La Crosse, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse volleyball team earned a 3-0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-20) victory over UW-Stout on Saturday afternoon in Mitchell Hall in the regular-season finale for both teams. The Eagles improve to 16-13 overall and 2-5 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) while the Blue Devils drop 19-11 overall and 1-6 in the conference. UWL can advance to the WIAC Championships as the sixth-seed if UW-River Falls defeats UW-Platteville Saturday afternoon.

UWL raced out to an 8-1 lead in the opening set on Saturday as UW-Stout had five hitting errors. The Eagles later led, 13-7, when the Blue Devils used a 7-2 run to cut the lead to 15-14. UW-Stout trailed 16-15 when UWL's Emma Lawrence and Laine Hoeffel recorded back-to-back kills for an 18-15 advantage. After the Blue Devils cut the lead to 20-18, the Eagles scored the final five points to secure the set victory. UWL hit .375 (13-1-32) in the opening set.

The Eagles took a 10-4 lead in the second set on a Lawrence ace. UW-Stout later cut the lead to 17-14, but UWL scored three of the next four points to lead 20-15. The Blue Devils could get no closer than two points the rest of the set.   

Scoring five of the first six points in the third set, UWL led 10-3 after a UW-Stout hitting error. The Blue Devils made it 11-8, but a Liz Lansink kill and UW-Stout hitting error gave UWL a five-point lead. The Blue Devils cut it to 14-12, but Abbey Fox and Lawrence recorded kills and UW-Stout could get no closer the rest of the set. 

Lawrence led UWL with 14 kills while hitting .275 (14-3-40). Brianne Korducki added eight kills while Lansink finished with seven. Fox recorded 34 assists as the Eagles hit .280 (46-11-125). Fox and Sophie Quelle led UWL with 16 digs while Lawrence and Courtney Conway each had 10. 

Amber Ripley led UW-Stout with 11 kills while Lexie Nelson had eight. Jessica DuVal and Nelson each had 14 assists as the Blue Devils hit .117 (35-20-128).  Steph Cannon had 20 digs for UW-Stout.