Chippewa Valley Times

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire volleyball team secured a significant victory against the No. 13 ranked University of Northwestern, winning 3-1 at the Sonnentag Event Center on Wednesday. This marks their second win against a Top 25 opponent this season.

The Blugolds won the first, second, and fourth sets with scores of 25-20, 25-20, and 25-20 respectively. The team started strong in the opening set by winning six of the first seven points and maintained their lead throughout. Although Northwestern managed to close the gap towards the end of the set, it was not enough to overcome UW-Eau Claire's advantage.

In the second set, UW-Eau Claire quickly established a 10-3 lead with Bailey Leeke serving three aces during this period. Despite another late attempt by Northwestern to narrow the deficit, UW-Eau Claire held on to win.

Northwestern extended the match into a fourth set after a decisive 6-0 run in the third set turned their slight lead into a commanding one. However, two scoring runs in the fourth set helped UW-Eau Claire secure their victory. A kill from Mya Cinnamo initiated a closing stretch that sealed the match for UW-Eau Claire.

Bailey Leeke led her team with 19 kills and recorded a match-high of 17 digs. Mya Cinnamo contributed an additional 12 kills while Ella Kiebel achieved a career high with 50 assists. Kaitlyn Erickson added another solid performance with 15 digs.

UW-Eau Claire will face another ranked opponent when they travel to Illinois on Friday, October 11th to play against No. 21 North Park at 7 p.m.

For more updates on UW-Eau Claire's volleyball season, fans can visit Blugolds.com or follow them on social media platforms including Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.