Stout to host first round volleyball match Tuesday

2018 WIAC Volleyball Championship | Live Video | Live Stats | WIAC Weekly Release | WIAC Championship website

MENOMONIE (October 29, 2018) - UW-Stout will host UW-Stevens Point, Tuesday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. in Johnson Fieldhouse in the quarterfinals of the WIAC Women's Volleyball Championships (Presented by Culver's).

Cost for the game will be $5 for adults, $3 for senior citizens 62-and-older and $3 for students kindergarten through college. UW-Stout and UW-Stevens Point students will be admitted at no charge by presenting a valid UW-Stout or UW-Stevens Point ID. Only WIAC passes will be honored. There will be no advanced sale of tickets. Doors will open at 6 p.m.

The Blue Devils are the fourth seeded team in the tournament, while Stevens Point is the fifth seeded team. The winner of Tuesday's game will travel to either UW-Eau Claire or UW-Whitewater, Thursday, Nov. 1.

THIS WEEK'S MATCHES: The Blue Devils (16-12, 4-3 WIAC) turn to postseason play when they host UW-Stevens Point (17-15, 4-3 WIAC) Tuesday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. in the quarterfinals of the WIAC Championship. The winner advances to the WIAC semi-finals, Thursday, Nov. 1, at either UW-Eau Claire or UW-Whitewater. The championship game is Saturday, Nov. 3. Tuesday's match will be the first WIAC Tournament game that Stout hosted since the 2004 season when the Blue Devils were the second seed and went on to defeat UW-Oshkosh, 3-0, advancing to the semi-final series in Whitewater. The Blue Devils earned a 3-1 win over UW-Platteville, then went on to win the tournament title with a 3-0 win over UW-Whitewater. 

ON-LINE: All home Blue Devil matches are available in a live video stream.

PARKING: Parking on the UW-Stout campus is restricted during the business week. For games in Johnson Fieldhouse during the week, please plan to park in Lot 29. Do not park in Lot 4, which is a reserved lot for students that live in the residence halls.

BLUE DEVILS LAST TIME OUT: The Blue Devils split a pair of 3-2 conference decisions, falling to UW-Eau Claire, Oct. 24, but bouncing back for a thrilling win over UW-Oshkosh, Oct. 27, to earn the fourth seed in the WIAC Championship.  | Eau Claire Game Story and Stats | Oshkosh Game Story and Stats

THE BLUE DEVILS IN 2018: The Blue Devils finished in a three-way tie for third place in the league with UW-La Crosse and UW-Stevens Point...Outside hitter Amber Ripley is leading the Blue Devils in kills, averaging 2.87 kills per set and ranks fourth in the WIAC.Ripley has 26 service aces and her 0.33 per set is ranked sixth in the WIAC.  Middle hitter Kennedy Strain is averaging 2.76 kills per set over 107 sets played and has recorded 295 total kills, bringing her career totals to 1119. She is currently seventh in the WIAC in kills. Strain is the team's leading blocker, recording 27 solo blocks and 49 assisted blocks, averaging 0.80, ranking seventh in the WIAC. Freshman Lexie Nelson is averaging 2.36 kills for the season, and is currently 13th in the conference. Jessica DuVal is currently averaging 8.41 assists and is ranked fourth in the conference. McKylie Hoff has five solo blocks and just trails Strain with 47 assisted blocks. Steph Cannon is second in the WIAC in digs, averaging 5.79 digs per set, ranking 18th in Division III. | Statistics

MILESTONE MARKERS: Kennedy Strain currently has 1119 career kills. Strain currently has 242 career block assists, sixth on the all-time list. Jessica DuVal has 2732 career assists.

SCHOOL RECORDS: Steph Cannon shot down the school career digs record recently and currently has 1537 digs, topping Alicia Mizer's four-year total of 1510. Accomplishing the feat in three season, as a freshman, Cannon collected 341 digs. Injury kept her out of action the following year, but when she returned, Cannon was moved to the libero spot where she had 548 digs. This season, she has 648 digs, only nine short of the single season record of the 657 by Peyton Schultz in 2015. Twelve times this season, Cannon has had more than 25 digs in a single match.


UW-STEVENS POINT: April Gehl is ranked third in the NCAA Division III, averaging 4.73 kills per set. Abby Bertics of MIT leads the country with 4.90 kills. Gehl has 30 times this season hit in double-digit kills and had a career-high 35 kills against Concordia-Wisconsin, a mark currently topping the NCAA in four set matches. Gehl had 27 kills against Stout in September. Gehl is not just a front row attacker, but ranks seventh in the WIAC in digs with 3.97 per set. She has had double-doubles in 23 matches. Tara Emme is averaging 2.41 kills per set and is ranked 11th in the WIAC. Ellie Adams is second in the WIAC in assists with 9.76. Maddie Lawson is fifth in the WIAC in blocks, collecting nine solo blocks and 96 assisted blocks for an average of 0.94 per set. As a team, the Pointers are second in the WIAC in kills with 13.03 per set.   | Statistics

POINTERS LAST TIME OUT:  The Pointers lost their last two contests, a 3-0 decision to UW-La Crosse Friday and a 3-1 loss to Carthage College Saturday. The Pointers lost to UW-La Crosse Friday. The Pointers suffered a straight-set defeat to visiting UW-La Crosse in the conference finale on Friday. Freshmen Ciara Gilbertson and Emma Peterson  led the Pointers.  Gilbertson had a team-high 17 assists for UWSP.  Peterson topped the Pointers with 12 digs.  Stevens Point got a double-double from junior April Gehl , but visiting Carthage took a four-set win from the Pointers. Gehl recorded 23 kills and 11 digs for the Pointers for her 23rd double-double of the season.  Both junior Tara Emme and freshman Maddie Lawson recorded seven kills in the match with Lawson adding two blocks.. | La Crosse Story and Statistics | Carthage Story and Statistics

LAST TIME STOUT AND STEVENS POINT MET: April Gehl notched 27 kills and had an attack percentage of .431 as the Pointers took a 3-1 win over the Blue Devils Sept. 26 at Johnson Fieldhouse. Lexie Nelson, Kennedy Strain and McKylie Hoff combined for 40 kills, but UW-Stout still came up short and lost a 3-1 decision to UW-Stevens Point Wednesday at Johnson Fieldhouse in a WIAC contest. After two sets, the teams were tied with the Pointers taking the first set, 25-21, but Stout came back to tie with a 25-20 decision. The Pointers edged out a 25-23 third set, then came back to win the fourth set, 26-24. Nelson led Stout with a collegiate-best 17 kills, while Strain finished with 13 kills and Hoff with 10 kills. | Story and Statistics

THE SERIES: The Pointers lead the series, 31-28. The Pointers have won the last 13 matches. Stout's last win over Stevens Point came on Oct. 4, 2008, a 3-1 win in Stevens Point. Stout's last win over the Pointers in Johnson Fieldhouse was Sept. 23, 2005, a 3-2 win. 



CONFERENCE & NATIONAL POLLS: The Blue Devils were picked to finish sixth in a preseason poll conducted by league coaches and sports information directors. UW-Whitewater is projected to finish first, UW-Eau Claire second, UW-Oshkosh third, UW-La Crosse fourth, UW-Stevens Point fifth, UW-Stout sixth, UW-Platteville seventh and UW-River Falls eighth. | 2018 WIAC Preseason Poll | AVCA Top 25 Poll

UW-STOUT COACH MANDY TRAUTMANN: Coach Mandy Trautmann (16-12) is in her first season as the head coach of the Blue Devils. Trautmann took over the Blue Devils after a season as an assistant coach. Prior to coming to Stout, Trautmann was the team captain for UW-Oshkosh in 2015, a season the Titans captured the WIAC regular season championship. Trautmann was a two-time first team all-WIAC selection in 2014 and 2015, and an honorable mention choice in 2013. She was named to the all-WIAC defensive team in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

QUICK HITS: The Blue Devils have two seniors, six juniors, four sophomores and seven freshmen on the 2018 roster...the team is made up of 13 players from Minnesota, four from Wisconsin and one each from Iowa and Illiniois...assistant coach Pam Schroeder begins her 15th season with the Blue Devils, matching hockey assistant coach Greg Slupe as the longest current assistant coaching tenure with a Stout program...

BLUE DEVIL ATHLETES OF THE WEEK: Offensive athlete of the week: Amber Ripley, So, Farmington, Minn; Defensive athlete of the week: Steph Cannon, Jr, Mora, Minn.

AWARDS: 2018: Amber Ripley was selected as the UW-Stout/Toppers Athlete of the Week, Oct. 29...Steph Cannon was selected as the WIAC Defensive Athlete of the Week, Oct. 23, after averaging 6.0 digs per set over 16 sets played. Cannon also broke the school career digs record during the week..Jessica DuVal was selected to the all-tournament team at Concordia-Wisconsin...Steph Cannon was selected as the UW-Stout/Toppers Athlete of the Week Oct. 15 after averaging 7.73 digs per set over 15 sets played...Lexie Nelson was selected as the UW-Stout/Toppers Athlete of the Week after putting down 27 kills in a 3-2 win over Augsburg University, Oct. 6, and 18 in a 3-1 home loss to Saint Mary's University, Oct. 3....Steph Cannon was selected WIAC defensive athlete of the week after averaging more than seven digs per set over three matches and 11 sets...Kennedy Strain was selected to the Bethel University all-tournament team...Jessica DuVal was selected to the UW-Oshkosh Pizza Hut all-tournament team...Kennedy Strain was selected to the Oregon Trail all-tournament team.