Chippewa Valley Times

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire volleyball team was defeated by UW-Whitewater in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championship. The match, held on Friday, concluded with a 3-0 victory for the sixth-ranked Warhawks over the 24th-ranked Blugolds, ending their season.

The scores were 25-12, 25-23, and 25-21 in favor of UW-Whitewater. The Warhawks maintained a .220 hitting percentage while limiting UW-Eau Claire to .099.

"Hats off to Whitewater," said UW-Eau Claire Head Coach Kim Wudi. "They had us on the ropes — not to use the boxing analogy, but they had our backs against the wall. They're a great team, one of the best in the country for a reason."

This match marked the seventh national postseason meeting between these Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) rivals. With this win, UW-Whitewater advanced to the round of 16.

Mya Cinnamo led UW-Eau Claire with 18 kills. Ella Kiebel contributed 36 assists and Bailey Leeke made 13 digs.

In the first set, a six-point run gave UW-Whitewater control after an initial close score of 11-9. They then outscored UW-Eau Claire 14-3 to finish the set.

The Blugolds mounted a comeback in the second set after trailing by eight points due to an early run by UW-Whitewater. They managed to tie at 21 with significant contributions from Cinnamo, Abby Stanwood, and Darienne Andre. However, tied at 23 later in the set, Whitewater secured two consecutive points for a lead.

In a closely contested third set where UW-Eau Claire led at one point, an 8-2 run by Whitewater sealed their victory despite two saved match points by Eau Claire.

Reflecting on their season's end, Cinnamo remarked: "Last year we weren't in this position... I think we can learn a lot of things from the opponents that we faced and the hard things we went through to carry through to next season."

Kiebel added: "The culture of the team is just really special... I think this program is really special because they see you as people... not just a volleyball player or a number."

UW-Eau Claire has reached this stage ten times since 2000 and participated in five NCAA Tournaments over six seasons.