This weekend was a big moment for the UW-Whitewater Women’s Volleyball team as they participated in a two-day invite, hosted at the UW-Whitewater campus. Competing Friday vs Elmhurst University, the Warhawks swept the Elmhurst Blue Jays, defeating them in the first set 25-14, 25-21 in the second set, and 25-21 again in the third. 

With a high attendance of 372 spectators at the Friday match, the team was definitely feeling the energy in the atmosphere.

“It was great having such an awesome crowd. So that was really fun, and I think our team really fed off of it,” said head coach Stacy Boudreau. 

The Warhawks successfully performed and earned many deserving points throughout the matches this weekend during these high-pressure

matches.

“I think we passed well and made good choices. Our hitters were in good positions to put the ball away. I think when we are passing well and using all of our hitters we are pretty hard to stop,” Boudreau said. 

The team felt fired up while soaking up the atmosphere on the court during the match.

“Honestly, when the pressure is high, I love it. So the more people that come to our games, the better. As a team, I think we adjust better when there’s more pressure put on us. The team played so great. I think we are just doing very very well with each other. There are some freshmen on the court and that can be hard sometimes, but I think they’ve been playing great and really proving themselves on the court just as well as every other player,” said junior outside hitter Ally Warburton. 

The momentum continued after the game when the team celebrated coach Boudreau’s 500th win of her career.

“It’s pretty cool! I’ve been here for a long time and I’ve coached a lot of really really great student athletes, so you know, it’s fun,” said Boudreau. 

With the Friday night win under the Warhawk’s belt, it came time to prepare for the Saturday game. 

“There will be some mental toughness and just knowing that no matter what team we play, we have to be on top of our game because everyone wants to beat us. We’re ranked pretty high right now, so there’s always a target on our backs. Knowing this, I think is what drives us to play even better,” said Boudreau. 

“Millikin is a different team. We’re gonna watch some film tonight, and we’re gonna do some scouting in the morning, since they play before us. So yeah, just kind of getting ready to prepare for the next one and make the adjustments based on that,” said Boudreau. 

Their hard work and preparation paid off as the Warkhawks defeated Millikin University on Saturday. The first set scored 25-13, the second 25-20, and the third 25-17. 

Looking ahead, the Warhawks are set to play UW-Eau Claire, Oct. 6.