The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women’s volleyball team made their presence known at the net by taking care of business during the UW-Whitewater Invite Sept. 5-6, finishing with a 4-0 record to extend their record to 7-0.

The first day saw two sweeps, beginning with a win over Concordia University Wisconsin. Junior middle hitter Abbie Dix and freshman outside hitter Gaby DiMotto led the offense with 13 kills, an offense that looked strong all tournament.

“I’ve been focusing more on my hitting in front of the center,” Dix said. “I think I’ve improved a lot since the season started.”

Junior setter Aubrie Krzus added 33 assists, her most in a single game during the invite. After averaging 34.6 assists per game last season, her help continues to fuel the Warhawks’ offense this season.

That energy continued during the team’s second sweep of day one over Pacific Lutheran University (Washington). In similar fashion to their match against Concordia, the team dominated the first two sets before taking home the win in a close set three.

The Warhawks opened day two of the invite with a sweep of Elmhurst University (Illinois). Head coach Stacy Boudreau described the game as a “block party,” with the team’s 27 blocks being the most in a single match in program history.

“Our blocking was really good,” Dix said. “We had a lot of blocks, it was awesome.”

Krzus highlighted the team’s ability to stay composed and in system throughout the match. 

“I think the team did really well, especially on defense today,” Krzus said. “Our serve receive was amazing. I didn’t really have to move that much, which was just awesome.”

In the final game of the invite, the Warhawks were threatened by a potential sweep, down 2-0 against Berry College (Georgia). Instead, they pulled off a reverse sweep, taking home a 3-2 win to stay perfect.

Adjustments proved to be just as critical as their effort. Krzus pointed out how the team has been sharpening their out of system play especially with the outside hitters finding open corners. Dix meanwhile credited practice reps for their strong blocking game. 

“We’ve been working on closing the block and pressing through, which we did really well today,” she said.

Krzus tied her season high in assists with 45, while sophomore middle hitter Amanda Hillmann secured a career-high in kills with 16.

The team heads up to Eau Claire to compete in the UW-Eau Claire Invitational Sept. 12-13. They return to the Kris Russell Volleyball Arena Sept. 26, where they will hold their second invitational of the season.