2021 UW-La Crosse Volleyball Schedule
La Crosse, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse has announced its 2021 volleyball schedule. The Eagles, 16-14 overall and 2-5 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) in 2019, open the year with two matches in Decorah, Iowa on September 1. UWL faces host Luther College (Iowa) at 4 p.m. and Saint Mary's University (Minn.) at 6 p.m. The 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 public health threat.
UWL starts WIAC play at UW-Stout on September 15.
The Eagles open their home schedule with the UWL Invitational on September 17-18 in Mitchell Hall. UWL faces Elmhurst College (Ill.) on September 17 and Hamline University (Minn.) and Wartburg College (Iowa) on September 18.
Amber Dunn starts her fifth season as UWL's head coach in 2021.
"I am looking forward to getting back to competing," said UWL head coach
Amber Dunn. "We have been training for so long, I know we are ready for a great year! We always have a tough schedule with our usual conference matches and adding some great match-ups in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin, Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference and American Rivers Conference."
The 2021 schedule features eight teams that qualified for the 2019 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Championships, including WIAC foes UW-Eau Claire, UW-Stevens Point and UW-Whitewater. Other 2019 qualifiers on the schedule include Augsburg University (Minn.), Carthage College (Wis.), the University of Dubuque (Iowa), University of Northwestern (Minn.) and St. Olaf College (Minn.). Three of the opponents finished in the 2019 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Final Top-25 Poll with Carthage (Wis.) third, UW-Stevens Point 18th and Augsburg (Minn.) 22nd. Northwestern (Minn.), St. Olaf (Minn.), UW-Eau Claire, and UW-Whitewater received votes in the final poll. UWL is also set to play Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.) in 2021. The Gusties also received votes in the final coaches' poll in 2019.
Dunn starts her fifth season as UWL's head coach in 2021, compiling a 54-34 (.614) overall and 13-8 (.619) WIAC record. She was was named the 2017 WIAC Coach of the Year in her first season as UWL finished 22-7 overall and 7-0 in the WIAC while earning its 12th regular-season conference title in school history. The Eagles won the 2017 WIAC Tournament Championship and earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championships.
Dipen Patel starts his third year as UWL's assistant coach in 2021. He also serves as UWL's Coordinator of Camps/Clinics for Intercollegiate Athletics.
