UW-Oshkosh Wins 11th WVC State Championship (4-4-16)
The UW-Oshkosh men's volleyball team won its league leading 11th Wisconsin Volleyball Conference State Championship on Saturday (April 2) in Milwaukee. The Titans swept two opponents before battling back from an opening set defeat to take home the title.
UW-Oshkosh (47-4 / 16-0 WVC) earned the number one seed entering the tournament due to its first place finish in the WVC regular season with a unblemished 16-0 mark. The regular season title was the Titans eighth straight conference crown. UW-Oshkosh got underway by defeating Michigan Tech University 25-16, 25-17 in the quarterfinals to advance to its 25th straight semifinals match. The Titans were led by Tyler Range (Sr. - Kenosha) who had eight kills and Sam Moua (Jr. - Appleton) who had seven digs.
In the semifinals against UW-Whitewater, Travis Hudson (Sr. - Wauwatosa) dished out 24 assists and had two service aces to lead the Titans to a 25-20, 25-18 victory. Tied at 18-18 in the first set, UW-Oshkosh outscored the Warhawks 7-2 to close out the first stanza and then led the entire way to close out the match. Alec Redlich (Sr. - Wauwatosa) and Wesley Morioka (Sr. - Chicago, Ill.) added six kills each.
In the championship match the Titans faced #5 ranked Marquette University for the fifth time this season and prevailed 17-25, 25-14, 15-7 to take a 3-2 lead in the season series. Nothing went right in the first set as the Titans hit only .123, while committing four serving errors, six hitting errors and three blocking errors. The Titans, ranked #3 in the latest Division I National Collegiate Volleyball Federation poll, relied on better blocking and consistent passing and defense to wear down the Golden Eagles. After a lopsided victory in set two, UW-Oshkosh sprinted out to a 8-3 lead in the deciding third set and coasted from there to claim the title.
Allen Grunert (Jr. - Muskego), named the WVC tournament most valuable player, led the team with nine kills and added one solo block. Redlich pitched in eight kills and Michael Wamboldt (Jr. - Kenosha) had eight digs and Hudson led the offense with 28 assists, while piling up six digs and four blocks. Eaven Mason (Fr. - Milwaukee) had five kills and three blocks and Range enjoyed three blocks as the Titans had 8.5 in the match. Mason and Hudson were also named to the six-member all-tournament team.
"We were able to rely on our entire team this weekend that really kept our team fresh in the finals," said head coach Brian Schaefer. "Neither team played well in the first set, but we played awful. We just needed to pass better, eliminate unforced errors and play with more intensity. The guys have pride, and with so many alumni and family members in attendance they knew they needed to amp up their effort for them, and each other to become champions."
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