Titans send Yellowjackets to third straight loss

Brooke Vonasek follows through on the spike.

Box Score

Oshkosh 3, Yellowjackets 1

A week ago the Yellowjacket volleyball team was riding high, coming off their second tournament victory of the season at St. Catherine University. Off to one of the best starts in school history, the team was prepared to enter conference play with three conference matches on the docket for the week.

Fast forward seven days and the difficulty of WIAC are apparent.

Following losses to UW-River Falls and UW-Eau Claire, the Yellowjackets traveled to UW-Oshkosh on Saturday to take on the Titans and looking for their first conference win of the season. The Yellowjackets started strong once again, just like they did against River Falls and Eau Claire and were victorious in the first set of the match. But Oshkosh came roaring back to win the final three sets and the match.

In the opening set the Yellowjackets started fast, opening up an early 14-6 lead. Oshkosh stabilized themselves and began to crawl their way back, but it was too little, too late and the Yellowjackets closed out the set with a 25-20 win.

The second set was again even, and the teams were tied late in the set at 19-19. The Titans scored six of the last seven points to win the set 25-20 and even the match at a set apiece.

The Yellowjackets jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the third set, only to see Oshkosh come roaring back, scoring the next seven points to take the lead. The teams traded points in the middle part of the set as the Titans built an 18-13 lead. They closed the set with a 7-4 run to make the final score 25-17 and jump ahead 2-1 in the match.

In the final set the teams were tied 4-4 before Oshkosh rattled off eight straight points to build a big lead. Trailing 12-4, the Yellowjackets went on a 14-6 run to draw even at 18-18, but they were never able to take a lead. Oshkosh scored seven of the final nine points to take the set and the match 25-22.

Brooke Vonasek (East Grand Forks, Minn./East Grand Forks) led the Yellowjacket offense with 15 kills, while Kitty Tynen (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater) added 13. Keely Deadrick (Esko, Minn./Esko) paced the offense, chipping in 41 assists. On defense, Jessica Zimmerman (Monticello, Minn./Monticello) and Tynen had 12 digs each, while Lauren Peterson (Deer River, Minn./Deer River) had 11 and Deadrick had 10. The Yellowjackets had 15.5 blocks in the match, lead by Vonasek who had three solo blocks and four block assists. Deadrick and Jessica Dvergsten (Greenbush, Minn./Greenbush-Middle River) each had two solo blocks and two assists.

The Yellowjackets (105, 0-3 WIAC) will stay on the road with a non-conference match at Northland College on Wednesday, September 25. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

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