PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville volleyball team (8-3) split a pair of five-set thrillers on Saturday inside Williams Fieldhouse. The Pioneers fell to an undefeated No. 24 University of Chicago (12-0) and then defeated Augustana College (3-7) on day two of the UW-Platteville Tournament. .
Junior
Brooklyn Radecke paced the Pioneers, stacking up 25 kills and a .200 hitting percentage across the two matches. Sophomore setter
Delali Amankwa had a great day, totaling 83 assists. Senior
Kennedy Wenger had a team-high seven block assists and a solo block while junior
Kennedey Barber finished with a team-high 51 digs.
Against Chicago
The Pioneers and Maroons traded sets, with Chicago taking the first, third, and last set 25-19, 25-22, and 15-13 while the Pioneers won sets two and four 25-18 and 25-19.
Amankwa finished the match with a career-high 44 assists, three kills, four block assists and 15 digs. Radecke was the lone Pioneer to finish in double-digit kills with 14.
Highlights from the match included five-straight points, featuring a set-point ace by sophomore
Amina Maali, to close out the second set. It also included a six-point run in the fourth which put the Pioneers in position to force a fifth set.
Against Augustana
In the second match of the day, the Pioneers tallied advantages in aces with 11 and blocks with eight. Radecke finished in double digits once again with 11 kills behind a .219 hitting percentage and was joined by junior
Abby Bauer with 10 kills on a .053 percentage. Amankwa added 39 assists in the second match of the day and Barber added 24 digs.
Freshman
Lauren Abbott and junior
Addison Albrecht each finished with four block assists while Abbott also knocked down a solo block.
Augustana took the first set 25-20 and the Pioneers responded with 25-14 and 25-18 wins in the second and third. It looked as if UW-Platteville might win in four, but after a three-point run, the Vikings responded with four-straight to take the fourth set 25-22. It looked as if the final set might be another back-and-forth contest, but the Pioneers strung together three two-point runs which was enough to distance the Pioneers from Augustana.
Up next, the Pioneers host neighboring University of Dubuque on Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. inside Williams Fieldhouse.
