The UW Oshkosh women’s volleyball team swept Marymount University (Virginia) 3-0 Nov. 21 in the opening round of the 2024 NCAA Division III Championship in Marietta, Ohio.

The Titans (27-5), who earned an at-large bid into the tournament after falling to UW-Whitewater in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title game, took down the Saints (12-22) with set scores of 25-9, 25-17 and 25-10.

UWO, WIAC regular season champions, had a .438 hitting percentage for its second-highest kill rate of the season while limiting Marymount to just a .024 hitting percentage. The Titans also lead in kills 50-18, assists 45-16, digs 46-30 and blocks 8-2.

Oshkosh, ranked No. 7 in the nation by the American Volleyball Coaches Association, was led by fifth-year senior Riley Kindt and sophomore Sami Perlberg, who had 12 and 11 kills, respectively, and both hit .381 on 21 attacks in the match. Junior Izzy Coon recorded 20 assists while sophomore Malia Winchell scored four service aces. Senior Abby Fregien, who was named WIAC Defensive Player of the Year last week, registered 14 digs to lead the Titans.

The Saints opened the match with the first point before UWO rattled off five consecutive scores following a block by Robyn Kirsch. Oshkosh embarked on a 7-0 run that included five kills to extend its lead to 14-3, and with the Titans up 22-9, Kirsch, Kindt and Perlberg recorded three-straight kills to end the first set.

The second set started as a back-and-forth battle before a Kirsch kill jump started a 5-point run that put the Titans up 8-2. Marymount cut the Oshkosh lead to 12-8, but Kirsch responded with a kill and UWO went on a 4-0 run build a 16-8 advantage. The Saints were unable to keep up with the Titans offensively, and a Winchel ace on set point put Oshkosh up two sets to none.

UWO started the third set on a 7-1 run and never looked back, embarking on runs of five and three points to find themselves up 22-7. Marymount scored just one more point the rest of the match as Joslyn Wolff recorded the set and match-winning kill.

The Titans will take on No. 20 University of Chicago (Illinois) (25-10) in the second round the NCAA Division III Championship Nov. 22 in Marietta, Ohio, at 3:30 p.m. UWO took on the Maroons Nov. 2 and walked away with a three-set sweep with set scores of 25-23, 25-14 and 25-16 in a neutral site match in Stevens Point.