DUBUQUE, Iowa — The UW-River Falls volleyball team went 1-1 during Day 2 of the Duhawk Classic in Dubuque, Iowa on Saturday, Sept. 14.
UWRF started off the day with a resounding 3-0 win over Wartburg, before falling in three close sets to Dubuque. Following the weekend tournament, the Falcons stand at 4-7 on the season.
Lauren Noth led the way for UWRF with 21 total kills across the two Saturday games, while Ava Goldsberry totaled 20 kills and six service aces.
UW-River Falls 3, Wartburg 0
The Falcons started off Day 2 on the right foot, sweeping Wartburg in three sets.
As a whole, UWRF hit .175 percent in the win, compared to -.031 for Wartburg. The Falcons' best set was the second, when they hit .270 percent and won 25-12. UWRF won the first two sets convincingly, winning 25-16 and 25-12.
After jumping out to an 8-2 lead early in the third set, the Falcons fended off a late run by the Knights to win 25-20.
The Falcons were led by Ava Goldsberry with seven kills, while Emily Brenner totaled six and Tiara Diamond added five. Brenner also recorded three aces and led all players with five blocks.
As a team, UWRF held a 32-28 advantage in kills and an 8-1 advantage in aces.
Dubuque 3, River Falls 1
In a tightly-contested first set, the Falcons recorded 14 kills and fought to a 23-23 tie late in the set. Dubuque earned the set-winning points off consecutive attack errors to put the Falcons down one set to none.
After Dubuque held a narrow lead for most of the second set, UWRF fought back to bring the set within 24-22, but the Spartans secured the frame 25-22. The Falcons held a 15-12 advantage in kills and hit .096 percent in a tight set.
The third set was neck-and-neck for the majority of the period, as the Falcons went on a 3-0 run midway through the set to take an 18-17 lead that prompted a Dubuque timeout. The Falcons kept the momentum going after the intermission, stretching the run to 8-0 and taking a commanding 23-17 lead. UWRF won the set 25-19 and accumulated a match-high .208 hitting percentage in the third set.
Par for the course, the fourth set was once again a close-contested frame in which Dubuque held a narrow lead for the majority of the period. The Spartans went on a late 6-2 run that helped them pull away to eventually win the set 25-19 and defeat the Falcons in four sets.
As a whole, UWRF hit .098 percent for the game and held a 53-49 advantage in kills. Lauren Noth led the Falcons with 16 kills, while Goldsberry totaled 13 and added five aces. Olivia Gustafsson led all players with 34 assists.
Up next, the Falcons will return to Don Page Arena on Sept. 18 to host UW-La Crosse for the team's WIAC opener. The match is set to begin at 7 p.m.
