The story
PORTER FALLS — UW–Porter Falls lost the second and third sets to Ashby Falls State on Saturday night, then won the next two to take a 3–2 conference match (25–21, 22–25, 18–25, 25–19, 15–12) at Ironclad Fieldhouse. The Ironclads, picked fourth in the WCAC preseason poll, move to 7–1 and 3–1 in the conference. Ashby Falls State falls to 6–3 and 2–2.
Porter hit .094 in the third set and trailed 9–6 early in the fourth before head coach Jenna Marquardt moved junior outside hitter Leah Tesch to the right side. Tesch had eight of her 19 kills from there over the final two sets. Sophomore middle Ava Rindfleisch added 11 kills on .450 hitting and seven blocks, three of them in the fifth set.
The fifth set was tied 11–11 when senior setter Brianna Kvale served three straight points, the last an ace off the tape, to put Porter at match point. Kvale finished with 51 assists and three aces. Junior libero Sofia Lindbeck had 24 digs, 11 of them in the last two sets.
Box score
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Sets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashby Falls State (6–3, 2–2) | 21 | 25 | 25 | 19 | 12 | 2 |
| UW–Porter Falls (7–1, 3–1) | 25 | 22 | 18 | 25 | 15 | 3 |
Team statistics
| Porter | Ashby Falls State | |
|---|---|---|
| Kills–errors–attempts | 64–22–178 | 58–27–182 |
| Hitting percentage | .236 | .170 |
| Assists | 59 | 54 |
| Service aces | 7 | 4 |
| Digs | 81 | 74 |
| Team blocks | 11.0 | 6.0 |
Porter leaders
| Player | K | E | TA | Pct | A | SA | D | BS/BA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leah Tesch, Jr., OH | 19 | 5 | 47 | .298 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 0/2 |
| Ava Rindfleisch, So., MB | 11 | 2 | 20 | .450 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1/6 |
| Brianna Kvale, Sr., S | 3 | 1 | 9 | .222 | 51 | 3 | 14 | 0/3 |
| Sofia Lindbeck, Jr., L | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 2 | 24 | 0/0 |
What they said
“After the third set I didn't give a speech. I drew a rotation on the whiteboard and moved Leah. They're engineers and business majors — they like a plan more than a pep talk.”
— Jenna Marquardt, head coach
“The student section stood the whole fifth set. You can't serve into the net with that many people watching.”
— Brianna Kvale, senior setter
Match notes
- Porter is 2–0 in five-set matches this season, both at home, and 9–3 in five-setters over the last two years.
- Rindfleisch's seven blocks matched her career high, set in the Ironclad Invitational two weeks earlier.
- Kvale moved into fifth on the program's career assists list, 61 behind the next name.
- The win was Porter's third straight since the September 16 loss at Tamarack State, which visits the Fieldhouse during Millrace Week.
Up next
Porter travels to Northern Wesconsin Tech on Wednesday, September 30 (7:00 p.m.), then hosts Chippewa Valley State on October 3. Students get in free with a Porter Card; see tickets and the full fall schedule, or the volleyball page for the roster.
Fictional information
UW–Porter Falls is a work of parody. This match, Ashby Falls State, the players, statistics and quotes are invented; no real volleyball match is described.