The following was written by Maisie Montemurno. UW-Platteville hosted the sixth Pioneer Classic tournament on November 8th. The Pioneers competed against the following teams; University of Wisconsin-Stout, University of Wisconsin Eau Claire (UWEC), University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), University of Nebraska Lincoln (UNL), and some alumni. The Pioneers would go into this tournament with an A Team consisting of all veterans, and a B team consisting of nine rookies and being led by veteran #7 Alison Draxler and #47 Dalton Foreyt.
UWP A vs UNL (3-1)
The Pioneers had just competed against UNL one month ago and were ready to play once more. The first point started off with no one getting ball control, then #69 Ethan Schmeling got things started with the first out of the day! Both teams would continue battling back and forth. UWP would take second point, and UNL would then take the last two.
UWEC/Alumni vs UWP B (5-1)
This year, UW-Platteville recruited enough rookies to create a B-team going into the tournament. Being led by veteran #7 Alison Draxler and #47 Dalton Foreyt, this would be the B-team’s first tournament competing. The pioneers would face UW-Eau Claire and Alumni in their first match of the tournament. The point started slow, but UWP would get ball control soon after. However, UW-Eau Claire/alumni would find their footing and win the point. UW-Eau Claire/alumni would later go on to win four more points. UWP would win one point this match; the Pioneers would gain much valuable experience.
UIUC vs UWP A (3-2)
For the 2nd match of the day, the Pioneers faced the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The match would start with UIUC getting ball control. The Pioneers would continue to hold their ground but would fall to UIUC. The second point would start off strong for the Pioneers, who got game control early on. UWP would continue to shine and would lead them to winning the point. Going into the second half, both teams were hungry to win the next point. UIUC would prevail and win the next two points. #10 Jalen Sims and #18 Eric Sullivan ended this match with double digits outs.
Mixed/Alumni vs UWP A (3-2)
The Pioneers would play their final match of the day against the Alumni and UW-Eau Claire. The Alumni were a mixed team of well-experienced veterans. Six out of the 13 players were formerly on the UW-Platteville team. The A team came into this game with one goal in mind: winning this game. The first point would go back and forth, but it would be UWP who would take the first point. The Mixed/Alumni would come back and claim the second point. As halftime was approaching and both teams were tied, UWP would take the third point and taking the lead. As the second half started both teams kept the pressure on each other. However, the Mixed/Alumni team would take the next two points and to win the match.
UW-Stout vs UWP B (3-1)
UWP B-team in their second game faced UW-Stout. Being led by #47 Dalton Foreyt and #7 Alison Draxler, the team went in very confident as they just faced the Mixed/Alumni Team. They had excellent communication and teamwork and were able to win the first three points. However, UW-Stout was able to secure one point. This match consisted of very long points, and each side played more aggressively and pressured one another. Rookie #51 Shaun De Vries and Co-Captain #47 Dalton Foreyt ended this match leading the team with seven out apiece.
UWP A Women’s vs UIUC Women’s (4-1)
The UWP Women’s A Team consisted of four veterans; #20 Captain Hollie Wheeler, #14 Reagan Bucholtz, #15 Tori Sanborn, #7 Alison Draxler. UIUC Women’s team included #31 Tera Pabico, #28 Christina Nasios, #13 Jia Kim, and #95 Naila Kudla. UWP would play strong throughout the whole match, winning four points in a row. UIUC would be able to score one point towards the end. #20 Captain Hollie Wheeler would finish the match with a total of 10 outs and 47 throws.
UWP B Women’s vs Women’s Mixed (0-8)
UWP Women’s B teams consist of all rookies; #34 Chloe Kaderabek, #4 Jamie Damm #17 Anna Behnke, #13 Maisie Montemurno, and #77 Auria Mills. The Mixed teams would consist of UNL’s #45 Rachel Tysdal and #40 Abigail Nelson, #41 Aleah Lazure, and UWEC’s #7 Cleo Moen. The game was to get the rookies more experience playing in no-sting matches but also to learn how to work with one another. Each rookie took turns play-calling. This was a great opportunity for our rookies to grow.
