Blue Devil Volleyball Drops Season Opener in Five Sets

WALLA WALLA, Wash. — The University of Wisconsin-Stout Polytechnic volleyball team dropped a five set thriller (15-25, 25-18, 25-20, 19-25, 9-15) to Whitworth to open the 2026 season. The opening set was even at 8-8, with Sloan Horgan and Gabby Ehlers delivering early kills for Stout before Ehlers tied it. Whitworth moved ahead 10-8 on consecutive kills, but the Blue Devils responded with kills by Horgan and Brooke McCune and an Addison Kessler block to take an 11-10 lead. Whitworth answered with four straight points to go ahead 14-11. Despite McCune’s two kills keeping Stout close at 15-13, Whitworth ran…