In the last weekend of play before the conference schedule begins, the Blugolds went 3-1 at the Carthage tournament in Kenosha.

On Friday the team defeated Carroll College 3-1 and Dominican University (Ill.) 3-0, while on Saturday the team lost to the University of Chicago (Ill.) in straight sets and beat Elmhurst College (Ill.) 3-1.

Overall, the team is playing excellent volleyball, head coach Kim Wudi said. She believes the team has found the fast-paced and aggressive style they have been trying to cultivate.

“(Our success) is a combination of long term prep and good game plans,” Wudi said.

The team has been on the road for the last three weekends, along with a trip up to Duluth, Minn., last Tuesday to face the college of St. Scholastica (Minn.), where the Blugolds won in straight sets.

Sleeping in hotels, eating food they are not accustomed to and just the overall toll of the road can be difficult on the players, Wudi said. However, she believes that these challenges will help her team perform in the hostile environments of road conference games.

“There’s a lot of mental toughness that you build up on the road,” Wudi said.

At 7 p.m. next Wednesday Eau Claire will host UW-River Falls in McPhee Physical Education Center.