Three nationally-ranked teams collide when UW-Oshkosh hosts the final four matches of the 2009 WIAC Women's Volleyball Tournament this weekend in Kolf Sports Center. Competition begins Friday (Nov. 6) with two semifinal round games and concludes on Saturday (Nov. 7) with the third-place and championship contests.

UW-Oshkosh (34-1), which went unbeaten against its eight WIAC opponents during the regular season, is the No. 1 seed in this year's six-team tournament. The Titans earned a first-round bye and will open tournament play against fourth-seeded UW-Eau Claire (29-6) at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The Blugolds qualified for their semifinal round match with UW-Oshkosh by defeating fifth-seeded UW-River Falls (20-15), 22-25, 19-25, 27-25, 25-23, 15-7, on Tuesday (Nov. 3) in the first round.

UW-Whitewater (29-6) is seeded second in this year's tournament. The Warhawks received a first-round bye and will begin tournament action against third-seeded UW-Platteville (22-12) at 5 p.m. on Friday. The Pioneers advanced to their semifinal round contest with UW-Whitewater by ousting sixth-seeded UW-Stevens Point (13-22), 19-25, 25-17, 25-22, 25-23, on Tuesday in the first round.

The winner of the two semifinal round matches will compete in the championship contest at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. A third-place game will be held at noon on Saturday.

The WIAC Tournament champion receives the league's automatic bid to the 62-team NCAA Division III Championship.

UW-Oshkosh enters this weekend's tournament as the top-ranked team in the NCAA Division III by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). The Titans have won five straight matches and 74 of their last 78. UW-Oshkosh's only loss this season was a 3-1 setback to UW-Whitewater on Oct. 23.

Also mentioned in the AVCA's NCAA Division III poll are seventh-ranked UW-Whitewater and 18th-ranked UW-Eau Claire. UW-Whitewater has won its last two contests and 59 of its last 75. UW-Eau Claire brings a 10-match winning streak into this weekend's event. The Blugolds have gone 53-18 in their last 71 contests.

UW-Platteville snapped a two-match losing streak with its win over UW-Stevens Point on Tuesday. The Pioneers have won 16 of their last 22 games.

UW-Oshkosh is the defending WIAC Tournament champion. The Titans won last year's title with a 25-21, 23-25, 25-17, 22-25, 15-12 victory over UW-Eau Claire in the championship match.

WIAC Women's Volleyball Tournament Program

Jacque Ray

Middle blocker Jacque Ray (Sr. • Richland Center) of the UW-Oshkosh women's volleyball team has been named the Sports Imports/American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) NCAA Division III National Player of the Week for her performance in matches held Oct. 26-Nov. 1.

Ray led UW-Oshkosh to wins over three ranked squads at the Trinity University Invitational held Oct. 30-31 in San Antonio, Texas. UW-Oshkosh, which entered the tournament ranked second in the NCAA Division III by the AVCA, tallied wins of 3-0 over eighth-ranked Wittenberg University (Ohio), 3-0 over 18th-ranked Trinity University (Texas) and 3-2 over top-ranked Juniata College (Pa.).

Ray, who received NCAA Division III All-America third team honors a year ago, was named the tournament's outstanding player after hitting .410 with 43 kills, 14 blocks, three digs and two assists.

In UW-Oshkosh's 25-21, 25-16, 26-24 sweep of Wittenberg University on Oct. 30, Ray hit .409 with 12 kills and four blocks.

UW-Oshkosh (34-1) played two matches on Oct. 31, defeating Trinity University, 25-18, 26-24, 25-18, and Juniata College, 22-25, 25-23, 18-25, 25-18, 15-13. Ray hit .391 with 13 kills, five blocks and one assist against Trinity University and .421 with 18 kills, five blocks and three digs against Juniata College.

Ray is the fourth UW-Oshkosh athlete to be honored as the Sports Imports/AVCA NCAA Division III National Player of the Week. Previous selections were Jessie Goffard (Sept. 16-22, 2001), Christina Southward (Oct. 22-27, 2001) and Leah Rosenbaum (Oct. 1-7, 2007).

UW-Oshkosh returns to action by hosting the WIAC Tournament this Friday and Saturday (Nov. 6-7) in Kolf Sports Center.

UW-Oshkosh middle blocker Jacque Ray (Sr. • Richland Center) has been announced as the WIAC Women's Volleyball Player of the Week for matches held Oct. 26-Nov. 1.

Ray, who picked up her second WIAC weekly award of the season, led UW-Oshkosh to wins over three ranked squads at the Trinity University Invitational held Oct. 30-31 in San Antonio, Texas. UW-Oshkosh (34-1), which entered the tournament ranked second in the NCAA Division III by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, tallied wins of 3-0 over eighth-ranked Wittenberg University (Ohio), 3-0 over 18th-ranked Trinity University (Texas) and 3-2 over top-ranked Juniata College (Pa.).

Ray was named the tournament's outstanding player after hitting .410 with 43 kills, 14 blocks, three digs and two assists.

In UW-Oshkosh's 25-21, 25-16, 26-24 sweep of Wittenberg University on Oct. 30, Ray hit .409 with 12 kills and four blocks.

UW-Oshkosh played two matches on Oct. 31, defeating Trinity University, 25-18, 26-24, 25-18, and Juniata College, 22-25, 25-23, 18-25, 25-18, 15-13. Ray hit .391 with 13 kills, five blocks and one assist against Trinity University and .421 with 18 kills, five blocks and three digs against Juniata College.

After losing the NCAA Division III number one ranking to Juniata College (Pa.) earlier during the week, the UW-Oshkosh women’s volleyball team beat them, as well as two other top 20 teams at the Trinity University (Texas) National Invitational held Friday and Saturday (Oct. 30-31) in San Antonio, Texas.

UW-Oshkosh (34-1) defeated 8th-ranked Wittenberg University (Ohio), 25-21, 25-16, 26-24 on Friday before sweeping 18th-ranked Trinity University 25-18, 26-24, 25-18 and beating Juniata College 22-25, 25-23, 18-25, 25-18, 15-13 on Saturday.

Jacque Ray (Sr. • Richland Center), the tournament most valuable player, led the Titans with 43 kills and 14 blocks. Katie Beining (Sr. • Brookfield) added 28 kills, 34 digs and eight service aces, Katelyn Vara (Sr. • New Berlin) dished out 105 assists and added 23 digs and eight blocks and Aleisha Bagin (Fr. • West Bend) had 21 kills and seven blocks.

Christina Cahoon (Jr. • Watertown), another all-tournament member, scooped up 82 digs, Brittney Cote (So. • Orland Park, Ill.) added 33 digs and Andrea Smith (Jr. • Fond du Lac) tallied 28 digs and 19 kills.

After taking the first two sets against Wittenberg University (22-5), UW-Oshkosh battled back from a 24-22 deficit in set three to finish the sweep. Ray led the Titans with 12 kills on a .409 hitting percentage and added four blocks.

Beining registered nine kills on 17 attempts and picked up 11 digs, Cahoon scooped up 20 digs and Smith provided 11 digs and seven kills. Bagin contributed six kills and three blocks and Vara ran the offense with 33 assists and had four blocks.

In the opening match on Saturday, UW-Oshkosh dominated sets one and three and trailed 24-21 in set two before coming back to blank Trinity University (24-10). The win marked the Titans 19th sweep of the season. Ray led the Titans with 13 kills and added five blocks. Cahoon tallied 27 digs, Cote added 10 and Beining had nine, while adding six kills and five service aces.

Smith recorded six of the Titans’ 15 service aces and added six kills and nine digs. Vara dished out 29 assists and had five kills and four blocks and Bagin had seven kills. Larissa Krumplitsch (Fr. • Appleton) added five kills on a .455 hitting percentage.

In the championship match against Juniata College (29-3), the Titans came back from a 2-1 set deficit and 13-11 disadvantage in set five for the victory. Cahoon patrolled the backcourt by producing 35 digs on only one receiving error.

Ray led the team with 18 kills on a .421 hitting percentage and stopped five attacks. Beining had 13 kills and amassed 14 digs. The Titans totaled 102 digs with Cote adding 18, Smith 16 and Vara 12. Vara dished out 43 assists, Smith had three service aces and Bagin had eight kills. Brittany Gruning (Fr. • East Troy) came off the bench to record seven kills.

The win marked the 15th straight match that the Titans have won a contest that has gone to the deciding fifth set dating back to the 2007 NCAA Division III Championship.

The UW-Oshkosh women’s volleyball team won three of four matches at the UW-Whitewater Invitational on Friday and Saturday (Oct. 23-24) in Whitewater.

Games scores included a 25-22, 25-19, 25-18 win over Central College (Iowa) and a 25-18, 28-26, 21-25, 28-26 loss to UW-Whitewater on Friday and a 25-6, 25-12, 25-22 win over Coe College (Iowa) and a 25-14, 30-28, 27-25 sweep of Carroll University on Saturday.

Katie Beining (Sr. • Brookfield) led the Titans with 32 kills and added 45 digs and eight service aces. Jacque Ray (Sr. • Richland Center) added 28 kills and 11 blocks and Andrea Smith (Jr. • Fond du Lac) had 23 kills and 32 digs. Aleisha Bagin (Fr. • West Bend) and Brittany Gruning (Fr. • East Troy) each had 22 kills with Gruning contributing 11 blocks. Christina Cahoon (Jr. • Watertown) provided 73 digs and nine service aces and Katelyn Vara (Sr. • New Berlin) had 119 assists and 23 digs.

UW-Oshkosh (31-1), the number one ranked team in the NCAA Division III according to the American Volleyball Coaches Association, hit a solid .264 to claim their first win over Central College (19-10) in six meetings. Bagin led the Titans with 10 kills, Ray added seven on a .412 hitting percentage and Beining and Gruning each had six.

Cahoon tallied 22 digs and Vara dished out 32 assists as the Titans tied a school record with its 29th straight victory.

In its second match of the season against number eighth-ranked UW-Whitewater (23-5), UW-Oshkosh struggled offensively in their first loss of the season. The Titans only had two players record double-digit kills in Beining with 14 and Gruning with 10.

Defensively Cahoon scooped up 21 digs, Beining 16, Brittney Cote (So. • Orland Park, Ill.) 15 and Smith 11 as the Titans had 90 digs in the match. Vara dished out 39 assists and registered four blocks, Cahoon had three service aces and Gruning had seven blocks.

In Saturday’s action, UW-Oshkosh held Coe College (8-21) to only six points in the first set to dominate the match. Eleven players recorded at least one kill for the Titans, led by Ray with eight in only 12 attempts. Cahoon had 15 digs and Vara ran the offense with 17 assists.

Beining set a new career-high with eight service aces, including six in a 14-point scoring run in the first set. The Titans had 13 service aces in the match, a season high.

In its’ second win this season over Carroll University (12-16), UW-Oshkosh had to come back in sets two and three to register the sweep. The Titans trailed 24-21 before scoring four straight points to take a 25-24 advantage. The Pioneers took the next two points to go up 26-25 and also served for set point at 27-26 and 28-27 before the Titans scored three straight points to end the second set.

UW-Oshkosh also faced a 24-22 deficit in set three before tying the score at 24-24. Carroll University had another chance at 25-24 to prolong the match but UW-Oshkosh responded again with a three-point run to end the contest.

Megan Fischer (Sr. • Manitowoc) and Ray each had nine kills without an error to lead the Titans. Beining added nine kills and 20 digs and Cahoon had 15 digs. Vara directed the offense with 31 assists and Smith had nine digs and eight kills.

The UW-Oshkosh women’s volleyball team capped off its first undefeated WIAC slate since 1990 with a 25-18, 25-19, 25-19 victory over UW-Platteville on Wednesday (Oct. 21) in Kolf Sports Center.

UW-Oshkosh (28-0/8-0 WIAC) took a 6-1 lead in set one before UW-Platteville responded by scoring eight of the next nine points to take a 9-7 advantage. The Titans regrouped by scoring five straight points to take a three-point lead at 12-9.

UW-Oshkosh held a slim 14-13 lead before going on a 9-3 run to put set one out of reach. The Titans produced 16 kills in the first set, including five by Aleisha Bagin (Fr. • West Bend) and three by Katie Beining (Sr. • Brookfield), Megan Fischer (Sr. • Manitowoc) and Larissa Krumplitsch (Fr. • Appleton).

After UW-Oshkosh clawed out to a 10-5 cushion in set two, UW-Platteville could not get any closer than 19-15 as the Titans took a 2-0 lead in sets. Beining provided four kills in the set.

UW-Platteville (17-8/5-3 WIAC), winners of 14 of 16 contests entering the match, took a 10-4 lead in set three before UW-Oshkosh went to business. The Titans scored seven of the next eight points to knot the score at 11-11. Tied at 14-14, UW-Oshkosh claimed five of the next six points to pull ahead 19-15, before holding match point at 24-16. The Pioneers tallied three straight points to inch to within 24-19, before a missed serve gave the Titans the match.

UW-Oshkosh, which won its 30th straight home contest, was led by Beining who had 13 kills, six digs and four service aces. Bagin and Jacque Ray (Sr. • Richland Center) each had eight kills and Fischer ended with five. Vara dished out 33 assists and added four blocks and Christina Cahoon (Jr. • Watertown) had a match-high 14 digs.

Melissa Hillebrand led UW-Platteville with nine kills. Leslie White tallied 10 digs, Ali Sikic 29 assists and Briana Kaiser four blocks. Lisa Bell added eight kills and Brooke Nichols nine digs.

UW-Oshkosh, the number one ranked team in the NCAA Division III according to the American Volleyball Coaches Association, held advantages of 41-34 in kills, 40-33 in assists, 42-37 in digs and 8-0 in service aces. Both teams had six blocks in the contest.

UW-Oshkosh will host the semifinals and final of the WIAC Tournament on Friday and Saturday (Nov. 6-7) in Kolf Sports Center. First round match-ups include fifth-seed UW-River Falls at fourth-seed UW-Eau Claire and sixth-seed UW-Stevens Point at third-seed UW-Platteville on Tuesday (Nov. 3) at 7 p.m. The UW-Stevens Point and UW-Platteville winner will battle second-seed UW-Whitewater at 5 p.m., while the UW-River Falls and UW-Eau Claire winner will play top-seed UW-Oshkosh at 7:30 p.m. Both matches will be held on Friday.

Semifinals winners with play for a berth into the NCAA Division III championship at 2:30 p.m., while the third-place match is slated for noon on Saturday.

UW-Oshkosh setter Katelyn Vara (Sr. • New Berlin) was named WIAC Women's Volleyball Player of the Week for matches held Oct. 12-18

Vara collected the tournament’s most outstanding player award after helping the Titans to a 4-0 record and a first-place finish at the UW-Oshkosh Titan Tussle held Oct. 16-17 in Kolf Sports Center.

UW-Oshkosh, the top-ranked team in the NCAA Division III by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, defeated 24th-ranked Eastern University (Pa.), 3-2, St. Catherine University (Minn.), 3-0, ninth-ranked University of St. Thomas (Minn.), 3-2, and Bethel University (Minn.), 3-0.

Vara played in all 16 sets and hit .476 with 10 kills, 35 digs and 149 assists. In the win over the University of St. Thomas, Vara totaled 40 assists and 15 digs. She had three kills, three digs and 43 assists in the Titans’ win over Eastern University.

UW-Oshkosh has won 27 straight matches and 187 of its last 207.

UW-Oshkosh, the American Volleyball Coaches Association's top-ranked NCAA Division III women's volleyball team, defeated two nationally-ranked opponents in five sets en route to a first-place finish at Titan Tussle held Friday and Saturday (Oct. 16-17) in Kolf Sports Center.

UW-Oshkosh (27-0) beat 24th-ranked Eastern University (Pa.) in game scores of 25-22, 15-25, 26-24, 18-25, 15-7 and St. Catherine University (Minn.) 25-18, 25-23, 25-20 on Friday. The Titans then edged ninth-ranked University of St. Thomas (Minn.) 21-25, 25-23, 17-25, 25-14, 15-12 and blanked Bethel University (Minn.) 25-23, 25-16, 25-20 on Saturday.

Katelyn Vara (Sr. • New Berlin) led UW-Oshkosh by dishing out 149 assists and added 35 digs. Jacque Ray (Sr. • Richland Center) powered down 52 kills and had 16 blocks, Christina Cahoon (Jr. • Watertown) scooped up 106 digs and Aleisha Bagin (Fr. • West Bend) contributed 35 kills.

The Titans also received 36 kills and 48 digs from Katie Beining (Sr. • Brookfield), 27 kills and 55 digs from Andrea Smith (Jr. • Fond du Lac) and 45 digs from Brittney Cote (So. • Orland Park, Ill.).

UW-Oshkosh was extended to a deciding fifth stanza before dominating Eastern University in the final set.

Hitting errors proved costly for the Titans, as they committed 10 each in sets two and four, both losses. In the deciding fifth-set UW-Oshkosh had a match-high .368 hitting percentage on eight kills in 19 attempts to take home the victory.

Eastern University (18-3) led 16-14 in set one before UW-Oshkosh scored five consecutive points to take a 19-16 advantage. The Titans led 24-19 before the Eagles made it close, closing to within 24-22 before the hosts put the set away.

The Eagles dominated the second set, trailing only once at 2-1, while building leads of 13-7, 17-9 and 20-11 before settling for the 10-point win. UW-Oshkosh responded in the third set to take an 11-7 cushion before Eastern University inched back to tie the score at 18-18 and then went ahead 20-18. The Titans scored three of the next four points to knot the score at 21-21 and then took a 24-23 advantage. The Eagles fought off one set point, before UW-Oshkosh took a 2-1 set lead with two straight points.

After taking a 5-1 advantage to start set four, UW-Oshkosh was outscored 20-10 to trail 21-15. After the Titans tallied two straight points to inch to within 21-17, the Eagles closed the set with a 4-1 scoring skein to set up a fifth set.

The deciding stanza was all UW-Oshkosh as they build an early 4-1 lead and made the side-switch at 8-3. The Titans held six-point leads at 10-4 and 12-6, before scoring three of the last four points for the victory.

Beining led a trio of double-digit kill performances with 14, while adding 19 digs and three blocks. Bagin slammed down 13 kills and Ray 12 while adding four blocks. Vara directed the offense with 43 assists and Cahoon had a season-high 36 digs. The Titans only had one service ace, while recording only one receiving error.

The Titans notched its fifth straight win over St. Catherine University (14-10) in Friday’s nightcap. Ray compiled 12 kills and Bagin 11. Vara dished out 28 assists and added seven digs and Cahoon led the defense with 17 digs. Smith and Cahoon each had three service aces.

In Saturday’s action, UW-Oshkosh and the University of St. Thomas played to a deciding set for the fourth time in its last five meetings, four of which have been won by the Titans.

The University of St. Thomas (19-6) scored five of the last six points in the first set to take a 1-0 lead in the match. The Titans started set two strong scoring the first four points before the Tommies tied the set at 5-5. The stanza was tied five more times before the University of St. Thomas captured a 22-19 advantage. The Tommies were within two points of taking a 2-0 set lead in the match before the Titans ran off the last five points of the set to pull out the two-point victory.

The University of St. Thomas stole the momentum back by scoring seven straight points to take a 17-8 advantage after a slim 10-8 cushion. The Titans could not get closer than seven points the rest of the way to fall by eight points in the third set.

The see-saw contest continued with UW-Oshkosh gaining control at 11-9 by tallying a seven-point run of their own to go up 18-9 in set four. The Titans cruised from there to set up another classic five-set battle between the two institutions.

After the Titans scored the first point for the fifth set, the Tommies went up 4-1 after a four-point run. Trailing 6-3, UW-Oshkosh followed suit with its own four-point scoring skein to take a 7-6 advantage. The second tie of the contest at 7-7 started a string of six consecutive knotted scores before the Titans produced the last four points of the set after trailing 12-11 to take the match. Smith provided the spark UW-Oshkosh needed by recorded six kills in the stanza, including kills on the Titans last three points.

Cahoon led five UW-Oshkosh players in double-digit digs with 34 as the Titans had a season-high 125 in the match. Beining added 19 digs and four blocks, Smith 18 digs and nine kills, Cote 17 digs, Vara 15 digs and 40 assists and Ray 14 kills and five blocks. UW-Oshkosh hit only .160 in the match, but had hitting percentages of .316 and .276 in sets four and five, respectively. The Titans are now unbeaten in their last 14 five-set matches.

UW-Oshkosh extended its home match winning streak to 29 contests with its sweep of Bethel University (10-16), its 14th 3-0 win of the season. After nearly blowing a 24-18 lead in the first set, the Titans powered past the Royals to win its fourth tournament title of the season.

Ray led the Titans with 14 kills and had five blocks while Beining provided 10 kills and six digs. Cahoon converted 19 digs, Smith 15 and Vara 10 to go along with 38 assists.

Vara was named the most outstanding player of the tournament and was joined by Ray on the ten-person all-tournament squad. Other players capturing all-tournament team honors included Amy Werner of Bethel University, Lauren Dembkowski and Katie Lundgren of Carthage College, Maria Horning of Eastern University, Emily Cory of Luther College (Iowa), Maria Hoffman of St. Catherine University and Kyley Crotty and Emily Foster of the University of St. Thomas.

The UW-Oshkosh women’s volleyball team captured the WIAC title for the fourth time in the last five years and the 10th time overall with a sweep of UW-La Crosse on Wednesday (Oct. 7) in La Crosse.

UW-Oshkosh (23-0/7-0 WIAC) hit a season-high .380 in a 25-10, 25-15, 25-16 victory. The win was the Titans' fifth straight over UW-La Crosse. UW-Oshkosh slugged a .527 hitting percentage in the first two sets to set the tone in the match.

UW-Oshkosh, the top-ranked team in the NCAA Division III by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), was led by Jacque Ray (Sr. • Richland Center) with 11 kills on 15 errorless attempts. Katie Beining (Sr. • Brookfield) added nine kills and Aleisha Bagin, (Fr. • West Bend), Larissa Krumplitsch (Fr. • Appleton) and Andrea Smith (Jr. • Fond du Lac) five each.

Katelyn Vara (Sr. • New Berlin) dished out 37 assists, Christina Cahoon (Jr. • Watertown) led the team with 14 digs and Brittney Cote (So. • Orland Park, Ill.) picked up 13 digs.

Brianne Stankus led UW-La Crosse (4-14/1-4 WIAC) with six kills and 10 digs and Liz Schlobohm had 17 assists. Melanie Tate and Melanie Vanden Langenberg each had eight digs.

UW-Oshkosh held advantages of 45-20 in kills, 42-18 in assists, .380-.022 in hitting percentage and 43-37 in digs. Both squads had two blocks and one service ace.

In the last five seasons, UW-Oshkosh has amassed a 34-5 conference ledger and has a chance to go undefeated in the WIAC for the first time since the 1990 campaign. The Titans have won 163 of their last 183 matches for a .891 winning percentage and have been ranked in the top 15 in the AVCA's NCAA Division III poll for 50 consecutive weeks.

Wednesday's win also gave UW-Oshkosh the No. 1 seed for the WIAC Tournament. The Titans will host the semifinals and finals of the event on Nov. 6-7. First round matchups for the six-team league tournament will be held on Nov. 3.

UW-Oshkosh returns to action on Oct. 16 when it hosts 24th-ranked Eastern University (Pa.) in Kolf Sports Center.

The UW-Oshkosh women’s volleyball inched closer to its fourth Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athlete Conference title in the last five years with a 25-12, 25-15, 25-21 victory over UW-Superior on Saturday (Oct. 3) in Kolf Sports Center.

With a road win over UW-La Crosse on Wednesday (Oct. 7), UW-Oshkosh (22-0/6-0) will guarantee itself at least a share of the WIAC title. UW-River Falls currently rests 3-1 in the conference trailing UW-Oshkosh by two and one half games.

Trailing 8-5 in the opening set, the Titans responded by scoring 11 of the next 12 points to take a 16-9 advantage. Ahead 19-12, UW-Oshkosh ended the first stanza by scoring the last six points and outhit the Yellowjackets .407-.042 to run away with the first set.

UW-Oshkosh started set two ahead 6-0 and held set point at 24-11 before UW-Superior scored four straight points to close the gap. The Titans took the 10-point win after a kill by Megan Fischer (Sr. • Manitowoc).

The third set was tied 13 times before UW-Superior took a 20-17 advantage after a four-point scoring run. UW-Oshkosh pushed back to take a 21-20 advantage, before UW-Superior again tied the count at 21-21. The Titans finished the match by scoring the last four points of the contest.

UW-Oshkosh, which extended its home winning streak to 25 matches, was led by Fischer who had eight kills and eight digs. Brittney Cote (So. • Orland Park, Ill.) provided 14 digs and three service aces and Jacque Ray (Sr. • Richland Center) had six kills and two blocks.

Katelyn Vara (Sr. • New Berlin) had 19 assists and three blocks and Erin Kelly (Fr. • La Crosse) scooped up six digs. Jordan Guida (Fr. • Crystal Lake, Ill.) and Morgan Liebetrau (Fr. • West Bend) each had seven assists.

UW-Superior (9-10/1-3 WIAC) was led by Jenny Olson who had nine kills. Alison Lothenbach and Sarah Gruber shared setting duties with 11 and 10 assists, respectively and Samantha Blake had a match-high 18 digs.

UW-Oshkosh held advantages of 35-25 in kills, 35-23 in assists, .222-.000 in hitting percentage and 7-3 in blocks. Both teams had 51 digs.

The UW-Oshkosh women’s volleyball team remained undefeated on the season, winning its 21st-straight match after surviving a 25-19, 25-10, 21-25, 26-24 back and forth affair over UW-Eau Claire on Friday (Oct. 2) in Kolf Sports Center.

After dominating UW-Eau Claire in the first two sets, UW-Oshkosh was pushed to the limit by an inspired Blugolds squad, and had to rely on extra points in the fourth set to finish the match.

UW-Oshkosh (21-0/5-0 WIAC) held UW-Eau Claire to a .071 hitting percentage in the first two sets, while hitting .306 on offense. Ahead 9-5 in set one, the Blugolds were outscored 45-20 to end the second set, falling behind 2-0 in the match.

After a line-up change, UW-Eau Claire (14-3/1-2 WIAC) caught fire from the right side as UW-Oshkosh could not stop the Blugolds attack. UW-Eau Claire hit .306 in the stanza, led by the six kills of Kristen Moore.

The fourth set was close throughout as neither team had more than a three-point advantage as the score was tied 10 times. Tied at 19-19, 20-20 and 21-21, the Titans built a 24-21 after a side-out and two hitting errors by the Blugolds.

After a kill by Emily Zupon closed the gap to 24-22, UW-Eau Claire produced another kill and a block on the outside to tie the score 24-24. UW-Oshkosh responded with a kill by Aleisha Bagin (Fr. • West Bend) and an ace serve by Katelyn Vara (Sr. • New Berlin) to end the match.

UW-Oshkosh, ranked number one for the second consecutive week in the NCAA Division III according to the American Volleyball Coaches Association, was led by Andrea Smith (Jr. • Fond du Lac) who had 13 kills and 12 digs.

Vara collected 47 assists, 10 digs and four blocks and Christina Cahoon (Jr. • Watertown) scooped up a match-high 18 digs and tallied three service aces. Brittney Cote (So. • Orland Park, Ill.) added 17 digs and Jacque Ray (Sr. • Richland Center) provided 13 kills and five blocks.

UW-Oshkosh’s Katie Beining (Sr. • Brookfield) finished with 12 kills, 11 digs and three service aces and Bagin and Larissa Krumplitsch (Fr. • Appleton) each had eight kills.

UW-Eau Claire, who entered the match as the 14th-ranked team in the country was led by Moore who finished with 12 kills and five blocks. Rachel Vor Voort had 17 digs, Blair Murphy 14 digs and Katie Wall six blocks. Emily Neave and Amanda Lessner shared setting duties with 31 and 14 assists, respectively.

UW-Oshkosh held advantages of 58-49 in kills, 52-46 in assists, 9-3 in service aces, 72-56 in digs and .269-.152 in hitting percentage. Both team recorded eight blocks.

With its 24th-straight home win, the Titans take a two and a half game lead in the race for the WIAC title over idle UW-Platteville and UW-River Falls.

The UW-Oshkosh women’s volleyball team continued its best start since the 1996 season with a 25-14, 25-18, 28-26 win over UW-Stevens Point on Wednesday (Sept. 30) in Stevens Point. The Titans began the 1996 campaign with a 27-0 mark on their way to a 40-5 finish.

UW-Oshkosh (20-0/4-0 WIAC) was led by the hitting of Aleisha Bagin (Fr. • West Bend), Katie Beining (Sr. • Brookfield) and Jacque Ray (Sr. • Richland Center.). The trio each registered 10 kills and hit over .300 to lead the Titans to a .270 team hitting percentage, including a .417 mark in set one.

The Titans also benefited by the 12 digs and seven kills of Andrea Smith (Jr. • Fond du Lac) and the nine digs by Christina Cahoon (Jr. • Watertown) and Brittney Cote (So. • Orland Park, Ill.). Katelyn Vara (Sr. • New Berlin) added 27 assists, Bagin and Ray two blocks and Beining six digs and three service aces.

UW-Stevens Point (8-11/1-2 WIAC), which has lost 22 of the last 24 meeting with UW-Oshkosh, was led by Christina Brinkman and Pam Nora who each had eight kills. Chantel York had 12 assists and Lizzy Taylor recorded 14 digs.

UW-Oshkosh, who enjoyed their second consecutive week ranked number one in the NCAA Division III according to the American Volleyball Coaches Association, recorded advantages of 41-35 in kills, 35-30 in assists, .270-.183 in hitting percentage, 42-37 in digs and eight to one in service aces. The Pointers topped the Titans in blocks six to four.

With the win, the Titans currently sit in first place with a 4-0 mark in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. UW-Platteville and UW-River Falls sit tied for second place at 2-1 and UW-Eau Claire fourth at 1-1 in the league standings.

The UW-Oshkosh women’s volleyball team won its third tournament title of the year and remaining undefeated as they captured the UW-Platteville Invitational on Friday and Saturday (Sept. 25-26) in Platteville.

UW-Oshkosh (19-0) opened tournament action on Friday with a 25-17, 25-19, 25-22 sweep of Loras College (Iowa) and a 25-17, 25-17, 21-25, 25-20 win over UW-Stout and finished action on Saturday with a 23-25, 25-18, 25-19, 25-19 win over St. Norbert College and a 25-23, 25-19, 25-12 victory over Simpson College (Iowa).

Jacque Ray (Sr. • Richland Center) led UW-Oshkosh with 44 kills and 16 blocks and Katie Beining (Sr. • Brookfield) added 42 kills and 35 digs. Christina Cahoon (Jr. • Watertown) scooped up 94 digs and added six service aces, Katelyn Vara (Sr. • New Berlin) dished out 139 assists and had 56 digs and Brittney Cote (So. • Orland Park, Ill.) provided 39 digs.

UW-Oshkosh, the number one ranked team in the NCAA Division III according to the American Volleyball Coaches Association, swept Loras College (4-8) for the fourth straight time. Ray led the team with nine kills and two solo blocks. Cahoon had 20 digs and three service aces, Vara amassed 23 assists and Andrea Smith (Jr. • Fond du Lac) had eight kills. Cote added 10 digs and Jordan Guida (Fr. • Crystal Lake, Ill.) dished out 10 assists.

UW-Oshkosh beat UW-Stout (8-6) for the second time this season and for the eighth straight time behind the 12 kills of Beining and Ray. Cahoon patrolled the backcourt with 21 digs, Smith added 13 digs and Cote nine. Aleisha Bagin (Fr. • West Bend) powered down 10 kills and Vara dished out 43 assists and added eight digs. Ray added six blocks and Morgan Liebetrau (Fr. • West Bend) and Cahoon each had two service aces.

In Saturday’s action, Beining led the team with 19 kills and 13 digs against St. Norbert College (10-9). Vara has a career-high 22 digs and added 50 assists and Cahoon piled up 33 digs. Ray slammed down 13 kills and had three blocks and Cote nabbed 13 digs.

UW-Oshkosh beat Simpson College (7-7) for the seventh straight times behind the seven kills of Beining and Ray. Cahoon had 18 digs, Beining and Vara 11, Smith eight and Cote seven as the Titans picked up 62 in the sweep. Ray added six blocks and Vara dished out 23 assists.

For the efforts, Beining and Ray were named to the six-person all-tournament team.

UW-Oshkosh's first match as the top ranked women's volleyball team in the NCAA Division III was celebrated with an exciting 25-21, 25-19, 20-25, 25-20 victory over UW-Whitewater on Wednesday (Sept. 23) in Kolf Sports Center.

UW-Oshkosh (15-0 /3-0 WIAC), which grabbed the top spot in Tuesday's (Sept. 22) poll conducted by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, became the lone unbeaten team in the WIAC with its win over the 12th-ranked Warhawks (9-4/1-2 WIAC). The victory, UW-Oshkosh's third over UW-Whitewater in four matches, extended the Titans' home court winning streak to 23 consecutive contests.

After UW-Whitewater went ahead 8-5 in the first set, UW-Oshkosh responded with a six-point scoring run behind the serve of Morgan Liebetrau (Fr. • West Bend). The Warhawks closed to within 14-13, before the Titans went on a four-point scoring skein to break ahead 18-13.

UW-Whitewater battled back to trail 20-18 before UW-Oshkosh scored four out of the next five points to hold set point at 24-19. The Titans closed the stanza with a kill after the Warhawks inched to within 24-21.

After UW-Whitewater started set two ahead 3-0, UW-Oshkosh rattled off seven of the next eight points to hold a 7-4 advantage. Ahead 12-9, the Titans did not allow the Warhawks to get within three points for the rest of the set in taking a 2-0 lead in the match.

UW-Whitewater trailed 8-3 and 11-7 in set three before turning on the pressure to force a 15-15 tie. The Warhawks ended set three with a 10-5 scoring run to force a fourth set.

UW-Whitewater came out in set four red-hot, building an 8-2 advantage before UW-Oshkosh went on a 13-6 scoring run to take a 15-14 cushion. After a 15-15 knotted score, the Titans posted five out of the next six points to lead 20-16. UW-Oshkosh held on from there to capture the victory.

Aleisha Bagin (Fr. • West Bend) had a big night offensively for UW-Oshkosh with 16 kills, while adding a key solo block in set four. Christina Cahoon (Jr. • Watertown) scooped up 31 digs and added two service aces. Katelyn Vara (Sr. • New Berlin) dished out 39 assists and added six digs and Katie Beining (Sr. • Brookfield) totaled 11 kills and eight digs.

Jacque Ray (Sr. • Richland Center) tallied 12 kills and three blocks, Andrea Smith (Jr. • Fond du Lac) provided 14 digs and Brittany Cote (So. • Orland Park, Ill.) had 12 digs.

Keri Klotzbuecher had 16 kills and 14 digs to lead UW-Whitewater. Alyssa Bauer added 24 digs, Alyse Karls ran the offense with 49 assists and had 14 digs and Caitlin Hogan and Melissa Zuleger each had 13 kills.

UW-Whitewater held advantages of 56-50 in kills, 51-45 assists and digs 83-76. UW-Oshkosh posted advantages of .161-.131 in hitting percentage. Each team had three service aces, with the Titans incredibly not missing a serve in the match, while the Warhawks only had two serving miscues.

The match was attended by 674 spectators, the largest regular-season in UW-Oshkosh history.

For the first time in school history, the UW-Oshkosh women's volleyball team will enter a match as the top-ranked squad in the country.

UW-Oshkosh went unbeaten in contests against Ripon College, St. Norbert College, UW-River Falls and UW-Stout last week to move up two spots in the American Volleyball Coaches Association's (AVCA) NCAA Division III poll released on Tuesday (Sept. 22). The Titans obtained the nation's top listing after top-ranked Juniata College (Pa.) and second-ranked Emory University (Ga.) suffered losses.

UW-Oshkosh (14-0) received 572 points and 12 first-place votes in this week's poll. The Titans, who have won 154 of their last 174 matches, have been ranked in the top 15 of the AVCA's NCAA Division III poll for 48 consecutive weeks. UW-Oshkosh was a fifth-place finisher in the NCAA Division III Championship a year ago.

Rounding out the top 10 teams in the weekly poll were second-ranked Juniata College, third-ranked Emory University, fourth-ranked Ohio Northern University and Washington University (Mo.), sixth-ranked University of St. Thomas (Minn.), seventh-ranked Carthage College (Wis.), eighth-ranked Hope College (Mich.), ninth-ranked Wittenberg University (Ohio) and 10th-ranked Calvin College (Mich.). Juniata College (11-1) collected six first-place votes in the poll and Emory University (10-2), Ohio Northern University (12-1) and Washington University (11-2) two each.

UW-Oshkosh was among three WiAC teams ranked in the top 25, with the others being 12th-ranked UW-Whitewater and 16th-ranked UW-Eau Claire.

UW-Oshkosh returns to action on Wednesday (Sept. 23) when it hosts UW-Whitewater (9-3) in a 7 p.m. national showdown in Kolf Sports Center. The Titans, who have 22 straight home matches, are unbeaten in two WIAC contests this season. UW-Whitewater, which has won 184 of its last 219 matches, has split its two WIAC events this year.

UW-Oshkosh and UW-Whitewater have battled to five straight, five-set matches to establish one of the best rivalries in NCAA Division III women's volleyball. The road team has won the last six meetings in the series.

The UW-Oshkosh women’s volleyball team hit over three times better than the night before to beat UW-Stout, 28-26, 25-20, 25-15 in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference match held on Saturday (Sept. 19) in Menomonie.

After hitting .098 on Friday (Sept. 18) in a three-set win over UW-River Falls, UW-Oshkosh hit .302 in their sweep of UW-Stout. After hitting .229 in set one, the Titans improved to a mark of .314 in set two and .364 in set three.

The first set was tight throughout as the Blue Devils took a 25-24 lead on a kill. The Titans knotted the score at 25-25, before trailing 26-25 on another kill by UW-Stout. UW-Oshkosh rallied however, scoring the next three points.

The Titans took control of the match holding leads of 20-17 and 24-19 in set two and 20-9 in set three. The win marked the seventh straight for the Titans over the Blue Devils.

UW-Oshkosh (14-0/2-0 WIAC), ranked third in the NCAA Division III according to the AVCA, was led by both Katie Beining (Sr. • Brookfield) and Andrea Smith (Jr. • Fond du Lac) who had 11 kills in 27 attempts for a .370 hitting percentage. Jacque Ray (Sr. • Richland Center) added 10 kills and Aleisha Bagin (Fr. • West Bend) had nine.

Christina Cahoon (Jr. • Watertown) led the team with 17 digs, Smith added 13 and Katelyn Vara (Sr. • New Berlin) had 12, while dishing out 39 assists.

UW-Oshkosh held leads of 44-26 in kills, 42-25 in assists, 61-42 in digs and .302-.152 in hitting percentage. UW-Stout had advantages of 7-3 in blocks and 5-4 in service aces.

UW-Stout (8-5/0-2 WIAC) was led by the nine kills of Kate Mikutowski and 14 digs of Alicia Mizer. Chelsea Culver added 22 assists and Hope Weilage had five blocks.

In an off night offensively, the UW-Oshkosh women’s volleyball team managed to hang on in set one, and came back in set three to post a 30-28, 25-19, 26-24 win over UW-River Falls on Friday (Sept. 18) in River Falls. The match was the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener for each team.

UW-Oshkosh (13-0/1-0 WIAC), ranked third in the NCAA Division III according to the AVCA, sprinted out to a 9-4 advantage and led 22-16 before UW-River Falls (2-9/0-1 WIAC) came back.

The Falcons went on a five-point run to close to within 22-21 before the Titans sided out for a 23-21 lead. UW-River Falls tied the score at 23-23 and served for the first set after a hitting error by UW-Oshkosh. The Titans managed to tie the score at 24-24, before the Falcons again went up 25-24.

Both teams traded side-outs again before UW-Oshkosh went ahead 27-26 after a kill by Katie Beining (Sr. • Brookfield). The Titans finally finished the first set with a block by Jacque Ray (Sr. • Richland Center) and Katelyn Vara (Sr. • New Berlin). Beining had all three of her kills in the first set after point 25 to keep the Titans in the set.

Despite hitting -.040, the Titans recorded their largest margin of victory in set two. Ray put the Titans in front 14-7 after a six-point scoring skein on her serve. The Titans held a 23-15 advantage before hanging on for the six-point win.

The third set was close throughout until UW-River Falls went up 22-18 and held two set points at 24-22. UW-Oshkosh survived one set point and capitalized on a hitting error by UW-River Falls to knot the score at 24-24. The Titans finished off the match with a block by Beining and Ray and a kill by Ray.

Ray led UW-Oshkosh with nine kills and seven blocks. Aleisha Bagin (Fr. • West Bend) added seven kills and Beining six and Vara dished out 24 assists and had eight digs. Cahoon led UW-Oshkosh with 14 digs, Smith added 12 and Brittney Cote (So. • Orland Park, Ill.) nine.

UW-Oshkosh won the match despite being out-hit .178-.092 and having nine less kills (36-27). Both team recorded nine blocks and four service aces with the Titans holding a slim 56-53 advantage in digs.

Kelsey Scheele led the Falcons with 12 kills and 17 digs. Mackenzie Suda dished out 20 assists and Erin Green had six blocks. Sami Kaminski and Courtney Preiner each had 10 digs and Gina DeRosa and Danielle Gibbemeyer each had eight kills.

The UW-Oshkosh women’s volleyball team won its 22nd consecutive home match with a pair of victories over Ripon College and St. Norbert College on Wednesday (Sept. 15) in Kolf Sports Center.

UW-Oshkosh (12-0) swept Ripon College, 25-11, 25-20, 25-19 and had to survive a nail-biting fourth set to win, 25-14, 25-21, 15-25, 27-25 over St. Norbert College. It was the Titans' eighth consecutive win over the Red Hawks and the sixth straight over the Green Knights.

UW-Oshkosh made short work of Ripon College (5-7) in the first set as Christina Cahoon (Jr. • Watertown) served 10 points for the Titans, including the last six to close the set. UW-Oshkosh built a 22-12 lead in set two before Ripon College scored the next eight points to close to within 22-20. The Titans closed the stanza with a three-point run.

Tied at 12-12, UW-Oshkosh pulled out to an 18-14 lead before the Red Hawks inched to within 20-18. Julie McGinnis (So. • Madison) served four straight points to give the Titans match point at 24-18. After a Red Hawks side-out the Titans ended the match on a hitting error by Ripon College.

Katie Beining (Sr. • Brookfield) and Kayla McCluskey (Fr. • La Crosse) each has six kills for the Titans. Megan Fischer (Sr. • Manitowoc), Heidi Gors (Fr. • Madison), and Andrea Smith (Jr. • Fond du Lac) each added four putdowns.

Morgan Liebetrau (Fr. • West Bend) dished out 16 assists and Katelyn Vara (Sr. • New Berlin) added 14. Cahoon patrolled the backcourt with 31 digs and Kayla Oberstadt (So. • New London) has three blocks. Brittney Cote (So. • Orland Park, Ill.), Larissa Krumplitsch (Fr. • Appleton) and Oberstadt each had two service aces.

After a fast start against St. Norbert College (6-4), UW-Oshkosh had to withstand three set points in set four to avoid going to a deciding fifth stanza. Trailing 24-22, UW-Oshkosh received a kill from Ray to make the score 24-23.

After tying the score at 24-24 with a kill by Aleisha Bagin (Fr. • West Bend), the Golden Knights took the lead at 25-24 after a side-out. The Titans survived another set point with a kill by Beining and went up 26-25 after a miscue by the Golden Knights. UW-Oshkosh took the match with a service ace from Cahoon.

Bagin led the Titans with 14 kills. Beining, who achieved her 1,000th career-kill in the match, had 13 smack downs and eight digs. Cahoon added 20 digs and Smith recorded 13 digs and seven kills. Ray added seven blocks and seven kills and Vara provided 38 assists and nine digs.

The UW-Oshkosh women’s volleyball team won its 10th straight match to open the 2009 season and captured the nine-team Pizza Hut Classic on Friday and Saturday (Sept. 11-12) in Oshkosh.

The Titans swept Carroll University, 25-19, 25-16, 25-14 and Augustana College (Ill.), 25-20, 25-18, 25-20 on Friday and knocked off Millikin University (Ill.), 25-22, 25-18, 17-25, 25-15 and the University of Chicago (Ill.), 25-21, 24-26, 25-15, 25-17 on Saturday.

Jacque Ray (Sr. • Richland Center) led UW-Oshkosh (10-0) with 44 kills and 20 blocks. Andrea Smith (Jr. • Fond du Lac) added 48 digs and 42 kills, Aleisha Bagin (Fr. • West Bend) 39 kills, Katie Beining (Sr. • Brookfield) 35 digs, 26 kills, eight service aces and Larissa Krumplitsch (Fr. • Appleton) 20 kills and 10 blocks.

Christina Cahoon (Jr. • Watertown) scooped up 71 digs and Katelyn Vara (Sr. • New Berlin) totaled 162 assists, 28 digs and nine blocks.

After only hitting .116 in set one against Carroll University (5-4), UW-Oshkosh responded by blasting hitting percentages of .355 and .333 in sets two and three. Bagin led the Titans with eight kills and Smith provided seven kills and nine digs. Cahoon totaled 18 digs, Vara 26 assists and Beining six kills, six digs and three service aces.

In the nightcap against Augustana College (1-7), UW-Oshkosh hit .274 as a team led by the 13 kills of Bagin and Ray. Smith produced nine kills and 14 digs and Cahoon tallied 19 digs. Vara ran the offense with 41 assists and provided nine digs.

On Saturday, UW-Oshkosh faced Millikin University (4-3) and the University of Chicago (5-5), first place winners of the other two pools after Friday’s results.

The Titans powered down 15 kills in the opening two sets to take a quick 2-0 lead in the match before only hitting .053 in their losing set against the Big Blue. UW-Oshkosh responded by hitting .367 in set four to take the match going away.

Ray and Smith each had 12 kills to lead the Titans offensively. Brittany Gruning (Fr. • East Troy) led the team with five blocks and added nine kills on 20 errorless attempts. Krumplitsch had eight kills and three blocks and Vara added 43 assists, eight digs and two service aces.

Brittney Cote (So. • Orland Park, Ill.) scooped up 17 digs, Cahoon 15 and Beining 14 to lead the defense.

In UW-Oshkosh’s second win in four days over the University of Chicago, Vara had a season-high 52 assists and five blocks. Ray and Bagin led the team with 16 kills, with Ray adding eight blocks, including three solo stuffs. Smith’s all-around game produced 14 kills, three service aces and 17 digs. Beining added nine kills and nine digs and Cahoon had 19 digs.

Named to the ten-person all-tournament team for UW-Oshkosh were Bagin, Smith and Vara, with Smith being awarded the most valuable player.

After a shaky start to both matches, the UW-Oshkosh women’s volleyball team dominated the fourth set to beat both the University of Chicago (Ill.) and Wisconsin Lutheran College in four sets on Wednesday (Sept. 9) in Milwaukee.

The Titans (6-0), ranked third in the NCAA Division III by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, beat the University of Chicago in set scores of 21-25, 25-19, 25-20, 25-16 and Wisconsin Lutheran College in set scores of 25-23, 27-25, 24-26, 25-18 to remain undefeated on the season.

Aleisha Bagin (Fr. • West Bend) led four UW-Oshkosh hitters in double-digit kills with 13, followed by Andrea Smith (Jr. • Fond du Lac) with 12 and Katie Beining (Sr. • Brookfield) and Jacque Ray (Sr. • Richland Center) with 10 each. Smith added 11 digs and Ray five blocks.

Christina Cahoon (Jr. • Watertown) tallied 17 digs and Brittney Cote (So. • Orland Park, Ill.) 10 as the Titans scooped up 57 in the match. Katelyn Vara (Sr. • New Berlin) dished out 39 assists and added seven digs and five blocks, while Larissa Krumplitsch (Fr. • Appleton) added five blocks at the net.

UW-Oshkosh played all 17 available players against Wisconsin Lutheran College. Cahoon led the Titans for the sixth consecutive match in digs this season with 22 saves. Morgan Liebetrau (Fr. • West Bend) ran the offense with 24 assists, added eight digs and was a perfect 7-for-7 in kill attempts.

Brittney Gruning (Fr. • East Troy) and Heidi Gors (Fr. • Madison) added seven kills, Bagin six and Julie McGinnis (So. • Madison) five. Cote provided eight digs, Erin Kelly (Fr. • Holmen) seven and Bagin six. Ray finished with four blocks, Vara 12 assists and Jordan Guida (Fr. • Lake in the Hills, Ill.) seven assists.

The Titans only missed six serves, but were limited to three service aces in the contest.

UW-Oshkosh middle blocker Jacque Ray (Sr. • Richland Center) was named the WIAC Women's Volleyball Player of the Week for the period of Aug. 31-Sept. 6.

Ray received all-tournament honors after helping UW-Oshkosh go unbeaten in four matches at the Elmhurst College (Ill.) Invitational held Sept. 4-5.

Ray hit .385 with 52 kills and 20 blocks as the Titans recorded wins of 3-0 over Illinois Wesleyan University and the College of Mount St. Joseph (Ohio), 3-1 over Elmhurst College and 3-2 over Nebraska Wesleyan University.

Against Illinois Wesleyan University, Ray hit .565 with 15 kills. She also hit .400 with 12 kills and eight blocks against Elmhurst College, .343 with 16 kills and seven blocks against Nebraska Wesleyan University and .269 with 10 kills against The College of Mount St. Joseph.

Ray led UW-Oshkosh, the fourth-ranked team in the NCAA Division III by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, in kills and blocks all four matches.

The UW-Oshkosh women’s volleyball team was the lone entrant in the 10-team Elmhurst College Invitational to go undefeated and went on to capture the tournament title on Friday and Saturday (Sept. 4-5) in Elmhurst, Illinois.

UW-Oshkosh (4-0) swept Illinois Wesleyan University, 25-14, 25-19, 25-20 to start the season and beat Elmhurst College, 25-21, 25-21, 27-29, 25-21 on Friday and blanked the College of Mount St. Joseph (Ohio), 25-23, 25-23, 25-16 and outlasted Nebraska Wesleyan University, 16-25, 25-20, 25-21, 21-25, 18-16 on Saturday.

UW-Oshkosh, ranked fourth in the NCAA Division III by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), beat Illinois Wesleyan University (1-1) for the ninth straight time behind a match-high 14 kills by Jacque Ray (Sr. • Richland Center).

Ray, a 2008 AVCA All-America third-team selection, finished with a .565 hitting percentage and added three blocks and one service ace.

Christina Cahoon (Jr. • Watertown), a 2008 AVCA All-America first-team honoree compiled 31 digs and added one service ace. Aleisha Bagin (Fr. • West Bend), making her collegiate debut added nine kills on a .389 hitting percentage and Megan Fischer (Sr. • Manitowoc) collected eight kills.

Katelyn Vara (Sr. • New Berlin) dished out 33 assists and Brittney Cote (So. • Orland Park, Ill.) picked up six digs and two service aces.

In the nightcap against Elmhurst College (0-2), UW-Oshkosh was again led by Ray who had 12 kills and eight blocks. Katie Beining (Sr. • Brookfield) added 11 kills and six digs, Bagin nine kills and three blocks and Larissa Krumplitsch (Fr. • Appleton) seven kills.

Cahoon led the charge in the backcourt with 28 digs and Vara provided 44 assists, 13 digs and six kills. Andrea Smith (Jr. • Fond du Lac) scooped up 13 digs and Cote produced eight digs and three service aces.

In the win over the College of Mount St. Joseph, Ray was the lone Titan to reach double-digit kills with 10. Beining totaled nine kills and eight digs. Cahoon reached 16 digs and Smith added 11 digs and five kills. Vara ran the offense with 35 assists and added five kills and Krumplitsch and Brittany Gruning (Fr. • East Troy) each had three blocks.

In what turned out to be the championship match of the tournament, UW-Oshkosh survived two match points and went on to beat Nebraska Wesleyan University for the second straight time in five sets. With the victory, the Titans have now won 12 straight five-set matches dating back to last season.

After splitting the first four sets, neither team held more than a two point lead in the deciding stanza. UW-Oshkosh managed to pull ahead 11-9 before Nebraska Wesleyan University tied the score at 11-11. After a Titans side-out, Beining put UW-Oshkosh ahead 13-11 on a roll shot that eluded the Prairie Wolves defenders.

After trading side-outs, UW-Oshkosh served for the match leading 14-12 before Nebraska Wesleyan University sided out and added two more points to take a 15-14 advantage. Ray avoided one match point on a kill to knot the score at 15-15.

The Prairie Wolves again served for the victory at 16-15 after a side-out, but Bagin tied the score again at 16-16 after a kill. UW-Oshkosh had its third match point opportunity after a hitting error by Nebraska Wesleyan University. The Titans converted when Bagin produced her 12th kill of the match after a dig by Cahoon.

Ray led the Titans for the fourth straight match in kills with 16 putdowns while adding seven blocks. Besides Bagin, Smith reached double-digit kills with 10 and had 15 digs and three blocks. Cahoon finished with 27 digs and Cote led the team with two service aces, while collecting 11 digs.

Beining had 10 digs and nine kills and Krumplitsch added seven kills and seven blocks. Vara had a great all-around match amassing 54 assists, 14 digs and five blocks.

Cahoon and Ray were rewarded for their efforts during the weekend by being named to the six-person all-tournament team.