No. 14 UChicago Rallies over No. 4 UW- Eau Claire in Five-Set Thriller
The 13th-ranked University of Chicago volleyball team took down the fourth-ranked University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in a thrilling five-set victory on Saturday afternoon. The win served as a bounce-back for the Maroons after falling to DePauw on Friday.
The Maroons earned a hard-fought 25-21 victory in the first set. As both teams exchanged points for much of the frame, UChicago found momentum when Jordan Jones finished off a pass from Ellie Maxwell to spark a three-point scoring run. With a 23-20 lead, the Maroons fought off the Blugolds' late push to take an early one-set advantage.
UW-Eau Claire responded by winning the second and third sets. After edging the Maroons 27-25 in the second set to even the match, the Blugolds carried their momentum into the third.
As they had throughout the match, both teams remained within striking distance of each other. The Blugolds capitalized on a pair of UChicago errors to create separation in the third set. The Maroons fought back to even the score at 21, but UW-Eau Claire answered with a service ace and another UChicago error to set up match point. A kill by Lili Hagg sealed the 25-22 victory for the Blugolds, giving them a 2-1 lead in the match.
With the match on the line, the Maroons delivered their strongest offensive performance of the afternoon. After UW-Eau Claire took an early 4-3 lead, UChicago found its rhythm when Thalita Marangon powered a kill down the sideline to spark a five-point scoring run. Olivia Zamis contributed three points during the stretch with back-to-back blocks and a kill as the Maroons built momentum. UChicago went on to hit .350 in the frame while holding the Blugolds to just 16 points. The 25-16 victory evened the match at two sets apiece and forced a deciding fifth set.
In the winner-take-all frame, the Maroons came through when it mattered most. Both teams exchanged points early, with UW-Eau Claire maintaining a two-point advantage before Zamis helped spark another UChicago scoring run. The Maroons pulled ahead 7-6, but the Blugolds responded with a run of their own to take a 10-7 lead.
Jones answered for UChicago, delivering three consecutive kills to tie the score at 11. An attack error by the Blugolds gave the Maroons a 12-11 advantage, and another Jones kill extended the lead to two. UW-Eau Claire refused to back down, tying the score at 13 before a service error gave UChicago match point. On the ensuing play, Maxwell set up Julia Lewkowitz, who powered home the match-winning kill to seal the 15-13 victory.
Jones and Marangon each recorded double-doubles, combining for 33 kills and 33 digs. Lewkowitz added 14 kills, while Maxwell dished out a career-high 56 assists. Kennedy Cheung anchored the defense with a match-high 28 digs.
With the win, the Maroons improved to 18-3 overall and picks up their first win over a top-25 team this season.