UW-Oshkosh Repeats at MIVA Championship (3-27-16)
The UW-Oshkosh men’s volleyball team won its second consecutive Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association championship by defeating seven nationally ranked teams on Saturday and Sunday (March 25-26) at Purdue University.
UW-Oshkosh (40-4) went into the championship as a top six seed after finishing second in both the Midwest Ten Conference regular season and tournament championship. After the initial pool the Titans were the only undefeated team after going 4-0 on the opening day.
The Titans opened Saturday’s action with a tough 25-20, 26-24 win over #8 ranked Purdue University, a grinding 23-25, 25-9, 15-12 win over #7 ranked University of Minnesota, an overwhelming 25-9, 25-15 victory over #25 Grand Valley State University and a dominating 25-20, 25-12 win over #14 The Ohio State University.
In the win over the Boilermakers, Allen Grunert (Jr. – Muskego) led the team with seven kills on ten attempts. Tyler Range (Sr. – Kenosha) added six kills and a team high six blocks, Travis Hudson (Sr. – Wauwatosa) distributed 23 assists and had two service aces and three blocks and Michael Wamboldt (Jr. – Kenosha) added a team best 11 digs. Eaven Mason (Fr. – Milwaukee) and Wesley Morioka (Sr. – Chicago, Ill.) each had six kills as the Titans slammed down 31 in the two-set sweep.
Grunert and Alec Redlich (Sr. – Wauwatosa) were the go-to-hitters in the three-set win over the Golden Gophers. Grunert slammed down 11 kills on 20 attempts on only one error and Redlich had 10 kills on 15 attempts with only one error as well. Redlich added four blocks.
Hudson dished out 28 assists and added six digs and three blocks, Mason slammed down seven kills and added three blocks and Wamboldt led the team with nine digs. Sam Moua (Jr. – Appleton) scooped up six digs and Morioka provided six kills, four digs and two blocks.
In the win over Grand Valley State University Range led the team with eight kills on nine attempts. Grunert had five kills and three service aces, Sammy Pedersen (Jr. – Muskego) had three kills and two service aces and Hudson dialed up 17 assists, two service aces and three blocks.
In the last match in pool play against the Buckeyes Grunert dominated by hitting seven kills in seven attempts and provided six service aces and two blocks. Range slammed down seven kills in seven attempts and tacked on three blocks, Morioka added six kills and Mason had four blocks. In the match the Titans had 31 kills and hit .605 in the two-set sweep.
Hudson once again led the team with 21 assists and added two blocks and Mason led the team with four blocks. Ahead 14-12 in set two, Grunert served 11 straight times, including within that streak were five service aces as the Titans finished the match with nine freebies behind the service line.
In the opening round of bracket play on Sunday the Titans advanced to the quarterfinals with an easy 25-16, 25-18 win over the University of Michigan. Grunert led the team with six kills and added two service aces and Range added five kills and a team-leading three blocks. Hudson had 19 assists, six digs and two blocks and Wamboldt had seven digs.
In a rematch with The Ohio State University the Titans let set two slip away before rebounded for a 25-18, 23-25, 15-12 victory. Redlich provided a team high 11 kills, Hudson had four kills, three blocks and 24 assists and Grunert once again came up huge behind the service line with six service aces while chalking up eight kills.
In the semi-finals UW-Oshkosh defeated #23 Northern Illinois University 25-17, 25-15 for the third time this season. Grunert led the team with seven kills on 11 attempts and had three blocks. Hudson ran the offense with 17 assists and had five blocks. UW-Oshkosh tallied 13.5 blocks in the two set victory, led by Range with seven and Mason adding five total blocks.
In one of the best collegiate club rivalries, UW-Oshkosh withstood #6 University of Illinois 26-24, 25-23 in its first meeting in the finals of the MIVA Championship. Grunert rounded out his impressive weekend with 13 kills on 17 attempts without an error and added three digs. Hudson distributed 29 assists and had three blocks and Redlich had eight kills.
“It is crazy that with the quality of the two programs that this was the first meeting in the MIVA Championship between us and the University of Illinois,” said head coach Brian Schaefer. “It was a great match between two highly talented teams.”
For the weekend UW-Oshkosh was led by Grunert who had 64 kills on a .574 hitting percentage. The junior lefty added 18 service aces and 11 blocks.
“Allen was on another planet over the course of the two day,” added Schaefer. “Every time we needed a key kill or serving run he was there to lead the team.”
Hudson dished out 177 assists and added 22 blocks, Redlich contributed 48 kills and Wamboldt topped the team with 49 digs. Range added 41 kills on a .485 hitting percentage and Mason ended the weekend with 22 blocks.
“It was a grueling weekend for the guys and it was humbling to see them leave it all on the court,” said Schaefer. “We have been banged up or have had key illnesses the entire season, including Wesley this weekend; but somehow, the guys have laid it all on the line for each other. I am extremely proud of how they played.”
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