Volleyball Preview: Stout heads to Whitewater for WIAC playoff game

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THIS WEEK'S MATCHES: The Blue Devils (9-19, 2-5 WIAC) are the sixth seed in the WIAC Volleyball Championship, presented by Culver's, and will open play at third seed UW-Whitewater (20-7, 5-2 WIAC), Tuesday, Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. The semi-final game is Thursday, Nov. 2 and the championship game is Saturday, Nov. 4. The Warhawks edged the Blue Devils, 3-2,

BLUE DEVILS LAST TIME OUT: The Blue Devils lost 3-0 at UW-Eau Claire, Oct. 25, then lost a 3-2 decision at UW-Oshkosh, Oct. 28. | UW-Eau Claire Story and Stats  | UW-Oshkosh Story and Stats

THE BLUE DEVILS IN 2017:  Junior middle hitter Kennedy Strain leads the Blue Devils, and is averaging a team-best 2.84 kills per set, 10th in the WIAC, and has put down 23 solo blocks along with 49 block assists for 72 total blocks.  Strain had a season-best 20 kills against Minn-Morris. Freshma Amber Ripley is averaging 2.33 kills, and fellow freshman Emili Cain is averaging 2.03 kills. Ashley Pratt is averaging 2.25 kills, getting 16 against Minn-Morris. Setter Jessica DuVal is fourth in the WIAC in assists with 8.87, and had a career-best 55 vs. Morris. Steph Cannon is averaging 4.99 digs per set, good for fourth in the WIAC. Cannon recorded a career-best 44 digs against Morris, four short of the school individual match record.  | Statistics


A LOOK AT STOUT: The Blue Devils return strength up the middle by returning middle blockers Ashley Pratt and Kennedy Strain, both WIAC honorable mention selections last season. Pratt, a two-time All-WIAC honorable mention pick, has been at or towards the top of Stout's hitting game throughout her career, lasting year leading the team in both hitting percentage (.264) and kills (3.41). Pratt ranked seventh in the WIAC in hitting percentage and was fourth in kills. For her career, Pratt is averaging 2.75 kills per contest and hitting at a .268 clip. Pratt has played in 91 matches, tallying play in 335 sets. Opposite Pratt, Strain is the team's top returning blocker and trailed only Pratt in kills. Strain averaged 0.83 blocks last year, ranking 10th in the league, but topped all league players with 28 solo blocks. Strain also led the conference as a freshman in solo blocks with 29, ranking seventh in total blocks (0.85) in her rookie year. Emily Bialka contributed to the Blue Devils last season while moving to a different role. As a freshman, Bialka was one of the two setters in the Blue Devils' 6-2 offense. Bialka played a few sets last season as the setter, but was moved to the right side hitter position. Bialka finished by averaging 1.0 kills per contest and still managed to contribute just short of one assist per contest (0.80). Bialka trailed only Strain in blocks per set, averaging 0.59. Jessica DuVal secured the setter position last season as a freshman, and finished the season ranking sixth in the WIAC in assists, averaging 8.26 per contest. DuVal played in 105 sets last year, tops of any returning players. DuVal recorded 2.83 digs per set, the best of any returning players. Carissa Hilgers returns to the back row where she played in 99 of 107 possible sets and averaging 1.79 digs per set. Hilgers served up 19 service aces, second on the team, and the best of any returners. Following a good freshman season, Steph Cannon was forced to sit out the entire 2016 season due to injury. But Cannon returns in 2017 as an outside hitter. During her freshman year, Cannon averaged just shy of a kill per set, tallying 0.99 kills, seeing action in 118 of 141 sets. Cannon was second on the team in digs with 2.89 digs per set.


A LOOK AT UW-WHITEWATER:  The Warhawks have lost their last four matches, including a pair of WIAC losses to UW-La Crosse (L 3-0) and UW-Eau Claire (L 3-2)  Since edging Stout, 3-2, Oct. 13, the Warhawks have gone 4-4. Sydney Racklads the Warhawks in kills with 2.94, good for sixth in the WIAC. Courtney Wagner is averaging 2.88, Amanda Spera 2.47 and Rachel Butterfield 2.29. Elizabeth Niestrom is leading the WIAC in assists with 10.73. Wagner leads the league in blocks, putting down 12 solo and 92 assists for an average of 1.04.   | Statistics

WARHAWKS LAST TIME OUT: No. 9 ranked Whitewater played its second five-set match in a 24-hour span Saturday afternoon, falling 19-25, 25-15, 23-25, 25-19, 15-11 against Concordia Wisconsin in a non-conference affair at Russell Arena. The Warhawks were limited to a .142 hitting percentage by the Falcons (26-2), who hit .238 on the other side of the net. Senior right side hitter Sydney Racky collected 16 kills, 11 digs and three service aces to lead UW-Whitewater. | Story and Statistics

LAST TIME THEY MET: UW-Stout took No. 9 UW-Whitewater to the edge before bowing out to the Warhawks in an emotional, hard-hitting five set contest at Johnson Fieldhouse Oct. 13. The Blue Devils captured the first two sets, 25-23, 26-24, but Whitewater came soaring back to take the final three sets, 25-20, 25-21, 16-14. Stout's last win over the Warhawks came Oct. 8, 1994. | Story and Statistics


UW-STOUT COACH LAURA EVANS: Coach Laura Evans (60-61) is in her fourth year as the Blue Devil coach. In her first season, the Blue Devils posted 20 wins, the first 20-win season since 2004. Evans, the former Laura Hegerle, played her college volleyball at Southwest State University in Marshall, Minn. She has been an assistant coach at Colorado Christian, Augsburg College and Luther College.

AWARDS: Steph Cannon was selected as the UW-Stout/Toppers Athlete of the Week, Oct. 16, after averaging 5.25 kills in a 2-1 week that saw the Blue Devils come up just points from updsetting nationally ranked UW-Whitewater...Kennedy Strain was selected to the UW-Eau Claire Sandy Schumacher Memorial all-tournament team, Oct. 7...Steph Cannon was selected to the UW-River Falls Invitational all-tournament team, Sept. 16...Kennedy Strain was selected to the UW-Oshkosh Pizza Hut Classic all-tournament team, Sept. 9.

DOWN THE ROAD:  Stout will compete in the WIAC Volleyball Championship. The first round game is Tuesday, Oct. 31. The semi-final game is Thursday, Nov. 2 and the championship game is Saturday, Nov. 4.