The 25th-ranked UW-Eau Claire Blugolds hosted UW-Stout and St. Olaf to a tri-match at the McPhee Center, playing the final three volleyball matches in the storied home of Blugold Athletics. All matches going forward will be played at the Sonnentag Center.
The Blugolds’ first match was against conference rival UW-Stout. The Blugolds took control quickly, winning the first set 25-18.
Stout rallied in the second set, going ahead for a time before Eau Claire came back to win the set 25-20. Stout could not recover and the Blugolds took advantage to win the third set 25-12.
Mya Cinnamo and Abby Stanwood are both outside hitters for the Blugolds and had solid performances in the first game, finishing with 10 and 11 kills, respectively.
According to Cinnamo, it can be difficult for teams to regain momentum after losing multiple points in a row, but team cohesion is a big part of how Eau Claire comes back in those situations.
“I think we just believe in ourselves, and I think we know we can do it,” Cinnamo said.
St. Olaf is a bigger team than Stout, meaning Eau Claire needed some time to adjust to this key difference, according to Stanwood. This was evident as the Oles quickly jumped out to a 10-4 lead in the first set.
“I think it all comes down to discipline. That was a big focus for us. It’s discipline with our eyes, discipline with our feet,” Stanwood said.
Eau Claire managed to fight back and eventually win the first set 28-26.
The Oles and Blugolds were locked in long rallies and hot streaks, with one team winning a few points in a row just for the other to bounce back with multiple points of their own. Team totals for kills, blocks and digs were nearly equal for both teams over the course of the hour and forty-five-minute bout.
The Blugolds were more in control during the second set, winning it 25-17. The third set became very competitive but the Blugolds were able to remain strong and finish the match off 25-22.
An unassailable kill from right-side hitter Bailey Leeke finished off the match, as well as the McPhee era of Blugold volleyball.
Kim Wudi is the head coach of the Blugolds and has been for 18 years running. Over this time she has helped bring home a national championship and numerous trips to the NCAA Tournament.
Going into these two matches, the Blugolds had just become ranked 25th in the nation. When asked about the added pressure from this label, Wudi was unphased.
“There’s really only one label that matters, and it’s how you finish at the end of the year. And so we really want to make sure we keep getting better every day and we stay committed to our process and our goals,” Wudi said.
Playing ranked teams will always be difficult, but Eau Claire has experience with them now with wins over teams such as Gustavus Adolphus College, University of Northwestern – St. Paul), North Park University and UW-Platteville. They relish the opportunity, according to Cinnamo.
“I think it’s fun to be able to play such tough teams, especially being in the WIAC, we have such difficult opponents, but it is so fun to get out there and just play your game and do what you know how to,” Cinnamo said.
Eau Claire has three games remaining before playoffs, two of which are at home. The first is Oct. 30 against UW-Oshkosh, who are ranked sixth in the nation. The Blugolds will then face Luther College on Nov. 2 and wrap up the regular season on the road against UW-Lacrosse on Nov. 8.
DeGear can be reached at [email protected].
