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University of Wisconsin-Superior Athletics

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Wisconsin-Superior
Yellowjackets
Kitty Tynen
Yellowjacket Athletics

Volleyball

Yellowjackets outlast Blue Devils

Kitty Tynen gets up in the air preparing for the kill.
Box Score

Yellowjackets 3, Stout 2

On a night when extended rallies and lead changes were the rule rather than the exception, it is fitting that the WIAC volleyball tilt between the Yellowjackets and UW-Stout went the distance.

After watching a two-game lead disintegrate, forcing a fifth and deciding game, the Yellowjackets dug deep, pun intended to pick up their first WIAC victory of the season, 3-2 over UW-Stout before an energized crowd on Wednesday at Mertz Mortorelli Gym.

The battle of evenly matched clubs was beyond entertaining, featuring long rallies and emotional swings that had fans living and dying with every point. Both teams finished the match with attack percentages over .200 (.233 for the Yellowjackets and .218 for the Blue Devils) and both teams displayed spectacular defense at times, each clearing over 70 digs in the match (73 for the Yellowjackets compared to 71 for the Blue Devils).

As things unfolded, however, it didn't look like fans would be there for very long as the Yellowjackets jumped to an early lead.

Stout won the first three points of the match and took an early 7-4 lead before the Yellowjackets came alive. Kitty Tynen (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater) started the comeback with a kill, something that would become a familiar site in this one. Tynen's kill started an 11-1 run that saw the Yellowjackets build a 15-8 lead. Jessica Zimmerman (Monticello, Minn./Monticello) served seven of those points and added a pair of kills as well.

But just when it looked as if the Yellowjackets would cruise, Stout rallied and closed the gap, pulling to within one at 18-17. A well place timeout by head coach Lynne Deadrick stopped the bleeding and the Yellowjackets regained their composure and closed out the set by winning seven of the final nine points.

The momentum carried over into the second set, despite the Blue Devils gaining the early lead. But just like in the first set, the Yellowjackets rallied, and this time Jordan Olson (Cohasset, Minn./Grand Rapids) served them back into the lead. Following a point by Stout, Tynen had a pair of kills sandwiched around a kill from Alissa Autio (Floodwood, Minn./) and the Yellowjackets were up five. The Yellowjackets extended the lead to seven at 18-11, but again the Blue Devils came back from the brink and closed the gap. With a 20-17 lead, Zimmerman, Tynen and Autio each had kills, and aided by a couple of Stout errors helped the Yellowjackets close out the game and take a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.

Stout did the same thing in the third game that they did in the first two, as they jumped out to an early lead, and again the Yellowjackets were able to battle their way back, only this time they weren't able to take the lead. They fell behind 5-1 and kept things close before tying the game at 18-18. Stout picked up three straight kills to go up, but a kill by Autio and an ace from Olson pulled the Yellowjackets back to within one. That's as close as they would come, however. Trailing by a point late, the Yellowjackets thought they had drawn even at 24-24, but the officials, after a short conference, ruled in favor of the Blue Devils and they picked up the controversial point and win.

The Yellowjackets never got over the point controversy at the end of the third game, as they were never really in the fourth game. Despite Tynen and Autio staking the Yellowjackets to an early lead, the Blue Devils blew things open with a couple of convincing runs. After winning nine of 12 points at one point and later winning eight of 11, the Blue Devils blew the Yellowjackets away in the fourth, taking the easy 25-16 win.

In the deciding set, the Yellowjackets were able to find the same success they had early. They won three of the first four points, but the Blue Devils pulled even. With the game tied 3-3, Brooke Vonasek (East Grand Forks, Minn./East Grand Forks) game them a 4-3 lead with a kill, and the Yellowjackets would not surrender the lead again. After the teams changed sides, the Yellowjackets built a four-point lead at 9-5, but Stout won three of the next four to make it 10-8. Then, Lauren Peterson (Deer River, Minn./Deer River), who was a defensive wizard in the match, served a pair of points to put the Yellowjackets on the verge of victory. Later, Peterson gave the crowd back-to-back spectacular digs to cheer for, helping the Yellowjackets get to match point.

And it ended the same way it started, with a kill by Tynen. The senior took a feed from Keely Deadrick (Esko, Minn./Esko) and drove it into the floor, out of reach of the Stout defense. The kill gave the Yellowjackets their first WIAC win of the season and stretched their overall winning streak to four.

Tynen had a tremendous match for the Yellowjackets, leading the team with 19 kills and adding 16 digs on defense. Zimmerman had 16 kills, while Vonasek and Autio had nine each for the Yellowjackets, who had 63 kills as a team. Deadrick had 51 assists and an ace, while Olson and Tynen each had a team-best two aces.

On defense Peterson led the Yellowjackets with 25 digs while Vonasek had one solo block and three block assists, while Deadrick had four block assists. The Yellowjackets had five blocks in the match.

The Yellowjackets (14-5, 1-3 WIAC) remain at home and will host UW-La Crosse on Friday, October 4 at 7:00 p.m. The match is the Yellowjackets' "Dig Pink" match for 2013. "Dig Pink" is a WIAC-wide initiative where teams raise money on behalf of the Side-Out Foundation to go toward breast cancer research and awareness. You can donate to the Yellowjacket fundraising efforts here, and learn more about the Side-Out Foundation here.
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