Volleyball ends regular season 30-5

Courtesy+UWO+Athletics--+The+UWO+volleyball+team+gathers+at+the+bench+during+a+break+in+the+match+to+rally+spirits.

Courtesy UWO Athletics– The UWO volleyball team gathers at the bench during a break in the match to rally spirits.

Nolan Swenson, Co-Sports Editor

UW Oshkosh closed out its Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) championship aspirations in a hard fought 3-2 loss to UW-Stevens Point on Nov. 3.

All sets were back and forth battles, as the team’s alternated winning every other set. UWSP took the final two sets by only two points each.

The competition began with an initial set win from Oshkosh of 27-25, a close win that set the pace for the end of the matchup. The match was often neck and neck with the exception of the second and third set that saw scores of 25-13 and 25-18, a Pointer and Titan win respectively.

The fourth set saw an early lead from Stevens Point that wouldn’t be wrangled by the Titans until the 10-point mark. From then on, the match was tit for tat, with little more than two points being scored consecutively by a team. This breakneck pace would eventually be harnessed by the Pointers who scored twice while at a tie of 23-23

The fifth and final set was taken by the Pointers who, like the previous set, took an early lead in the attrition. This final set came down to a 14-14 tie until, just as before, the Pointers scored twice in a row.

After this match, UWSP progressed to the WIAC championship against UW-Whitewater, where UWW took the WIAC championship title in a 3-1 win over the Pointers.

The season was an amazing show of force, with the Titans going 30-5 overall, and 6-1 in conference. Another large achievement was winning 19 games in a row, an incredible testament to the team’s perseverance and indomitable spirit.

The year does not end here against the Pointers, as UWO volleyball was given an at-large bid for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship.

The Titans will enter the championships in the fourth seed, and they will face off against the fifth seeded Otterbein Cardinals. The tournament will be hosted on Nov. 10 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.