the season. She currently leads the conference with 14 blocks in just nine sets played. She is second in the nation with 1.56 blocks a set. Against Endicott, Hessel added seven kills with a .294 hitting percentage.
Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Darienne Andre, Senior, Middle Blocker, Lakeville, Minn. (Rosemount)
UW-Oshkosh, Callie Panasuk, Freshman, Libero, Oak Creek, Wis. (Oak Creek)
UW-Platteville, Kierney McDonald, Senior, Middle Blocker, Taylor Ridge, Ill. (Rockridge)
UW-River Falls, Audrey Petersen, Sophomore, Defensive Specialist/Libero, Glencoe, Minn. (Glencoe-Silver Lake)
UW-Stevens Point, Abby Nevins, Sophomore, Defensive Specialist/Libero, Muskego, Wis. (Muskego)
UW-Whitewater, Abbie Dix, Junior, Middle Hitter, Brodhead, Wis. (Brodhead)
Setter
Aubrie Krzus, Junior (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton Warrenville South), Setter of UW-Whitewater
Krzus helped lead the Warhawks to a 4-0 record during the week at the UW-Whitewater Invitational. She posted 9.57 assists per set, while also bolstering the offense and defense. Krzus tallied 16 kills, an average of 1.14 per set, while hitting .389 on the week. She added 14 blocks, averaging one per set over the four-match span. Krzus was named to the All-Tournament Team at the invitational.
Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Alex Kiebel, Freshman, Setter, Maple Lake, Minn. (Maple Lake)
UW-Oshkosh, Izzy Coon, Senior, Setter, Fond du Lac, Wis. (St. Mary's Springs Academy)
UW-River Falls, Cora Sayotovich, Sophomore, Setter, Harris, Minn. (Rush City)
UW-Stout, Lainey Todd, Junior, Setter, Ypsilanti, Mich. (Lincoln)
WIAC Week 2 AVCA Poll Update
I was wondering after Oshkosh's big weekend if it would be enough to vault them up to #3 and it was. I figured #4 was a lock, but didn't know if the pollsters would jump them up over Johns Hopkins or not.
#2 UW-Whitewater (7-0) --
#3 UW-Oshkosh (9-0) +3
#13 UW-Platteville (4-1) --
#18 UW Eau Claure (6-1) +2
WEEK AHEAD
UW-Whitewater joins UW-Eau Claire at the Sandy Schumacher Memorial Tournament in Eau Claire this weekend were both will be facing Marian, St. Catherines, and Lakeland. I'll be heading over to watch matches this weekend.
Another home meatgrinder of a weekend for the Titans as they host the UW-Oshkosh Invitational where they will be facing #5 LaVerne, #8 Hope, and (RV) Chicago.
Platteville got their week off with a (1-3) loss tonight on the road against #23 Dubuque. This weekend the travel to Carthage where they take on unranked Carthage, Concordia (WI), and Colorado College.
Blugolds got their week started with a sweep on the road at Bethel (25-18, 25-15, 28-26) in front of hosting this weekend.
Quote from: '95 Blugold on September 10, 2025, 11:48:13 PMAnother home meatgrinder of a weekend for the Titans as they host the UW-Oshkosh Invitational where they will be facing #5 LaVerne, #8 Hope, and (RV) Chicago.
Almost another perfect weekend against quality competition for UWO, however after taking the first two sets against La Verne on Friday night, they were unable to close it out and La Verne got the reverse sweep. UWO bounced back with a pair of sweeps Saturday against Hope and Chicago.
WIAC Week 3 AVCA Poll Update
Sorry, not my usual write up as I'm traveling and not getting all that up to date on info, but with Juniata's win streak finally coming to an end Whitewater moves up to #1.
#1 UW-Whitewater (10-0) +1
#3 UW-Oshkosh (11-1) --
#14 UW-Eau Claire (10-1) +4
#25 UW-Platteville (4-5) -13
WIAC play started this week with the match of the week being tomorrow night as #1 Whitewater travels to #14 Eau Claire. If you able, you should be able to watch the luve stream via the WIAC Network app.
KWIK TRIP - Players' of the Week Awards - September 22
WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Offense
Bailey Leeke, Senior (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North), Rightside Hitter of UW-Eau Claire
Leeke tied a career high during the week as the Blugolds posted a pair of victories. After recording a double-double against the College of Saint Benedict (Minn.) with 15 kills and 12 digs, Leeke tied her career high in kills with 25 successful attacks against No. 1-ranked UW-Whitewater. As she hit at a .302 rate, Leeke averaged 4.44 kills per set, 4.94 points per set, and 2.11 digs per set.
Also nominated:
UW-Oshkosh, Samantha Perlberg, Junior, Pin Hitter, Chippewa Falls, Wis. (Chippewa Falls)
UW-River Falls, Kelsey Klesner, Freshman, Outside Hitter, Marion, Iowa (Linn-Marr)
UW-Stevens Point, Logan Cregan, Freshman, Outside Hitter, Little Canada, Minn. (Roseville)
UW-Stout, Brooke McCune, Junior, Outside Hitter, Osseo, Wis. (Osseo-Fairchild)
UW-Whitewater, Abbie Dix, Junior, Middle Hitter, Brodhead, Wis. (Brodhead)
Defense
Kailey Kline, Junior (Genoa, Ill./Genoa-Kingston), Libero of UW-Stout
Kline averaged 6.19 digs per set in five matches during the week, helping the Blue Devils go 4-0 at the UW-Superior Stinger Classic. She had a WIAC-high 34 digs against UW-Superior and currently leads the WIAC and is 19th in the nation with 4.28 digs a set. This week, she totaled 99 digs and was named to the Stinger Classic All-Tournament Team. Kline had 15 digs against No. 3-ranked UW-Oshkosh. 19 vs College of St. Scholastica (Minn.), 11 vs Knox College (Ill.) (in 2 sets), 34 vs UW-Superior and added 21 more against Concordia College-Moorhead (Minn.). She added three service aces and received 130-of-131 serves cleanly.
Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Madi Wilson, Freshman, Middle Blocker, Onalaska, Wis. (Onalaska)
UW-Oshkosh, Callie Panasuk, Freshman, Libero, Oak Creek, Wis. (Oak Creek)
UW-Stevens Point, Tessa Erlandson, Junior, Defensive Specialist/Libero, Kenyon, Minn. (Kenyon Wanamingo)
UW-Whitewater, Natalie Lawson, Freshman, Defensive Specialist, Elmhurst, Ill. (IC Catholic Prep)
Setter
Alex Kiebel, Freshman (Maple Lake, Minn./Maple Lake), Setter of UW-Eau Claire
Kiebel put up career numbers and a pair of double-doubles during the week as the Blugolds went 2-0. On Sept. 17, Kiebel set a career high of 37 assists against the College of Saint Benedict (Minn.). The personal accolade was short lived for the first year as Kiebel broke her own personal record on Sept. 19, with 58 assists as the Blugolds upset No. 1-ranked UW-Whitewater. With wins against two opponents in the AVCA Top-25 Coaches Poll, Kiebel finished her nine sets with 10.56 assists per set and 2.89 digs per set.
Also nominated:
UW-Oshkosh, Izzy Coon, Senior, Setter, Fond du Lac, Wis. (St. Mary's Springs Academy)
UW-Stevens Point, Hannah Strege, Freshman, Setter, Shakopee, Minn. (Shakopee)
UW-Stout, Lainey Todd, Junior, Setter, Ypsilanti, Mich. (Lincoln)
UW-Whitewater, Aubrie Krzus, Junior, Setter, Wheaton, Ill. (Warrenville South)
WIAC Week 4 AVCA Poll Update
Bit of a rough week in the polls for the WIAC. Whitewater drops 2 matches after reaching #1 in last week's poll and Platteville drops out all together. La Verne who beat Oshkosh a few weeks back takes over the #1 spot with East Baptist who rallied to take a 5 set match opening weekend against UW-Eau Claire moving up to #2. Blugolds were the big upward movers of the week after taking down then #1 Whitewater in a thrilling 5 set win in front of a record crowd at The Sonnentag Friday night.
For the WIAC:
#3 UW-Oshkosh (13-2) --
#4 UW-Whitewater (11-2) -3
#10 UW-Eau Claire (12-1) +4
RV UW-Platteville (6-5)
Match of the Week: Gonna go with UW-Platteville @ UW-Stevens Point next Tuesday in a battle of the Tier 2 teams currently in the WIAC.
KWIK TRIP PLAYERS' OF THE WEEK - September 29
WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Offense
Kierney McDonald, Senior (Taylor Ridge, Ill./Rockridge), Middle Blocker of UW-Platteville
McDonald was active at the net for the Pioneers during the week, tallying three solo blocks and 11 block assists for an average of 1.17 blocks per set as UW-Platteville won all four matches. She had one solo block and three block assists across two sets in a sweep of Beloit College (Wis.) before adding two solo blocks and three block assists in a four-set win over UW-Stout on Sept. 26. McDonald picked up a combined five block assists in a pair of sweeps over the weekend and totaled 3.92 kills per set on the week.
Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Norah Erickson, Junior, Outside Hitter, Norwood Young America, Minn. (Central)
UW-La Crosse, Kayla Sexton, Junior, Outside Hitter, St. Cloud, Minn. (Cathedral)
UW-Oshkosh, Samantha Perlberg, Junior, Pin Hitter, Chippewa Falls, Wis. (Chippewa Falls)
UW-River Falls, Blessing Adebisi, Junior, Middle Blocker, White Bear Lake, Minn. (White Bear Lake)
UW-Stevens Point, Carly Thomka, Junior, Middle Blocker, Muskego, Wis. (Muskego)
UW-Stout, Brooke McCune, Junior, Outside Hitter, Osseo, Wis. (Osseo-Fairchild)
UW-Whitewater, Abbie Dix, Junior, Middle Hitter, Brodhead, Wis. (Brodhead)
Defense
Kaitlyn Erickson, Sophomore (Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park), Libero of UW-Eau Claire
Erickson helped the Blugolds extend their winning streak to 13 matches with a 3-1 victory over UW-La Crosse on Sept. 24. She posted 26 digs, three assists, and zero reception errors. With 6.50 digs per set and handling all 18 serves that came her way, Erickson helped UW-Eau Claire keep UW-La Crosse hitting below .235 in each set and .150 overall.
Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Taylor Larson, Senior, Libero, Hartland, Wis. (Menomonee Falls)
UW-Oshkosh, Callie Panasuk, Freshman, Libero, Oak Creek, Wis. (Oak Creek)
UW-Platteville, Kierney McDonald, Senior, Middle Blocker, Taylor Ridge, Ill. (Rockridge)
UW-River Falls, Audrey Petersen, Sophomore, Defensive Specialist/Libero, Glencoe, Minn. (Glencoe-Silver Lake)
UW-Stevens Point, Abby Nevins, Sophomore, Defensive Specialist/Libero, Muskego, Wis. (Muskego)
UW-Stout, Kailey Kline, Junior, Libero, Genoa, Ill. (Genoa-Kingston)
UW-Whitewater, Gaby DiMotto, Freshman, Outside Hitter, New Berlin, Wis. (New Berlin West)
Setter
Aubrie Krzus, Junior (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton Warrenville South), Setter of UW-Whitewater
Krzus led UW-Whitewater to three wins in the Warhawks' home invitational during the week. She averaged 10.63 assists per set, while adding 13 kills, eight aces and six blocks.
Also nominated:
UW-Eau Claire, Alex Kiebel, Freshman, Setter, Maple Lake, Minn. (Maple Lake)
UW-La Crosse, Megan Lund, Sophomore, Setter, Rochester, Minn. (Rochester Century)
UW-Oshkosh, Izzy Coon, Senior, Setter, Fond du Lac, Wis. (St. Mary's Springs Academy)
UW-Platteville, Gracie Gibbens, Senior, Setter, Katy, Texas (Katy Taylor)
UW-River Falls, Olivia Noble, Sophomore, Setter, Maynard, Minn. (Kekhoven-Murdock-Sunburg)
UW-Stout, Lainey Todd, Junior, Setter, Ypsilanti, Mich. (Ypsilanti Lincoln)
WIAC Week 4 AVCA Poll Update
Blugolds make another big jump this week for some reason to give the WIAC 3 teams in the top 5 in this weeks poll.
#3 UW-Oshkosh (14-2) --
#4 UW-Whitewater (14-2) --
#5 UW-Eau Claire (13-1) +5
RV: UW-Platteville (11)
WIAC Match up of the Week: Going to go with UWEC @ UW-Stout. Blugolds are hosting the Blue Devils in Football for homecoming on Saturday and it appears the VB teams will be getting this interstate rivalry off to an early start tomorrow as Eau Claire heads to Stout for their first WIAC road match up of the season.
Blugolds also have a looming weekend showdown on Saturday at Stevens Point against #10 Wash U. They will also face Carthage who is receiving votes. If I weren't making it back to campus for the homecoming game, I'd consider heading over to Stevens Point.
WIAC Week 6 AVCA Poll Update
Good week overall for the 3 ranked WIAC teams as the go a combined 9-1 with the lone loss coming from Eau Claire against now #10 Wash U.
#3 UW-Oshkosh (19-2) --
#4 UW-Whitewater (16-2) --
#8 UW-Eau Claire (15-2) -3
RV: UW-Platteville (9)
Looks like the WIAC has a week off from conference play with the next slate of matches set for Wednesday, October 15. Blugolds have another top 25 showdown this week as they travel to the Hope College Tournament this weekend that will include a match against host and #12 ranked Hope College.
Massey Rankings thru Oct. 6
#3 UW-Oshkosh
#5 UW-Whitewater
#6 UW-Eau Claire
WIAC Week 7 AVCA Poll Update
A good week for the top 3 in non conference games this week as Oshkosh, Whitewater & Eau Claire went a combined 9-0 which included an impressive 4 set victory for the Blugolds at then #12 Hope which lifted the Blugolds up a notch in the polls with #6 Emory suffering a loss.
#3 UW-Oshkosh (20-2) --
#4 UW-Whitewater (19-2) --
#7 UW-Eau Claire (19-2) +1
RV: UW-Platteville (9)
WIAC Match of the Week:
UW-Whitewater @ UW-Platteville. Both teams come in tied in the WIAC standings at 2-1, but Whitewater has had better success with their non conference schedule. Will be half way through conference play after this week with some big matchups still to come.
Massey Rankings thru Oct. 14
#3 UW-Oshkosh
#5 UW-Eau Claire
#6 UW-Whitewater
KWIK TRIP PLAYERS' OF THE WEEK - OCT. 13
WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Offense
Abby Stanwood, Senior (Excelsior, Minn./Minnetonka), Outside Hitter of UW-Eau Claire
Stanwood helped the Blugolds to a 4-0 week with four road victories, including wins over No. 12-ranked Hope College (Mich.), and vote getting teams in Coe College (Iowa) and the University of Northwestern (Minn.). Stanwood swung at .392 hitting percentage, tallying 5.13 kills per set, recording a career-high 27 kills against Coe, and setting a game-high .480 attacking percentage against the Kohawks. In the 12 sets won by the Blugolds, Stanwood recorded the winning point in seven of the sets with six set-sealing kills and one block assist.
Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Kayla Sexton, Junior, Outside Hitter, St. Cloud, Minn. (St. Cloud Cathedral)
UW-Oshkosh, Lauren Grier, Junior, Middle Blocker, Fond du Lac, Wis. (Fond du Lac)
UW-Platteville, Kierney McDonald, Senior, Middle Blocker, Taylor Ridge, Ill. (Rockridge)
UW-Whitewater, Abbie Dix, Junior, Middle Hitter, Brodhead, Wis. (Brodhead)
Defense
Kaitlyn Erickson, Sophomore (Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park), Libero of UW-Eau Claire
Erickson helped hold down the Blugold defense in four wins during the week, including wins over No. 12-ranked Hope College (Mich.), and vote getting teams in Coe College (Iowa) and the University of Northwestern (Minn.). Erickson recorded 5.19 digs per set and held a serve receive average of 93.8 percent. Erickson and the Blugold defense held opponents to a .176 attacking rate and 10.94 kills per set.
Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Kayle Sexton, Junior, Outside Hitter, St. Cloud, Minn. (St. Cloud Cathedral)
UW-Oshkosh, Samantha Perlberg, Junior, Pin Hitter, Chippewa Falls, Wis. (Chippewa Falls)
UW-Platteville, Kelsey Ewert, Senior, Libero, Hustisford, Wis. (Hustisford)
UW-Stevens Point, Abby Nevins, Sophomore, Defensive Specialist/Libero, Muskego, Wis. (Muskego)
UW-Whitewater, Abbie Dix, Junior, Middle Hitter, Brodhead, Wis. (Brodhead)
Setter
Alex Kiebel, Freshman (Maple Lake, Minn./Maple Lake), Setter of UW-Eau Claire
Kiebel helped power the Blugolds to four wins during the week with victories over No. 12-ranked Hope College (Mich.), and vote getting teams in Coe College (Iowa) and the University of Northwestern (Minn.). While the Blugolds averaged 14 kills per set as a team, Kiebel recorded 10.63 assists per set with a 43.8 percent success rate and a weekend-high 47 assists against Coe. In addition to her offense, Kiebel tallied 34 digs with 2.13 digs per set, helping keep opponents at a .176 attacking rate.
Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Megan Lund, Sophomore, Setter, Rochester, Minn. (Century)
UW-Oshkosh, Jaclyn Dutkiewicz, Senior, Setter, Franklin, Wis. (Franklin)
UW-Platteville, Gracie Gibbens, Senior, Setter, Katy, Texas (Katy Taylor)
UW-Stevens Point, Hannah Strege, Freshman, Setter, Shakopee, Minn. (Shakopee)
UW-Whitewater, Aubrie Krzus, Junior, Setter, Wheaton, Ill. (Warrenville South)
With Whitewater's loss to Platteville and Eau Claire win over Hope the rankings shuffled up a bit below #3 Oshkosh. Interestingly enough the Warhawks still received a vote for the #1 spot.
#3 UW-Oshkosh (21-2) --
#4 UW-Eau Claire (23-2) +7
#8 UW-Whitewater (21-3) -4
Massey Rankings thru Oct. 21
#3 UW-Oshkosh
#4 UW-Eau Claire
#6 UW-Whitewater
WIAC Match of the Week: UW-Platteville @ #3 UW-Oshkosh.
Fresh off a home victory over the #4 Whitewater. Platteville now goes on the road to UW-Oshkosh. A win for Platteville would really help their post season outlook.
WEEK 9 AVCA WIAC Poll Update
No change for Oshkosh and Eau Claire as they stay at #3 & 4 respectively. Whitewater drops a few spots with their conference loss to Stout during the week. Platteville is still hanging around receiving votes.
#3 UW-Oshkosh (23-2) --
#4 UW-Eau Clare (24-2) --
#11 UW-Whitewater (21-5) -3
RV UW-Platteville (11)
Massey Ratings (through 10/27)
#3 UW-Oshkosh
#5 UW-Eau Claire
#7 UW-Whitewater
#29 UW-Platteville
WIAC STANDINGS UPDATE
With 2 matches left for conference play Oshkosh and Eau Claire are in the driver's seat for the 1st & 2nd seed and the first round bye that accompanies it. Platteville currently sits in 3rd at (3-2) with Whitewater, Stout, and Point locked in a 3 way tie for the 4th-6th spot at 2-3.
Co-WIAC MATCH OF THE WEEK:
UW-Oshkosh @ UW-Whitewater. The Warhawk have a lot at stake in regards to standings and conference tournament seeding. In the midst of a 2 game conference losing streak Whitewater will wrap up the season with final match up at Stevens Point to wrap up WIAC play following this weeks' match up against Oshkosh.
UW-Platteville @ UW-Eau Claire. UW-Platteville still has a chance to steal the #2 seed from the Blugolds and to do so it starts with going up to The Sonnentag tomorrow and taking down the Blugolds who have not lost at home all season.
Oshkosh has another gauntlet of non conference play again this weekend as they travel to Bloomington, IL where they will take on #6 Illinois Wesleyan Friday and #5 & 3X Defending National Champion Juniata on Saturday.
Finally, the 1st NCAA Regional Rankings were released. Through October 26 games. Region VIII breaks down as follows:
#1 UW-Eau Claire
#2 UW-Oshkosh
#3 Ill. Wesleyan
#4 UW-Whitewater
#5 Wash U
#6 Edgewood
#7 Transylvania
WEEK 10 AVCA POLL WIAC UPDATE
A little change for the WIAC teams, but nothing to dramatic. Oshkosh slipped with their loss to Illinois Wesleyan, but he pulled off solid wins against Juniata and Whitewater, which was an amazing match to watch last week.
#3 UW-Eau Clare (26-2) +1
#5 UW-Oshkosh (25-3) -2
#11 UW-Whitewater (23-6) --
UW-Platteville dropped out of receiving votes.
WIAC STANDINGS UPDATE
UW-Eau Claire and UW-Oshkosh are locked into the #1 & #2 spots. Friday nights will determine who is which. Seeds #2-#6 are still up in the air and will just be a matter of who wins certain matchups with the UW-Whitewater @ UW-Stevens Point probably having the biggest impact.
WIAC MATCH OF THE WEEK: UW-Eau Claire @ UW-Oshkosh. This match will decide the #1 seed for the WIAC tournament as they are both coming in with 6-0 records in conference play. Should be an outstanding match in Oshkosh come Friday night.
NCAA Regional Rankings (Through 11/2/2025)
1. UW-Eau Claire
2. UW-Oshkosh
3. Illinois Wesleyan
4. WashU
5. UW-Whitewater
6. Edgewood
7. Transylvania
A bit surprised Oshkosh stayed ahead of Illinois Wesleyan considering they got swept by them Friday night.
Looking forward to Friday night. Hopefully I'll get a chance to watch on the WIAC network.
Titans with a decisive 3-1 victory over the visiting Blugolds tonight to go undefeated in regular season WIAC play and the #1 seed for the WIAC tournament. Blugolds had no answer for the Titan offensive attack and Oshkosh's blocking game along with errors on behalf of the Blugolds really never saw Eau Claire threaten to what the final outcome will be. Whitewater goes up to Stevens Point and after dropping the first set to the home team rattled off 3 sets in a row to earn the #4 seed.
Seeds for the WIAC tournament that starts Tuesday is as follows.
#1 UW-Oshkosh
#2 UW-Eau Claire
#3 UW-Platteville
#4 UW-Whitewater
#5 UWSP
#6 UW-Stout
1st round is Tuesday with both Oshkosh and Eau Clarie earning 1st round byes. Tuesday has:
UWSP @ UW-Whitewater
UW-Stout @ UW-Platteville
2nd round is Thursday with the Conference Final a week from tomorrow.
Remember WIAC network will be charging for post season WIAC tournament, so if you are planning to watch there you'll have to pay to watch. Good luck to all teams.
WIAC Tournament Update
#4 UW-Whitewater takes care of #5 UW-Stevens Point with a 3-0 sweep. (25-20, 25-16, 25-22).
#6 UW-LaCrosse goes on the road and upsets #3 UW-Platteville in four 3-1. (29-27, 17-25, 26-24, 25-22).
Thursday's Semifinals
#4 UW-Whitewater @ #1 UW-Oshkosh
#6 UW-LaCrosse @ UW-Eau Claire
WEEK 11 AVCA POLL WIAC UPDATE
Illinois Wesleyan makes a jump above Oshkosh and Eau Claire as the 2 WIAC teams flip with the Titan's home win against the Blugolds Friday night. Whitewater stays firmly entrenched in the #11 spot for the 3rd week in a row.
#4 UW-Oshkosh (26-3) +1
#5 UW-Eau Claire (26-3) -2
#11 UW-Whitewater (24-6) --
See prior post for the WIAC tournament 1st round result. No match of the week yet as its pretty fluid, but if all goes according to the seeds we should be looking at a Titan/Blugold rematch come Saturday night in Oshkosh.
Looking ahead to Monday I have to think Oshkosh, Eau Claire and Whitewater are locks for NCAA post season play. Don't think the WIAC will be able to slip in more than three this year unless LaCrosse somehow finds a way to win the conference tournament and grab the automatic bid.
Been traveling since Thursday afternoon and visiting my son who attends NDSU. Actually went to watch the Bison vs. St. Thomas VB match Thursday night and followed the WIAC games on line.
After the dust settled from a pair of sweeps we will have:
#2 UW-Eau Claire @ #1 UW-Oshkosh tonight. Will be a tough mountain to climb for the Blugolds, especially if Oshkosh is on their offensive game like the were in last week's matchup.
I followed along the best I could via live stats as I was traveling tonight, but in what must have been an incredible match to watch UW-Oshkosh takes down UW-Eau Claire in a reverse sweep to win the WIAC. (18-25, 21-25, 25-21, 26-24, 15-13).
Now we wait to see how the post season breaks down in regards to who is playing where and who. As I mentioned earlier WIAC probably only gets 3 teams in.
Oshkosh
Eau Claire
Whitewater
Hopefully they get split up a bit and get a chance to maybe host.
Was on vacation last week and didn't get in until very, very early yesterday morning so wasn't able to post anything on regionals. Did get a chance to watch some of the Eau Claire and Whitewater matches while waiting in the airport Friday afternoon and then Eau Claire's match today before heading into work. With that said, the WIAC will be sending two teams onto the National Quarterfinals in UW-Oshkosh and UW-Eau Claire. Unfortunately, Whitewater lost to Calvin Friday.
Teams will be reseeded now with the final 8 set and with Calvin's upset of Illinois Wesleyan it looks like both WIAC teams will end up on the same side of the bracket. If things go according to the last AVCA poll seeds will be as follows.
#1 East Texas Baptist
#2 UW-Oshkosh
#3 UW-Eau Claire
#4 La Verne
#5 Colby
#6 Trinity (TX)
#7 Berry
#8 Calvin
I can see a scenario where maybe LaVern ends up the 3 seed and Eau Claire comes in at #4. Guess we'll see where things fall in the coming days.
Those involved in the seeding appeared to value the body of work for both La Verne and Colby over that of UW-Eau Claire as the Blugolds end up as the #5 seed and face #4 seed La Verne.
As expected UW-Oshkosh comes in as the #2 seed and will face #7 seed Calvin. Full quarterfinal match ups as follows:
Left Side of Bracket
#1 East Texas Baptist vs. #8 Berry
#4 La Verne vs. #5 UW-Eau Clare
Right Side of Bracket
#2 UW-Oshkosh vs. #7 Calvin
#3 Colbey vs. #6 Trinity (TX)
WIAC gets a split in the National Quarterfinals.
UW-Oshkosh takes care of Calvin with a sweep (25-13, 26-24, 25-21).
UW-Eau Claire had no answer for AVCA player of the year Mya Ray and the rest of her La Verne teammates as they fall in 4 (19-25, 20-25, 25-13, 18-25). Blugolds played with the lead for first part of set 1, but once La Verne took the lead at 18-17 it seemed like the match outcome was never in doubt.
UW-Oshkosh takes on #6 seed Trinity (TX) who upset #3 seed Colby.
Big upset of the day was #8 Berry taking down undefeated #1 seed East Texas Baptist.
It would not surprise me one bit if both UWO and La Verne won today giving us a rematch from the regular season for the National Championship. The September match this fall saw La Verne come back from being down 2-0 in Oshkosh and earn the reverse sweep and hand UWO their first loss of the season.
UW-Oshkosh sweeps Trinity(TX) to advance to the National Championship game. The Titans have not dropped a set in the National Tournament.
They will take on La Verne who took down Berry in an exciting 5 set match.
Rest day tomorrow for both teams with the title match set for Saturday evening.
No reverse sweep this time for La Verne as Oshkosh takes down the leopards 3-0 (25-17, 25-22, 25-21) for their 1st National Championship.
Titans did not lose a set during the whole tournament and finish the season 34-3. First team to sweep through the tournament since Juniata in 2004.
Congratulations UW-Oshkosh!!
Not much doubt about the best team in D3 Villeyball this season.
UWO dominates in the NCAA Championship from beginning to end as they win every single set they played to go 18-0 enroute to a perfect 6-0 match record to claim the school's first Volleyball Championship!