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Issued: October 27, 2005

BLUGOLDS TO HOST TWO CONFERENCE EVENTS

UW-Eau Claire will host two Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) events next week.

At 7 p.m. Tuesday, the Blugolds will host a conference quarterfinal volleyball match versus rival UW-Stout in the McPhee Phy Ed Center. The Blugolds are the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament while Stout is the No. 6 seed.

Next Friday and Saturday (Nov. 4 & 5), the conference champion Blugold soccer team will host the conference Final Four tournament on the Bollinger Fields.

In volleyball, eight teams participate in the conference tournament with the top four seeds hosting a quarterfinal game Tuesday. Friday, the teams move to the site of the top remaining seed for the Final Four tournament. UW-Whitewater, which shared the conference championship with UW-Oshkosh, is the No. 1 seed. The Warhawks earned the top seed as a result of a head to head win against Oshkosh.

In the other quarterfinal volleyball games Tuesday, No. 8 UW-River Falls is at Whitewater, No. 7 UW-Superior is at No. 2 Oshkosh and No. 5 UW-Platteville is at No. 4 UW-La Crosse.

The Blugolds, who are ranked No. 15 nationally and are 22-3 for the season, finished 6-2 in league play, losing only to Stout and Oshkosh. The Blugolds handed Whitewater its only conference setback of the season and lost a close 3-2 decision to Oshkosh. The Blugolds have reversed the 3-0 loss to Stout since that conference setback Sept. 14 and will play the Blue Devils in another match at the River Falls tournament this weekend before their WIAC quarterfinal showdown Tuesday.

The conference soccer tournament involves the top six teams in the final league standings with No. 1 Eau Claire and No. 2 Oshkosh receiving first round byes. In first round games Tuesday, No. 6 La Crosse goes to No. 3 Stout while No. 5 River Falls travels to No. 4 Stevens Point.

The Blugolds, who were 6-0-2 in the league and stand 12-2-4 overall, will draw the lowest remaining seed from Tuesday's games at 11 a.m. Friday, November 4 while Oshkosh will get the highest remaining seed for a 2 p.m. game that day.

The Friday winners will play for the conference championship and the WIAC's automatic bid into the NCAA tournament at 1 p.m. Saturday, November 5.

Because these are post-season tournaments, admission will be charged to both events and no UW-Eau Claire passes will be honored, according to Director of Athletics Scott Kilgallon. Per day admission to both sports' competitions are $6 for adults, $4 for seniors and $3 for youths high school age and under. Kilgallon has indicated that students from the participating WIAC teams will be admitted at no charge upon presentation of a valid university ID to both the volleyball match and soccer games.

- TP -

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