The No. 5 UW-Whitewater volleyball team swept the Dig Panici Classic, winning their respective matches against Greenville and Carthage. The Warhawks are now 21-3 overall and remain unbeaten at home with a 14-0 record at the Kris Russell Arena.
Whitewater started the classic by honoring former player Lisa Panici Friday, Oct. 17. UW-W would then go on to sweep Greenville 3-0 on the 12th-annual Dig Panici night.
The Warhawks controlled set one, winning it 25-20. Greenville would challenge them in the second set however, and led the Warhawks 15-10 at one point. Whitewater would rally with junior middle hitter Abbie Dix getting the key kills to secure set two for the Warhawks, 26-24. Set three was another close battle, with Whitewater pulling away late to win 28-26 and secure the sweep against Greenville.
It was a complete effort from the Warhawks, with junior setter Aubrie Krzus leading in assists with 35, and Dix leading in kills with 13.
“I feel like we did a really good job of coming together as a team,” freshman defensive specialist Natalie Lawton said. “We know we all have each other’s backs.”
The second match of the classic, this time against Carthage, was a little more back and forth but Whitewater’s defense remained strong.
The Warhawks won the first set 25-19. Sets two and three were different as Carthage won them both, putting the Warhawks in a 2-1 deficit.
“I told the team we have to want to win,” head coach Stacy Boudreau said. “They aren’t going to hand it over. We have to step on the court with an aggressive mindset.”
The Warhawks took Boudreau’s words to heart, utilizing their aggressiveness over the final two sets. They won set four 25-16 and set five 15-10.
Junior right side Emily Lego made her presence felt, leading the team in kills with 14.
“Going into a kill, I just want to terminate the ball every single time,” Lego said. “I don’t even want to give them a chance to get lucky, I just want to score perfect.”
Lawton dominated in the back row and led the team in digs with 19. Lego had a career day with her 14 kills and 3 blocks. Freshman outside hitter Gaby DiMotto also notched double digit kills with 12.
“I was most proud of our execution in set five,” Boudreau said. “We came out with a lot of confidence.”
As has been the case all season, teamwork and communication have been essential for this young team’s success.
“We battled back and worked together as a team,” Lego said. “We leaned on each other a lot in this game.”
The Warhawks return to action Oct. 24 as they kick off UW-Whitewater Invite V against UW-Stout at 7 p.m. in the Kris Russell Arena.
