Going into the 2025 postseason, UW-Whitewater volleyball had their eyes set on making a second-straight appearance in the national championship, but winning it this time around. The Warhawks earned the No. 3 seed in the NCAA playoffs after going 24-6 in the regular season and falling in the WIAC tournament semifinals.
In order to run it back, UW-W would have to make it through the regional round of the tournament. To open up NCAA postseason play the Warhawks faced No. 6 seed Coe College. The first set against Coe was tightly contested with each team trading blows. With UW-Whitewater up 23-21, a kill from junior setter Aubrie Krzus and an error from Coe gave the Warhawks set one.
That close-out was the spark that UW-W needed, as they dominated both sets two and three. In set two the Warhawks jumped out to a quick 10-3 lead and cruised to a 25-11 set victory. Coe college kept it close in set three, as UW-W had a slim 11-10 lead. The Warhawks then went on a 15-5 run to close out the set and secure a sweep of Coe College.
Junior right side Emily Lego led the team in kills with 12. Junior middle hitter Abbie Dix wasn’t far behind, tallying 11 kills of her own. Krzus tallied 5 kills, but more importantly, tallied 33 of the 44 assists.
With UW-Whitewater competing in one of the first matches of the tournament, they didn’t know who they’d face in the regional semifinals. That meant the focus was on rest, honing their skills and watching what film they could.
“For every opponent, we need to see what they’ll bring to us,” head coach Stacy Boudreau said. “We’ll talk about our plan and how we’ll respond. It’s a new game.”
UW-Whitewater would end up facing No. 2 seed Calvin University in the regional semifinals. The first set was tightly contested, going beyond the 25 point mark. With the set tied at 27 each, Calvin would take the next two points and the first set.
The Warhawks responded emphatically, winning the second set, 25-12. This dominance was powered by a seven-point run where UW-W went from a 14-9 lead to a 21-9 lead.
Set three was a set of runs for each team. The Warhawks jumped out to a 6-3 lead, Calvin responded taking a 9-8 lead with the rest of the set going in this back-and-forth pattern. Calvin would end up going on slightly longer runs than UW-W, allowing them to take the third set 25-23. The Warhawks came out swinging in set four, taking an early 10-4 lead. Calvin would respond by going on three runs of four points or more, including a six point run to close out the set, 25-18.
“We’re disappointed,” Boudreau said. “We came into this tournament with the expectation and goal of winning and moving on. And we’ve had a lot of tradition in that.”
While most of the Warhawks will be returning next season, one key player that won’t be is senior outside hitter Emma Bludgen.
“What I love about this team is knowing that everyone’s behind you and supporting you,” Bludgen said. “It’s just really awesome.”
One key characteristic about this year’s team that allowed them to come this far is the team chemistry. All of the players were able to get along with one another, and more importantly, bring out the best in each other.
“We just have such strong connections,” Krzus said. “We’re all like best friends and it never gets old being able to see everyone’s faces each day.”
While it was a disappointing end to the season for UW-W, they’ll return a majority of the team next season. With what will be the senior duo of Krzus and Dix leading the way, alongside more experience for the younger student-athletes, the Warhawks look to be back in national title contention in 2026.
