PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – On the second day of Triangulars on Saturday, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville volleyball team (15-2) picked up two more wins, sweeping 17th-ranked Gustavus Adolphus (9-8) in the morning before closing the day with a 3-1 win over Aurora (8-9) inside Williams Fieldhouse.

Match One Highlights

In the sweep over No. 17 Gustavus Adolphus, the Pioneers took the opening set 25-18 after pulling away late in the set. UW-Platteville capped the set one win behind a pair of kills by senior Emma Carlson and a service ace by junior Bri Gartner. An early 7-1 run highlighted a 25-20 set two win, and the Pioneers wrapped up the sweep by taking the third set 25-23. The Gusties rallied from an early deficit in the third set to tie it at 23 but kills by Carlson and sophomore Delaney Graves secured the UW-Platteville sweep.

Three Pioneers reached double digit kills, with Carlson leading the way with 12. Graves and junior Kierney McDonald each added 10, while freshman Brooklyn Radecke pitched in with eight. UW-Platteville totaled 50 kills and a .240 hitting percentage in the match, with 21 of those kills on a .314 hitting percentage coming in the final set.

Junior Bri Gartner paced team with 19 digs, while junior Gracie Gibbens had a team-high 38 assists.

Match Two Highlights

Aurora overcame a six-point deficit in the opening set and used separate runs of six and five points to take set one 25-23. The Pioneers answered by taking set two 25-23 in another back-and-forth effort, with McDonald and Carlson each recording big kills in the final points.

A six-point UW-Platteville run put the home team up five early in the third set, but once again, the Spartans battled and cut the deficit down to two at 18-16. The Pioneers used a 5-1 run to gain some separation and eventually claimed the third set 25-19 on a kill from Carlson. In the fourth set, Aurora got out to a four-point lead and later led 22-19, but the Pioneers scored the final six points to win 25-22 and secure the four-set win. Carlson had three kills in the run, and sophomore Grace Betke added a service ace to help put the match away.

Carlson had a match-high 17 kills, while McDonald also reached double figures with 16 kills. UW-Platteville finished with 54 kills as a team, while hitting .233 in the match.

Three Pioneers had double-digit digs, with Carlson recording the double-double with 17. Gartner and Betke each added 10, while freshman Abby Bauer had nine. Gibbens finished with a team-high 45 assists in the win.

Up Next

The Pioneers will return to action next Friday at UW-River Falls at 7 p.m. to continue WIAC play.