SAN ANTONIO, Tex. – In a matchup of preseason ranked teams, the No. 13 University of Wisconsin-Platteville volleyball team (1-0) downed No. 23 New York University (0-1) in the 2025 season opener on Friday afternoon at the Trinity (Tex.) Tournament inside the Bell Center.

It was a tight first set, with neither team leading by more than three points until the Pioneers scored five straight to win 25-20. Sophomore Brooklyn Radecke started the UW-Platteville run with a kill, and after three consecutive NYU errors, an ace by junior Bria Johnston wrapped up the set.

The Pioneers led by as many as seven in the second set, but NYU rallied in the closing stages, erasing the deficit to ultimately win 26-24 to even the match at one apiece. The third set was similar to the first, with each team trading points, but kills from senior Kierney McDonald and Radecke and an attack error helped UW-Platteville win 25-21.

The fourth set was tied at 19 apiece until a service ace from senior Gracie Gibbens gave the Pioneers the lead. Sophomore Abby Bauer rattled off three kills down the stretch, including the match winner, to lead UW-Platteville to a 25-22 win in set four and a 3-1 match victory.

McDonald led the way with 15 kills for the Pioneers on a team-best .483 hitting percentage. Radecke also reached double digit kills with 11, while Bauer (eight), Johnston (seven), and junior Kennedy Wengner (seven) also contributed to the attack. Gibbens (19) and freshman Delali Amankwa (18) had strong assist totals, and senior Kelsey Ewert dug out 23 balls to lead the team.

The Pioneers will two more games at the Trinity Tournament tomorrow, starting with a matchup with Millikin at 1:15 p.m. UW-Platteville then wraps up the tournament against host school Trinity at 5 p.m.