La Crosse, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse volleyball team, receiving votes on this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top-25 Poll, defeated 16th-ranked UW-Whitewater 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-22) Saturday night to capture the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championship match (Presented by Culver's) in Mitchell Hall.  The Eagles improve to 21-6 on the season, and earn the league's automatic bid to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Championships. 

UW-Whitewater falls to 22-8 on the year and will await word if it has earned an at-large bid to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Championships when the tournament field is announced Monday, November 6 at 11:30 a.m. 

The Eagles were making their seventh appearance in the WIAC Championship match, and second-straight, falling to UW-Whitewater in last years final.  UWL is now 2-5 all-time in championship matches, also capturing the 2003 title with a 3-0 win at UW-River Falls.

UWL has made 15 appearances in the NCAA III Championships (1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1992, 1997, 1998, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2015, 2016, 2017) and are 18-15 all-time in the tournament.  The Eagles make their third straight NCAA III appearance for the first time since they qualified for five straight championships (1982-86).  UWL defeated the University of St. Thomas (Minn.) 3-0 before falling to the University of Northwestern (Minn.) 3-0 last season.
    
The opening set on Saturday was tied at 13-13 when UWL went on a 4-0 run capped by a Kathryn Maas kill to put the Eagles up 17-13.  UW-Whitewater got as close at 19-17, but another 4-0 run including a kill from Marisa Johnson and a service ace from Madison Entinger put UWL ahead 23-17.  A Laine Hoeffel kill closed out the set for the home team 25-19.

The Eagles used an early 4-0 run in the second set to get out to 5-1 lead, capped by a Stephanie Henk kill.  UWL led by as many as seven after a block from Hoeffel and Maas made it 18-11, but the Warhawks battled back and eventually tied the set at 21-21 on a block from Elizabeth Niestrom and Ashton Doll.  The Eagles finished the set on a 4-0 run highlighted by kills from Johnson and Jessica Jablonski on set point to give UWL the 25-21 win. 

The Warhawks led 7-6 in the third set when a kill from Henk started a 4-0 run, and the Eagles led 10-7.  Later in the set, the teams were tied at 12-12, when an Entinger kill started another 4-0 run, putting UWL ahead 16-12 and forcing UW-Whitewater to take a timeout.  The Warhawks won the next three points to get to within one point at 16-15, and after a Johnson kill put UWL back up two points at 17-15, UW-Whitewater scored the next two points on Courtney Wagner kills to tie the set at 17-17. 

Later, another Wagner kill gave UW-Whitewater a 20-19 lead, but five straight points from the Eagles took them to Championship point at 24-20.  The Warhawks scored the next two, cutting the lead to 24-22, but Hoeffel earned a kill on match point and secured the title for the Eagles 25-22.

Henk led UWL with 12 kills while Johnson finished with 10 and Maas eight.  Entinger recorded 35 assists as the Eagles hit .187 (43-20-123).  Halle Barnabo had a team-high 21 digs while Johnson added 12 and Henk had 10.  UWL had 5.0 blocks with Hoeffel recording one block solo and two block assists.

Wagner led UW-Whitewater with 14 kills while Amanda Spera finished with six.  Elizabeth Niestrom had 29 assists as the Warhawks hit .086 (34-23-128).  Brittany Robinson had 17 digs with Sydney Racky finishing with 10.  UW-Whitewater finished with 6.0 team blocks as Racky had two blocks solo and Niestrom had three block assists. 

The NCAA Championships field will be announced on Monday, November 6 at 11:30 a.m.  First round competition will begin on Thursday, November 9.