PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – In the opening round of the WIAC Tournament, the third-seeded University of Wisconsin-Platteville volleyball team (18-12, 4-3 WIAC) fell to sixth-seeded UW-La Crosse (21-11, 2-5 WIAC) 3-1 on Tuesday night inside Williams Fieldhouse.
It was a competitive match throughout, with three of the four sets being decided by three or fewer points. In the opening set, the margin between each team was never more than three, and it was decided in extra points as the Eagles picked up a 29-27 win after scoring the final three points.
The Pioneers countered by taking set two 25-17, using a pair of four-point runs to pull away. Freshman
Grace Rohde had three kills for UW-Platteville down the stretch, while freshman Molly Anderson tallied a kill and a solo block to secure the set win.
UW-La Crosse jumped out to a six-point lead in set three, but six straight Pioneers points, highlighted by three kills from sophomore
Abby Bauer, evened the score at 14 apiece. The Eagles increased the lead back to four, but UW-Platteville closed the gap again and tied the game multiple times, including at 24. But a kill and a block for UW-La Crosse handed the visitors a 26-24 win.
The teams traded points for much of the fourth set until the Eagles took a 20-17 lead behind a four-point run. UW-Platteville got as close as two, but a block gave UW-La Crosse the 25-22 set win and 3-1 match win.
Three Pioneers reached double-digit kills, led by 15 from Bauer, who posted a double-double with 15 digs. Rohde added a career-high 14 kills on a team-best .323 hitting percentage, while sophomore
Brooklyn Radecke posted 11 kills. For the match, UW-Platteville totaled 58 kills on a .206 hitting mark.
The Pioneers were strong at the net, finishing with five solo blocks and 10 block assists. Senior
Makayla Mau had two solo blocks and was tied with Anderson for the team-high in block assists with three.
Sophomore
Ava Valentin recorded a career-high 33 assists and added 12 digs for the double-double. Senior
Gracie Gibbens also reached double-digit assists with 17 while senior
Kelsey Ewert paced the team with 20 digs.
The Pioneers conclude the 2025 season with an 18-12 record and 4-3 mark in conference play. UW-La Crosse advances to the conference semifinals to face second-seeded UW-Eau Claire.
