RIVER FALLS, Wis. – The UW-River Falls volleyball team challenged No. 7-ranked UW-Eau Claire in a competitive WIAC match on Wednesday evening at Page Arena, falling in four sets 3-1 (16-25, 21-25, 25-21, 16-25).
The Falcons (10-13, 0-4 WIAC) earned their first set win over a nationally ranked opponent this fall, rallying from down two sets with an efficient third set in which they hit .244 and limited the Blugolds to .200, winning the frame 25-21 to force a fourth.
Junior Lauren Noth led UWRF with 14 kills while hitting .313 and adding 14 digs. Ava Goldsberry recorded a double-double with 11 kills and 13 digs, Cora Sayotovich paced the offense with 22 assists, and Audrey Petersen anchored the back row with 20 digs.
After dropping the first two sets, the Falcons went down 7-5 in the third but fought back with an 8-1 run to take a 14-10 lead and didn't look back, leading to a 25-21 set victory. UWEC responded quickly though, halting any UWRF momentum with a strong fourth set, hitting a match-high .414 with 13 kills and just one error to seal the win.
UWRF finished with nine total team blocks and 54 digs, holding its own statistically against one of the nation's top teams.
The Falcons continue WIAC play next Tuesday, Oct. 21 at UW-La Crosse.
