EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville volleyball team (16-0, 3-3) fell in three sets Wednesday night at the Sonnentag Event Center to No. 4 nationally ranked UW-Eau Claire (25-2, 6-0). 

The first set was mostly a back-and-forth contest and back-to-back kills by sophomore Brooklyn Radecke and junior Kennedy Wenger gave the Blugolds just a one point lead, 21-20. UW-Eau Claire had the final word though and responded with the next four scores to take the set 25-20. 

In the next set, a kill by senior Kierney McDonald tied the game 3-3, but the Blugolds went on a 9-0 run to take a 12-3 lead. The Pioneers struggled from then on to cut into that commanding lead and UW-Eau Claire  went on to win 25-13. 

The Pioneers were able to settle into the third set and a kill by Radecke followed by a block from Wenger made it a one point set in favor of the Blugolds, 8-7. UW-Eau Claire held on to the slim lead later on at 17-16, but a trio of two-point runs closed out the final set 25-20. 

McDonald paced the Pioneers with nine kills while Wenger and Radecke each added six apiece. Senior Gracie Gibbens had a team-high 18 assists.

Three Pioneers finished with double-digit digs with senior Kelsey Ewert totaling 13, Radecke with 11 and junior Bria Johnston finishing with 10. 

As a team, UW-Platteville finished with a .076 hitting percentage while the Blugolds ended hitting .217. UW-Eau Claire also held a 6-1 advantage on service aces. 

Next up, the Pioneers will travel to the University of Chicago on Saturday, November 1 for a Triangular with Chicago and North Central at 1:30 and 4 p.m.