UW-Eau Claire 3, UW-Stout 1
MENOMONIE (OCTOBER 20, 2021) - UW-Stout tries to keep pace with nationally ranked UW-Eau Claire, but the Blue Devils lose in three sets on Wednesday night at Johnson Fieldhouse.
UW-Stout (11-11, 1-5) falls to 11th ranked UW-Eau Claire (23-3, 6-0) as the Blue Devil seniors celebrate their last home game. Eau Claire took a hard fought first set 25-19, then pulled ahead in the second set, 25-15. Stout wasn't ready to back down, losing the third set by only a four-point margin, 25-21.
The first set saw Stout keeping place with the Blugolds, only falling behind by a six-point margin. The Blue Devils showed signs of strength after two huge blocks by
Lexie Nelson cut the margin to three. This was followed by a Nelson kill and a
Sidney Hoverman kill to bring Stout within one-point of the Blugolds. Later on, Hoverman and Nelson would have another set of kills as they tie the set 16-16. Eau Claire was able to pull ahead, going on a 9-3 run to finish the first set.
In the second set, Stout kept even closer to the Blugolds, keeping the score in their favor or tied for almost half the set. Stout didn't lose their lead in the second set till a Blugold block by Kendra Baierl made the score 13-12. This helped shift the momentum for the Eau Claire, as they finished off the set with a 12-3 run.
After the large second set win, Eau Claire had the win in their sights. But the Stout Seniors weren't going down without a fight. The Blugolds got off to a quick 10-5 lead, which quickly became 16-9. However, the Blue Devils went on a run of their own, scoring 10 of the next 14 points, cutting the lead to just two at 22-20. But the Blugolds took the third set 25-21.
The Stout Seniors played a hard and well-fought game against their nationally ranked opponents. Senior
Lexie Nelson finished the match with six kills and 24 assists, as well as two blocks. Senior
Elise Banitt had nine digs, as well as a perfect 12 for 12 serving percentage. Senior
Emili Cain also chipped in with two blocks of her own.
UW-Eau Claire had three player's in double digits for kills, Arianna Barrett (10), Kendra Baierl (11), and Jordan Witzel (11). Charlie Nelson had 35 assists for the Blugolds.
Sidney Hoverman had eight kills and
Jessica Barr had six.
Macayla Thompson helped with four block assists. Senior Lexi Nelson shinde the brightest on Senior night, with six kills, 24 assists, and a pair of block assist.
UW-Stout will finish out their season on the road starting with a match against Martin Luther College and Minnesota Morris on Saturday, Oct. 23. The Blue Devils will play their last WIAC game of the season on Oct. 29, as the take on UW-Whitewater.
