Blue Devil Volleyball Drops Season Opener in Five Sets

Jeremy Cwan, UW-Stout Sports Information

Box Score

Wis.-Stout Stout 0-1,0-0 WIAC

Whitworth Whitw 1-0,0-0 NWC

Wis.-Stout Stout

0-1,0-0 WIAC

Final

Sep. 04, 2026

Whitworth Whitw

1-0,0-0 NWC

Set Scores
Team	1	2	3	4	5	F
Wis.-Stout Stout	15	25	25	19	9	(2)
Whitworth Whitw	25	18	20	25	15	(3)

Game Recap: Women's Volleyball | 9/4/2026 9:10:00 PM

Next Match:

at Whitman College

9/4/2026 | 8 p.m. (PT)

Next Match

Full Schedule

Sep. 04 (Fri) / 8 p.m. (PT)

at Whitman College

History

Recap
Roster

WALLA WALLA, Wash. — The University of Wisconsin-Stout Polytechnic volleyball team dropped a five set thriller (15-25, 25-18, 25-20, 19-25, 9-15) to Whitworth to open the 2026 season.

The opening set was even at 8-8, with Sloan Horgan and Gabby Ehlers delivering early kills for Stout before Ehlers tied it. Whitworth moved ahead 10-8 on consecutive kills, but the Blue Devils responded with kills by Horgan and Brooke McCune and an Addison Kessler block to take an 11-10 lead. Whitworth answered with four straight points to go ahead 14-11. Despite McCune's two kills keeping Stout close at 15-13, Whitworth ran off four more points for a 19-13 lead. A McCune kill made it 19-14, but Whitworth added kills by around an ace to reach 23-14, finishing the set for a 25-15 win.

Stout built an early 3-0 lead in the second set with kills by Kyra Giffen and McCune, and a Whitworth attack error. A four-point Blue Devils run pushed the lead to 9-5. Stout pushed the lead to 16-9 with consecutive kills by McCune and Horgan before Whitworth cut it to 16-12. Horgan and McCune answered with kills to move Stout to 18-12. After Whitworth closed within 19-16, the Blue Devils took six of the final eight points. Ehlers put down a kill for 23-18, Avery McNutt contributed with a block that made it 24-18, and McNutt finished the 25-18 set win with a kill from Horgan.

Whitworth moved ahead 16-8 in the third set, McCune halted that run with a kill, and Kailey Kline served UW-Stout through eight straight points as McCune added two more kills, Brynn Hessel had a kill and a block, and Horgan and Hessel each helped turn back Whitworth attacks for a 17-16 lead. After Whitworth tied it at 17-17, Horgan answered with a kill, and the Blue Devils pushed the lead to 21-17 behind two more McCune kills around a Whitworth attack error. Whitworth cut the margin to 21-19 and later 23-20, but kills by Falon Hepola, Hessel, and Ehlers put Stout at set point before McNutt's block finished the 25-20 set win.

Whitworth opened the fourth set by taking a 10-2 lead, but Stout cut into it with a McCune kill, an Ehlers block, and a Hepola service ace to get within 10-6. Whitworth pushed the score to 15-7 before Giffen started an eight-point Blue Devils run, with Hessel serving the next seven points as Ehlers added a kill and Giffen put down five more kills to tie it at 15-15. The teams traded points to 17-17 on a Horgan kill, but Whitworth scored the next four points to move ahead 21-17. Stout got late points on Whitworth errors, but Whitworth closed to take the set 25-19

The Blue Devils grabbed the first point on a Whitworth attack error, but Whitworth responded with six straight points to move ahead 6-1. Stout cut the gap to 7-5 behind a McCune kill from Todd and two blocks involving Hessel, one with Horgan. Whitworth pushed back to 9-5. Whitworth scored three straight points to reach 14-8. before Whitworth closed the set with a kill for a 15-9 win.

UW-Stout Top Performers

Brooke McCune