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University of Wisconsin-Superior Athletics

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Wisconsin-Superior
Yellowjackets
Alissa Autio
Yellowjacket Athletics

Volleyball

Yellowjackets lose a heartbreaker

Alissa Autio with one of her team high 12 kills against UW-Platteville.
Box Score

Platteville 3, Yellowjackets 1

For the second day in a row the Yellowjacket volleyball team got off to the start it wanted, taking the first game of the match against UW-Platteville, just like it did on Friday night against UW-La Crosse. That isn't where the similarities end, however. Just like Friday night, the Yellowjackets were unable to keep it going, and ultimately lost the match.

UW-Platteville came alive in the second game and rode the wave of momentum to a 3-1 win over the Yellowjackets on Saturday afternoon at Mertz Mortorelli Gym. The loss, which came in the final home match of the 2013 season, puts a serious crimp in any post-season plans the Yellowjackets had in their sights. The Yellowjackets will need to win their final two conference matches, against UW-Stevens Point and UW-Whitewater who currently sit in first and second place, respectively, in the conference and also get a little bit of help along the way.

Saturday's affair at the Mertz was tight, with numerous lead changes and enough swings in momentum to warrant a dose of Dramamine. The Yellowjackets grabbed the lead early in the match when Keely Deadrick (Esko, Minn./Esko) served them to a 5-0 lead. Kitty Tynen (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater), Jessica Dvergsten (Greenbush, Minn./Greenbush-Middle River) and Alissa Autio (Floodwood, Minn./) all had kills in the first five points. The lead reached 8-1 before Platteville started to close the gap. With the score 10-5 Chelsey Walerius (New Prague, Minn./Tri-City United) hit the service line and helped punch the lead back up to nine at 14-5. The Yellowjackets controlled play the rest of the way and cruised to a 25-17 victory in the first game.

The second set was equally as tight early until the Pioneers got on a little bit of a roll and moved ahead by five at 15-10. The Yellowjackets came surging back, however, getting a pair of kills from Brooke Vonasek (East Grand Forks, Minn./East Grand Forks) and single kills from Autio and Deadrick while Walerius was serving to knot the set at 15-15. A Tynen attack error pushed Platteville ahead 18-17 and they wouldn't give up the lead as they evened the match with a 25-22 win.

As tight as the second set was, the third was even tighter. Neither team was able to take off and build a lead, as they played from a tie score 14 times in the set. With the score tied 18-18 the Pioneers pulled ahead and were able to hold onto the lead, winning seven of the final ten points to take the set and a 2-1 lead in the match.

Platteville stormed ahead to start the fourth set, just like the Yellowjackets did in the first and built a 5-0 lead. A Dvergsten kill got the Yellowjackets on the board and temporarily stopped the bleeding, but the Pioneers got the ball back and built the lead further, pulling ahead 9-2. After regaining service, Walerius stepped to the line and as she did so many times in the match, got the Yellowjackets going offensively. Walerius served the Yellowjackets back to within three points at 9-6.

After a series that saw the Pioneers open up a 16-11 lead, the Yellowjackets again came back. Kills by Autio and Jessica Zimmerman (Monticello, Minn./Monticello) coupled with a couple of errors by Platteville helped the Yellowjackets draw the game even at 18-18. Platteville took the next two points to regain the lead, but the Yellowjackets followed with two points of their own to tie the game. With the score later tied at 21-21, the Pioneers went on a mini-run, winning four of five points to close out the set and the match.

Autio led the Yellowjackets with 12 kills on the day, followed by Tynen with 11. The Yellowjackets as a team had 50 kills and a .148 attack percentage. Deadrick had a team-best attack percentage of .375 on the day and also led the Yellowjackets with 37 assists.

On defense Tynen had 20 digs, second only to Lauren Peterson (Deer River, Minn./Deer River) who finished the match with 21. Deadrick added 18 digs. Dvergsten and Vonasek finished the match with three block assists apiece.

The Yellowjackets (14-7, 1-5 WIAC) will hit the road on October 11 when they play a triangle with Moravian College and Bethel University in Arden Hills, Minn. Game times are scheduled for 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.
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