On Oct. 8 the Pioneers women’s volleyball team took on University of Wisconsin-Stout at home. UW-Platteville started out strong, winning the first set 26-24, but couldn’t carry the momentum and lost the next two sets 23-25 and 17-25.

The turnout was much smaller than expected; only 83 were in attendance and the crowd stayed quiet. On the opposing side, many UW-Stout fans attended. However, the team plays much better than their record shows.

The Pioneers started out strong and won the first of five sets. The Pioneers were down early in set two, but Amber Williams caught fire with three spikes to help them get a lead. They eventually fell short as Stout played tough and won the set 23-25.

The Pioneer women scored the first points of the third set, but a few miscues on the attack set the tone of the set as the Pioneers couldn’t get much going as they would fall, 17-25, going down 1-2.

Set four started with a 4-0 run before UW-Stout got their first point of the set. The Pioneers would go up 8-1 before the Blue Devils called a timeout. Stout surged from a 14-7 deficit to tie the set late 24-24. Lindsey Decker had a service ace to win 27-25.

The Pioneers kept the momentum going early with two straight points. The Blue Devils would eventually take a 6-5 lead and didn’t look back, winning the fifth set, 15-9, which won the match 3-2.

The Pioneers played with heart, almost making a comeback after falling 2-1. There were three players that stood out for the Pioneers. First, Amber Williams with her five spikes, eleven kills and seven digs accounting for 12.5 of the Pioneers’ points. Second, Lindsey Decker who had a clutch service ace to win the fourth set that kept them in the game to force a fifth set. Lastly, Allison Jensen was the leading scorer for the Pioneers accounting for 16 of the Pioneers’ 73 points.

The Pioneers play five home games coming up Oct. 12 at 7:00 pm against Lakeland for Yell Like Hell Night. On Oct. 14 the first game will be at 4:00 pm against Central (Iowa), and the second will be Augustana at 8:00 pm. They end the week with another doubleheader on Oct. 15 Nebraska Wesleyan, Senior Day, at 10:00 am and Carthage, Alumni Day, at 2:00 pm. Come out and show your support for your lady Pioneers!