Eagles lost WIAC title match Saturday to get auto bid to tourney
WHITEWATER, Wis. — Last year, the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse volleyball team lost in the semifinals of the WIAC tournament, only to get an at-large bid to the NCAAs.
And that’s exactly what the Eagles are doing today. Waiting for the 11:30 a.m. announcement to see if they will get another at-large to the NCAA Divisoin III tournament.
UW-L, ranked 13th in the final regular-season poll, was a win away from an automatic bid in the WIAC championship Saturday night.
UW-Whitewater, however, took down the Eagles 3-1 (25-21, 17-25, 25-22, 25-23). Earlier in the season, the 11th-ranked Warhawks (27-6) had swept UW-L (22-5).
The Eagles were making their sixth appearance in the WIAC championship and first since 2004. The Eagles are now 1-5 in that match, winning the title in 2003.
Stephanie Henk led the Eagles with 16 kills and added nine digs in the loss for UW-L. Maddie Entinger led the team with 40 assists.
Halle Barnabo had 19 digs, while Paige Schmidt added 12 for the Ealges.