UW-Oshkosh women's volleyball fans can watch the Titans' 14th selection to the NCAA Division III Championship when the NCAA announces its 62-team tournament bracket on Monday (Nov. 9) at 10 a.m. (CST).

The NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championship Selection Show will air live on NCAA.com. Fans can get a direct link to the show by going to
http://all-access.cbssports.com/player.html?code=ncaa&media=144155.

UW-Oshkosh (35-2) is expected to be one of the top seeds in the postseason event. The Titans already have been selected to host a six, seven or eight-team NCAA regional tournament next Thursday through Saturday (Nov. 12-14) in Kolf Sports Center.

The national quarterfinals, semifinals and championship will be contested on Nov. 19-21 in University Heights, Ohio.

In last week's NCAA Division III poll conducted by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, UW-Oshkosh was the top-ranked team in the country. The Titans, who have won 75 of their last 80 matches, finished fifth in last year's NCAA Division III Championship.

The UW-Oshkosh women’s volleyball team won for the 16th time in its last 17 five-set contests with a thrilling 18-25, 25-20, 23-25, 25-17, 16-14 victory over UW-Platteville in the third-place match of the WIAC Tournament held Saturday (Nov. 7) in Kolf Sports Center.

After hitting negative in set one, UW-Oshkosh came back to record 13 kills in set one, 19 in set four and 11 in set five to pull out the victory.

The Titans recorded 10 of their 25 hitting errors in set one. UW-Oshkosh never trailed in set five, with its largest lead being 5-2. UW-Oshkosh held a two-point lead at 9-7, and carried it all the way to 14-12 before UW-Platteville tied the score at 14-14.

After a Jacque Ray (Sr. • Richland Center) kill put the Titans up 15-14, Morgan Liebetrau (Fr. • West Bend) set over on two for the game winning kill after a dig by Christina Cahoon (Jr. • Watertown).

Ray led the Titans with 19 kills and added four blocks and Andrea Smith (Jr. • Fond du Lac) had 16 kills and 11 digs. Cahoon finished with 27 digs, Katie Beining (Sr. • Brookfield) 13 and Brittney Cote (So. • Orland Park, Ill.) 10. Katelyn Vara (Sr. • New Berlin) dished out 26 assists and Liebetrau added 21. Brittany Gruning (Fr. • East Troy) led the Titans with seven blocks and Aleisha Bagin (Fr. • West Bend) contributed seven kills and four blocks.

Melissa Hillebrand led UW-Platteville with 22 kills and Briana Kaiser and Samantha Rampart each had 12. Abby Carey tallied 26 digs, Brooke Nichols 16 and Ali Sikic and Leslie White 13 each. Lisa Bell had seven blocks and Sikic ran the offense with 54 assists.

UW-Oshkosh, the top-ranked team in the NCAA Division III, held advantages of 63-57 in kills, .215-.200 in hitting percentage, 6-4 in service aces, 55-54 in assists and 14-10.5 in blocks. UW-Platteville had an 83-72 cushion in digs..

The UW-Oshkosh women’s volleyball team couldn't overcome a shaky offensive performance as it had two streaks come to a close in a 23-25, 25-23, 18-25, 25-19, 15-13 semifinal round loss to UW-Eau Claire in the WIAC Tournament held Friday (Nov. 6) in Kolf Sports Center.

The loss ended UW-Oshkosh's 30-match home court winning streak and its 15-match winning streak in five-set contests.

After splitting the first two sets, UW-Oshkosh (34-2) took a 2-1 lead in the match by dominating set three. UW-Eau Claire (30-6) evened the count by sprinting out to a 20-11 advantage in set four to set up the deciding fifth-set.

Trailing 5-2 in set five, UW-Eau Claire went on a 6-1 scoring run to take an 8-6 cushion at the side change. The Titans responded by scoring four of the next five points to take a 10-9 lead.

The Blugolds then went on their own 4-1 scoring run to go up 13-11. UW-Oshkosh tied the score at 13-13 before UW-Eau Claire finished the match with a kill and a block for the two-point win.

Offensively the Titans had four players with double-digit kills, but all four committed at least five hitting errors as UW-Oshkosh hit only .119 in the match.

Aleisha Bagin (Fr. • West Bend), Katie Beining (Sr. • Brookfield) and Brittany Gruning (Fr. • East Troy) tallied 13 kills each and Andrea Smith (Jr. • Fond du Lac) 11. Katelyn Vara (Sr. • New Berlin) dished out 52 assists and Christina Cahoon (Jr. • Watertown) had a match-high 34 digs. Smith counted 16 digs and Beining 12.

Ray led the Titans with seven blocks, but struggled on offense with only six kills on 30 attempts. Beining and Smith added two service aces and Vara seven digs and three blocks.

Rachel Ver Voort and Danielle Lucia both had 12 kills to lead UW-Eau Claire. Kristen Moore added 11 kills, while Blair Murphy and Ver Voort both marked 16 digs and Lucia and Moore five blocks each. Amanda Lessner dished out 26 assists and Emily Neave 24.

The Titans held leads of 58-56 in kills, 56-52 in assists and 82-74 in digs. UW-Eau Claire topped UW-Oshkosh in hitting percentage .147-.119 and blocks 13-8. Both teams had five service aces.

UW-Oshkosh entered the match as the top-ranked team in the NCAA Division III by the American Volleyball Coaches Association and UW-Eau Claire 18th.

UW-Oshkosh plays UW-Platteville (22-13) in the third-place match at noon on Saturday (Nov. 7).

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.

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 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.

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 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.

For the fourth consecutive year, the UW-Oshkosh women’s volleyball team finds itself ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s (AVCA) NCAA Division III preseason poll.

UW-Oshkosh, which received the No. 4 preseason ranking, is coming off a 2008 season that featured a 40-3 record and an appearance in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division III Championship. The Titans shared last year’s WIAC title with UW-Eau Claire.

Defending NCAA Division III champion Emory University (Ga.) earned the top spot in the preseason poll after collecting 595 points and 20 of 24 first-place votes. Juniata College (Pa.) ranked second with 555 points, University of La Verne (Calif.) third with 550, UW-Oshkosh fourth with 521 and Washington University (Mo.) fifth with 495. The University of La Verne received two first-place votes and Juniata College and Washington University one each.

UW-Oshkosh was among three WIAC teams ranked in the poll, with the others being 15th-ranked UW-Whitewater and 20th-ranked UW-Eau Claire. In addition to playing two matches against UW-Whitewater and one against UW-Eau Claire, the Titans will also battle second-ranked Juniata College, ninth-ranked Wittenberg University (Ohio), 12th-ranked Trinity University (Texas), 23rd-ranked Eastern University (Pa.) and 25th-ranked Simpson College (Iowa).

UW-Oshkosh, which has been ranked in the top 15 of the AVCA’s NCAA Division III poll for 44 consecutive weeks, returns all six starters and its libero from last year’s team. Among the returning starters are libero Christina Cahoon (Jr. • Watertown) and middle blocker Jacque Ray (Sr. • Richland Center). Cahoon received NCAA Division III All-America first-team honors and Ray NCAA Division III All-America third-team recognition by the AVCA a year ago.

UW-Oshkosh, which has won 140 of its last 160 matches, opens its 2009 season against Illinois Wesleyan University on Sept. 4 in Elmhurst, Ill. The Titans' first home contest is against Carroll University on Sept. 11.