The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh overcame an opening-set loss with three straight wins against the University of St. Thomas (Minn.) to capture the title of the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Oshkosh Regional on Saturday (Nov. 14) in Kolf Sports Center.

The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh took the match in set scores of 17-25, 25-19, 25-20 and 25-15. The Titans entered the contest ranked second in the NCAA Division III by the American Volleyball Coaches Association and the Tommies 14th.

With the win, the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh advances to meet Christopher Newport University (Va.) at 8 p.m. (ET) on Thursday (Nov. 19) in University Heights, Ohio. The upcoming contest marks the Titans second straight appearance in the quarterfinal round of the 62-team NCAA Division III Championship. The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh lost a 3-0 decision to Juniata College (Pa.) in the quarterfinal round of last year's tournament.

The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (38-2) was overwhelmed in the first set of the match, falling behind 13-3. The two teams traded points for the remainder of the set as the Tommies took the early lead in the match.

Set two was tied, 8-8, before the Titans rallied for seven of the next eight points. The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh grabbed a 19-10 lead and held on for the win.

Another mid-set surge during the third set put the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in control. The Titans led 13-10 before they hammered down a 7-1 scoring run to go in front, 20-11. From there the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh held on to take a 2-1 advantage in sets.

After a 7-7 tie in the fourth set, the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh made sure it put the match out of reach. A flurry of kills put the Titans ahead, 15-8. Four of the last five points went to the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh as the Titans kept their season alive.

Katelyn Vara led the Titans to the victory by totaling 40 assists, 15 digs, six kills and three blocks. Katie Beining topped the Titans with 11 kills while adding 11 digs.

The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh also received 10 kills from both Aleisha Bagin and Brittany Gruning, 18 digs, eight kills and three service aces from Andrea Smith and eight kills and eight blocks from Jacque Ray. Christina Cahoon tallied 37 digs as she earned the regional's Most Outstanding Player award.

The University of St. Thomas (26-7) was led by the 11 kills and seven blocks of Jill Osborne and the 26 digs of Kaitlin Wachter. Kyley Crotty added 14 digs and nine kills and Emily Foster 33 assists and 10 digs. Molly Staton contributed 14 digs and Katie Bonine 11 digs and eight kills.

The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh held advantages of 53-41 in kills, 46-33 in assists, 8-4 in service aces and .148-.091 in hitting percentage. The University of St. Thomas tallied cushions of 11-9 in blocks and 96-94 in digs.

The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, which has won 178 of its last 200 matches, had three players named to the all-tournament team. Joining Cahoon on the seven-member squad were Beining and Vara of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh , Crotty and Foster of the University of St. Thomas, Felisha Bridgers of Luther College (Iowa) and Emily Zupon of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh survived a late threat as it defeated the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 3-1, in a second-round contest of the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Oshkosh Regional held Friday (Nov. 14) in Oshkosh.

The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (37-2) took the match over its Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference rival in set scores of 25-16, 25-16, 22-25, 25-23.

The victory moves the Titans into the championship match of the Oshkosh Regional for the second straight year. The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, ranked second in the NCAA Division III by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, will play 14th-ranked University of St. Thomas (Minn.) in this year's title game at 7 p.m. on Saturday (Nov. 14).

Tied 5-5 in the first set, the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh scored eight straight points to take a 13-5 lead. The Blugolds (31-8) pulled to within 17-12, but the Titans clinched the win with a set-ending 8-4 scoring run.

The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh started the second set with an 18-8 scoring run. The Titans had their lead cut to 22-15, but fought off the Blugolds by scoring three of the final five points.

Down 20-15 and on the verge of being swept, the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire scored seven consecutive points to go ahead 22-20 in the third set. The 16th-ranked Blugolds extended their lead to 24-22 before the teams split the next two points.

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire took their momentum of the third set into the fourth as it built leads of 7-4, 12-6 and 15-9. The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh answered the call with six straight points to tie the score. The Titans then tallied nine of the next 11 points to take a 22-17 lead. Again the Blugolds weren't done as they counted four straight points to pull to within 22-21. The teams exchanged points the rest of the way, with the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh's Katie Beining ending the set with her match-high 16th kill.

Beining hit .467 for the Titans while adding 10 digs, five assists and three service aces. The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh also received 14 kills from Jacque Ray, 12 kills and four digs from Aleisha Bagin, 11 kills and 21 digs from Andrea Smith and 44 assists, 11 digs, seven blocks and five kills from Katelyn Vara.

Blair Murphy led five University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire players in double-digit digs with 16. The Blugolds also received 15 digs from Cassie Hunt, 14 from Lindsey Smith, 11 from Rachel Ver Voort and 10 from Emily Neave. Neave added 32 assists, while Emily Zupon and Kristen Moore totaled 14 and 11 kills, respectively.

The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh outhit the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, .264-.139, as it gained revenge for one of this year's two losses.

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire was eliminated from its 12th appearance in the NCAA Division III Championship.

The University of St. Thomas (Minn.) recorded a 3-0 win over Luther College (Iowa) in a second-round match of the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Oshkosh Regional held Friday (Nov. 13) in Oshkosh.

The 25-18, 27-25, 25-20 victory advanced the Tommies to a regional final for the third time in five seasons. The University of St. Thomas, ranked 14th in the NCAA Division III by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, plays second-ranked University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in the title contest at 7 p.m. on Saturday (Nov. 14).

The University of St. Thomas (26-7) scored 10 straight points in the first set to break open a close battle. The Tommies trailed 12-11 before vaulting in front 21-12. The University of St. Thomas ended the set with a 14-6 scoring run.

The Tommies took the second set as they rallied from deficits of 7-4, 12-8 and 22-20. The University of St. Thomas took an 11-6 lead in the third set after scoring five straight points. The Tommies closed out the set with a 4-1 scoring run after seeing a 20-14 lead cut to 21-19.

The University of St. Thomas hit .222 in the contest. Tori Jones led the Tommies with 13 kills, while Jill Osborne added 10. The University of St. Thomas also received nine kills and 14 digs from Kyley Crotty, 30 assists and 12 digs from Emily Fischer and nine assists and nine digs from Kaitlin Wachter.

Luther College, which had its first NCAA Division III postseason appearance end, hit .088 in the match. The Norse (26-12) were led by the nine kills of Emily Cory, 17 digs of Grayce Hamlin and 26 assists and 10 digs of Taylor Hjerleid.

The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh began its run in the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championship in dominating fashion as it dismantled St. Norbert College (Wis.), 3-0, on Thursday (Nov. 12) in Oshkosh. The Titans won the first-round match of the Oshkosh Regional in set scores of 25-9, 25-8, 25-11.

With the victory, the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (36-2) advances to meet the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in a second-round match at 7 p.m. on Friday (Nov. 13). The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh enters the contest ranked second in the NCAA Division III by the American Volleyball Coaches Association and the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire 16th. The teams split their two regular-season meetings.

The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh held St. Norbert College (24-10) to a -.011 hitting percentage, including only two kills in the second set. The Green Knights managed only 28 points and 11 kills.

St. Norbert College's last lead in the match was a 5-4 advantage in the first set. The Titans then counted 21 of the next 25 points to finish off the set. Andrea Smith sparked the Titans by totaling eight kills in the first set.

In the second set, the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh broke a 2-2 tie with eight straight points. The Titans held a 14-6 lead before ending the set with an 11-2 scoring run. The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh tallied the last six points of the set.

The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh bolted to a 6-0 lead in the third set. St. Norbert College sliced its deficit in half before Katie Beining served nine straight points for the Titans. St. Norbert College rallied to a 16-8 deficit, but the Titans ended the threat with a 9-3 scoring run.

The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, which registered its third win of the season over St. Norbert College, hit a season-high .462 on 51 kills in 91 attempts. The Titans also compiled 56 digs, 49 assists, five service aces and 4.5 blocks.

Smith led the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh with 18 kills. Beining recorded 10 kills, while Katelyn Vara added 42 assists and 13 digs, Jacque Ray nine kills and Christina Cahoon 13 digs. Beining and Ray both went without a hitting error in the match.

St. Norbert College was led by the four kills of Sarah Sulentic, eight assists and seven digs of Laura Ayello and 12 digs of Catherine Guido. The Green Knights counted just 29 digs, 11 kills and 10 assists.

St. Norbert College was eliminated from its sixth visit in the NCAA Division III Championship.

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire defeated St. Olaf College (Minn.) in all three sets on Thursday (Nov. 12) to advance to the second round of the NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball Oshkosh Regional in Oshkosh, Wis.

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (31-7) won the first-round match in set scores of 26-24, 25-22, 25-18. The Blugolds will meet either St. Norbert College or the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in a second-round contest of the eight-team regional at 7 p.m. on Friday (Nov. 13).

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, ranked 16th in the NCAA Division III by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, used a five-point rally to break a 9-9 tie in the first set and take a 14-9 lead. The Blugolds were ahead 20-15 before 20th-ranked St. Olaf College came within one point at 21-20. The Oles forced extra points, but the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire didn't relinquish their lead.

St. Olaf College took an early 4-1 lead in the second set before the Blugolds evened the score at 5-5. Several three-point rallies by each team tied the score at 10-10 and 13-13. The score was knotted again at 19-19 and 21-21 before the Blugolds used another rally to finish the set with a three-point win.

The third set was all University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. The Blugolds scored five unanswered points to separate themselves from a 6-6 tie. At 11-6, the Blugolds extended their lead to 15-7. The teams exchanged points to put the set at 19-14 before the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire coasted to the victory.

Emily Zupon had 13 kills to lead the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, while Lindsey Smith tallied 12 digs and Amanda Lessner 16 assists.

St. Olaf College was led by Kim Smisek’s 15 kills. Three Oles reached double-digit totals in digs as Alyssa Williams counted 12, Kristin Boyum 11 and Kelly Prunty 10.

St. Olaf College its ninth appearance in the NCAA Division III Championship.

Written By Emily Amici, Midwest Conference Sports Information Director

Luther College (Iowa) upset the College of St. Benedict (Minn.) in a five-set thriller on Thursday (Nov. 12) in the second match of the NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball Oshkosh Regional in Oshkosh, Wis.

Seventh-seeded Luther College (26-11) topped second-seed College of St. Benedict in set scores of 15-25, 25-12, 15-25, 25-18, 15-13. The Norse meets the University of St. Thomas (Minn.) (25-7) in a second-round contest of the eight-team regional at 4:30 p.m. on Friday (Nov. 13).

The College of St. Benedict, ranked 15th in the NCAA Division III by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, jumped to an 8-3 lead in the first set before extending it to an 18-10 advantage. Unranked Luther College made a three-point run to slice its deficit to 21-13, but the Blazers counted four of the next six points to end the set.

Luther College opened the second set with a 10-7 lead. Following two points by the Blazers, the Norse scored 10 straight points to take a 20-9 advantage. Luther College then ended the set by marking five of the next eight points.

The College of St. Benedict took the fourth set as it rallied from an 11-8 deficit. The Blazers tied the set at 11 and then paraded to score 14 of the final 18 points.

Luther College evened the match with a seven-point victory in the fourth set. The Norse sprinted out to a 10-3 lead and led by a minimum of five points the rest of the way.

In the fifth and deciding set, Luther College overcame a 5-2 deficit with an 8-3 scoring run. The College of St. Benedict cut its deficit to 12-11 before Luther College tallied three of the next five points.

Emily Cory led Luther College to a victory in its first NCAA Division III postseason match by totaling a match-high 22 kills. The Norse also received 18 digs from Grayce Hamlin and 35 assists from Taylor Hjerleid.

The College of St. Benedict received 16 kills from Emma Jaynes and 12 from Kayli Schumacher. Beth Hanson had a match-high 42 assists.

The College of St. Benedict concludes its 15th appearance in the NCAA Division III Championship. The Blazers advanced to the quarterfinal round in 2008 before losing to eventual national champion Emory University (Ga.).

Written By Emily Amici, Midwest Conference Sports Information Director

The University of St. Thomas (Minn.) swept the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in three sets on Thursday (Nov. 12) to open play at the NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball Oshkosh Regional in Oshkosh, Wis.

The University of St. Thomas (25-7) won the first-round match in set scores of 25-19, 25-23, 25-17. The Tommies advance to meet either the College of St. Benedict (Minn.) or Luther College (Iowa) in a second-round contest of the eight-team regional at 4:30 p.m. on Friday (Nov. 13).

The University of St. Thomas, ranked 14th in the NCAA Division III by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, immediately took control of the match, opening the first set with a 6-1 scoring run. The Tommies pushed their lead to 12 points (20-8) before taking the set.

In the second set, the Tommies used a four-point scoring run to break a 4-4 tie and take an 8-4 lead. The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (31-7) used a similar run to knot the score at 9-9, but the University of St. Thomas pulled ahead for good at 16-11. The seventh-ranked Warhawks closed the gap to 17-14 and again to 23-20 before the Tommies hung on for the win.

The University of St. Thomas built a 15-9 lead in the third set. The Warhawks cut their deficit to 19-15, but the Tommies finished the set with a 6-2 scoring run.

Katie Bonine and Kyley Crotty led the University of St. Thomas with nine kills each, while Alesha Nelson had seven. Emily Foster dished out 30 assists for the Tommies, who hit .194 as a team.

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater was led by the 12 kills of Caitlin Hogan, 24 digs of Alyssa Bauer and 31 assists of Alyse Karls. The Warhawks hit .170 in the match.

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater concludes its 22nd appearance in the NCAA Division III Championship. The Warhawks captured NCAA Division III titles in 2002 and 2005.

Written By Emily Amici, Midwest Conference Sports Information Director