The UW Oshkosh women’s volleyball team will look to win back-to-back Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles when the Titans’ season gets underway Aug. 30.
In 2023, the Titans, predicted to finish second in the WIAC before the season began, were ranked 15th in the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s preseason poll and climbed as high as No. 2 in the nation before finishing at No. 5. They claimed the 14th WIAC title in program history by posting a flawless 7-0 league record and started the season with a conference-record 34 consecutive wins. The league title was also the first outright since 2009. They were more recently tri-champions in 2016 and co-champions in both 2015 and 2010.
Only four matches went to five sets during the historic streak and culminated in a 3-0 win over UW-Eau Claire in the WIAC Tournament Semifinal at Kolf Sports Center. UWO fell 3-0 to UW-Whitewater in the conference championship match at home and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Championship, which it hosted the regional rounds of.
The Titans defeated Greenville University (Illinois) 3-0 in the first round, Gustavus Adolphus College (Minnesota) 3-0 in the second and the University of La Verne (California) 3-1 in the third to advance to the Elite Eight. They traveled to Claremont, California, for Championship Weekend and faced host Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, falling 3-0. The Titans finished the season with a 37-2 mark, a program record.
UWO looks to secure its 15th overall and second straight WIAC championship in 2024. By winning the fifth WIAC Tournament in program history, the team would earn its first automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament since 2008. Before 2008, Oshkosh won the 1990, 1991 and 1994 league tournament crowns.
Two-time defending WIAC Coach of the Year and 2023 AVCA National Coach of the Year Jon Ellmann enters his seventh season leading the Titans with a 145-60 record and two NCAA postseason appearances. His first appearance came in 2022; the Titans finished 17th overall by defeating Otterbein University (Ohio) in the first round before falling to regional host Calvin University (Michigan) in the second round.
“We’ve been working extremely hard in every facet of the team experience,” Ellmann said “Our coaching staff is looking forward to what will surely be a season filled with great challenge and opportunity.”
Fifteen Titans return to the court for the Titans in 2024, headlined by 2023 AVCA All-America First Team selection Riley Kindt. She was also named AVCA Region Player of the Year/All-Region First Team in 2023 and is a three-time All-WIAC First Team member. Headed into her sophomore year, Sami Perlberg collected AVCA Honorable Mention, AVCA Region Freshman of the Year/All-Region First Team and All-WIAC First Team nods. Kindt and Perlberg will also be joined by Riley Dahlquist, a 2023 All-WIAC Honorable Mention and Abby Fregien, who earned 2023 All-WIAC First Team. Both were named AVCA All-America Honorable Mention and AVCA All-Region First Team.
The head coaches and sports information directors of the WIAC voted for the defending conference champion, UWO to win the league title this season. 2023 WIAC Tournament champion UW-Whitewater was slated for second. UW-Stevens Point was predicted to finish third, a place higher than it finished the 2023 season. UW-Platteville was picked to take fourth, UW-Eau Claire fifth, UW-River Falls sixth, UW-Stout seventh and UW-La Crosse eighth.
This season the Titans will face seven programs that participated in the 2023 Division III NCAA Championship; Edgewood College, Hope College (Michigan), Millikin University (Illinois), Otterbein University (Ohio), University of Northwestern (Minnesota), UW-Stevens Point and UW-Whitewater.
UWO begins its season at Colorado College for the Pikes Peak Challenge on Aug. 30-31 and heads to Stevens Point for the WIAC/MWC Quadrangular on Sept. 4 before coming home to host the annual Marty Petersen Invitation on Sept. 6-7.
The Titans begin their conference home slate on Sept. 18 against UW-Whitewater at Kolf Sports Center for Community Night/Black Out. They also host Edgewood College and Carthage College for Rock Your Crocs Night on Oct. 1, UW-Stout for White Out on Oct. 4, Carroll University on Oct. 5, Lawrence University on Oct. 8 for Parent/Senior Night, UW-La Crosse on Oct. 16 for Play For A Cause/Beach Night and UW-River Falls on Nov. 8 for House Party/Neon.
The Titans travel to UW-Platteville (Sept. 25), UW-Stevens Point (Oct. 26) and UW-Eau Claire (Oct. 30) for the remainder of the league schedule.
The WIAC Tournament begins with a pair of opening-round matches on Nov. 12 and concludes with semifinal round matches on Nov. 14 and the final on Nov. 16. The winner of the tournament will receive an automatic NCAA bid.
