EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – The UW-River Falls volleyball team delivered a statement win Wednesday night, defeating No. 4-ranked UW-Eau Claire 3-2 at the Sonnentag Event Center.
The Falcons improved to 11-4 overall with their first win over the Blugolds since 2023, and 1-2 in WIAC play with set scores of 23-25, 25-21, 25-22, 20-25, 15-12.
The opening set was tightly contested throughout, featuring eight ties and five lead changes before Eau Claire edged the Falcons 25-23. UWRF answered in the second, hitting .273 as it evened the match with a 25-21 victory. The Falcons then took control in the third set, overcoming three ties and three lead changes to win 25-22 and take a 2-1 match lead.
With the match on the line in the fourth, the Blugolds responded with their strongest offensive set of the night, recording 16 kills while hitting .240 to force a deciding fifth set with a 25-20 win. UWRF saved its best for the final frame, hitting .296 with 11 kills and just three errors. After eight ties in the deciding set, the Falcons closed out the upset 15-12.
The Falcons' balanced attack proved critical in the five-set battle, with four players reaching double figures in kills, led by Blessing Adebisi with 13 kills while hitting .267, adding four blocks. Amanda Baumann finished with 12 kills and hit .367, committing just one error on 30 attacks. Grace McDole also recorded 12 kills, while Emily Brenner added 10 kills and two service aces.
Cora Sayotovich directed the Falcon offense with a season-high 48 assists and added 12 digs, while Audrey Petersen led all players with a season-high 23 digs. UWRF finished the match with a .227 team hitting percentage and seven service aces.
UWRF returns to action Saturday, Oct. 10, with a pair of matches at Alverno College in Milwaukee, Wis.
