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| Melanie Bailiff had 14 digs against Coe |
Posted September 11, 2009
By Paul Erickson, Sports Information Director
The UW-Platteville volleyball team made a successful home debut Friday, sweeping Coe College 25-23, 25-17, 25-17 as part of a triangular. Fifth-ranked Carthage beat Coe 25-12, 25-13, 25-15 and then edged UWP 25-23, 26-24, 25-19 in the refurbished Williams Fieldhouse.
Against the Kohawks, the Pioneers went from near the end of the first set until the score was 18-7 in the third set without making a hitting error. UWP made just seven errors in the match and finished with a .318 hitting percentage. Melissa Hillebrand led the Pioneer attack with 12 kills, while Melanie Bailiff added seven kills and a team-high 14 digs.
"We played well as a team," Hillebrand said. "We're still figuring things out, but you can tell at the end of the Coe match that we're starting to work well together."
The Pioneers gave the Lady Reds a great run in the last match, slugging it out with undefeated (6-0) Carthage.
"It was a tough match against a good team," Hillebrand said. "We played really well as a team. We just need to pick it up at the end and learn how to finish."
An all-conference selection last year, Hillebrand led the Pioneers with 10 kills, giving her double figures in six of the first seven games. Ali Sikic set up the offense with 36 assists and tied Abby Carey for the defensive leaad with 13 digs. Lisa Bell had a match-high four blocks to go along with six kills.
"It's good knowing that we can play with them and knowing that we can play with anybody in the nation, especially in our conference," Hillebrand said, noting the WIAC currently has three teams in the top 17 nationally.
The matches marked the first in the renovated Williams Fieldhouse, which had new bleacher and chair-back seating installed over the summer.
"It's really nice, and I love it out there," Hillebrand said. "Everything looks new."
The 3-4 Pioneers return to the fieldhouse Wednesday at 7 p.m. vs. UW-Stevens Point in the WIAC opener.
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