Chippewa Valley Times

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire volleyball team began its 2025 season at the Pikes Peak Challenge in Colorado Springs, splitting two matches on opening day. The Blugolds lost a closely contested five-set match to East Texas Baptist University (ETBU) before defeating Colorado College in straight sets.

In their first match, UW-Eau Claire fell to ETBU with set scores of 25-18, 25-23, 22-25, 24-26, and 16-14. The Blugolds recorded 67 kills and seven service aces compared to the Tigers' 69 kills and three aces. After dropping the first two sets, UW-Eau Claire rallied to win the next two and force a fifth set but came up short in the final frame.

The opening set saw UW-Eau Claire take an early lead with contributions from Bailey Leeke and Abby Stanwood. ETBU overcame the deficit and won the set following a scoring run led by Lara Hornsby. In the second set, Mya Cinnamo and Hannah Thole helped UWEC start strong, but ETBU used a six-point run to take control and secure another narrow victory.

UW-Eau Claire responded in the third set with defensive plays from Lili Hagg and Leeke sparking a seven-point run. Key kills from Cinnamo and Stanwood helped close out a 25-22 win for the Blugolds. The fourth set remained tight throughout; Stanwood's late kill contributed to a 26-24 victory that forced a decisive fifth set.

In the final set, Alex Kiebel’s serving gave UWEC an early advantage, but ETBU closed the gap and ultimately secured a narrow win at 16-14. Stanwood led all players with 23 kills on a .381 hitting percentage while Leeke contributed eight blocks and Hagg added nine blocks defensively. Kaitlyn Erickson finished with a team-high 26 digs.

The Blugolds rebounded in their second match of the day by sweeping Colorado College with scores of 25-13, 25-19, and 26-24. UW-Eau Claire posted a .306 hitting percentage with 49 kills against Colorado College’s 26 kills. They also tallied eight service aces and collected 43 digs as a team.

Leeke led UWEC in scoring during this match with 15.5 points on a .429 hitting percentage while Stanwood added another 15 points along with seven digs. Kiebel served four aces and provided 20 assists alongside her defensive contributions.

With these results, UW-Eau Claire moved to an overall record of one win and one loss for the season opener at https://blugolds.com/. The team will continue play at the Pikes Peak Challenge on Saturday against Milwaukee School of Engineering at 1 p.m. CST followed by Edgewood College at 3:30 p.m. CST.

"Follow the Blugolds all season long at Blugolds.com or on our app, Blugold Sports, and on social media on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook," according to university athletics officials.