ST. PAUL, Minn. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville volleyball team (0-1) opened the season on Friday afternoon by falling 3-1 to Lawrence University (1-0) in the first match of the Kathryne Pals Legacy Invite hosted by Northwestern (Minn.).
In the first set, Lawrence scored six of the first seven points, but the Pioneers cut the deficit down to two after kills by senior
Kennedy Wenger, junior
Brooklyn Radecke, and freshman
Lauren Abbott. The Vikings were able to maintain the slight edge as the set progressed and eventually won 25-21 after scoring six of the final nine points.
UW-Platteville responded by taking set two after a 6-1 run midway through the set led to a five-point advantage. Kills by Abott, Radecke, and sophomore
Grace Rohde down the stretch pushed the lead to eight and the Pioneers took the set 25-18 with Wenger recording the final point.
The momentum flipped back in the third set as Lawrence erased an early three-point deficit by scoring eight straight to lead 17-12. The Pioneers trimmed the gap down to one after scoring six straight, but the Vikings rallied and scored three consecutive points to win 25-21.
UW-Platteville jumped out to a 12-4 lead to open the fourth set thanks to a nine-point run that featured kills by freshman
Madalyn Kabat, Wenger, and Radecke. But Lawrence battled back and later claimed the set 26-24 after scoring three straight points, including a service ace to cap the match.
Radecke paced the Pioneers with 15 kills, while Wenger (14) and senior
Bria Johnston (13) also reached double figures. In total, UW-Platteville had 59 kills on a .232 hitting percentage.
Sophomore
Delali Amankwa recorded a team-high 27 assists while adding 11 digs in the process. Junior
Ava Valentin added 21 assists and eight digs. Junior
Kennedey Barber was the team leader in digs with 14.
The Pioneers will play two more matches at the invitational tomorrow, starting with Bethel at 1 p.m. before facing the host school Northwestern at 3 p.m.
