Stout 3, Yellowjackets 0
Uneven attacking and a strong outing from the front row of UW-Stout troubled the Yellowjackets all night en route to a 3-0 loss to the Blue Devils. The black and gold were unable to solve the defense of Stout, racking up a paltry .080 attack percentage during the match compared to the mark of .202 put up by their opponents. UWS was also outdone in the blocking category, picking up three while the Blue Devils totaled eight.
With the loss, the Yellowjackets slide to 12-14 overall with a 1-5 tally in the WIAC while the Blue Devils improve to 5-19 and move into a tie with UWS with an identical conference mark.
In the first set, the Yellowjackets would own the lead only once thanks to a Kitty Tynen (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater) (Stillwater, Minn.) service ace to make it 3-2 in favor of the home squad. From there, the Blue Devils took command of the set with a 6-1 run and never looked back.
UWS was able to trim its deficit to just two points but a 10-1 run to conclude the opening frame for the Blue Devils spelled doom for the Yellowjackets.
Eager to even the match, the Yellowjackets came out swinging in the second set, and utilized kills from Tynen, Nikki Gosson (Mankato, Minn./Mankato East) (Mankato, Minn.) and Salann Gilbert (Solon Springs, Wis./Solon Springs) (Solon Springs, Wis.) to jump out to a 5-1 lead.
The advantage was short-lived though, as the Blue Devils roared back with a trio of kills and coupled with three errors by the Yellowjackets, Stout was able to knot matters at seven.
Trading points, neither side could string together points until Jessica Zimmerman (Monticello, Minn./Monticello) (Monticello, Minn.) slammed home a kill to begin a 3-0 run to make the score 19-16 in favor of the Yellowjackets.
The home team saw their lead evaporate quickly after a timeout by Stout. A service error and two straight service aces from the hand of Kate Mikutowski would deadlock the set at 19.
The Blue Devils then picked up two of their eight blocks on two crucial points down the stretch to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
With their backs against the wall, Gosson and Gilbert each smashed in a kill to begin the deciding set for the Yellowjackets before attack errors accounted for the next three points for the Blue Devils. UW-Stout would never give up the lead in the set despite a spirited stretch by Tynen who almost single-handedly forced a fourth set with two consecutive kills that shrank the Yellowjacket deficit to just one.
Unfortunately the Yellowjackets could not finish the comeback as the Blue Devils closed the match with a 4-1 spurt to pull even with UWS in the WIAC standings.
Tynen and Gosson led the way for UW-Superior with nine kills each while Gilbert and Zimmerman each chipped in eight. Keely Deadrick (Esko, Minn./Esko) (Esko, Minn.) paced the squad in assists with 30 while Farrah Wirtz (Esko, Minn./Esko) (Esko, Minn.) tallied a team-high 14 digs.
Tori Sandstrom captained the Blue Devils, racking up 14 kills while Emily Crew notched five total blocks in the match.
The Yellowjackets look to return to the win column when they travel to La Crosse, Wis., to take part in the UW-La Crosse Invitational. UWS will face off against a two squads on Friday, October 21, beginning with a match against Buena Vista at 5 p.m. before tangling with Central College at 7 p.m.
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