MEQUON, Wis. – The CUW women's volleyball program defeated Wisconsin-Eau Claire for the first time in program history on Saturday. The Falcons swept the 14th-ranked Blugolds, 25-18, 25-22, 25-23 to improve to 19-7.
The Falcons dominated the defending champions in the first set. The serve of sophomore Emma Essex have UWEC issues and a kill from senior Jenna Chaussee (Chilton, Wis.) gave the Falcons a 12-6 lead. CUW pushed the lead to 23-14 and took the set 25-18. Jenna Chaussee had three of the five service aces in the first set.
The Blue and White soared early again in the second set and a service ace from Emma Essex ballooned the lead to 11-4. The Blugolds showed why they are one of the best teams in the nation and clawed back to cut the CUW lead to 24-22. Senior Sophia Collins (Lake Mills, Wis.) closed the door on Eau Claire with a kill.
The Blugolds did not fade into the darkness on Halloween weekend after a kill from senior Gabriella Kaebisch (Paddock Lake, Wis.) gave the Falcons a 16-10 lead. The two teams exchanged blows to end the set and a service ace from Sophia Collins secured the sweep at 25-23.
The victory was the 30th-straight home victory for the Falcons.
It also was the first ranked-victory for CUW in the 2022 season.
The Falcons boasted a balanced attack with seven different birds registering a kill. Sophomore Lauren Shroba (Bolingbrook, Ill.) and Sophia Collins led the team with nine. Senior Sierra Lee (Kenosha, Wis.) had 21 assists in the victory.
CUW finished with 11 service aces, with Jenna Chaussee leading the match with four. She also led CUW with 12 digs.
The Concordia block gave the Blugolds issues all match long and Gabriella Kaebisch led the match with four.
The Falcons return to play on Thursday in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Tournament Semifinals against either Lakeland or St. Norbert.
