Box Score (vs. Alverno)
Box Score (vs. UW-Stevens Point)

MADISON, Wis. - Don't look now, but that brutal early season schedule the Edgewood College volleyball team played might be paying off. The Eagles pushed their overall record back to .500 in an emphatic three-set sweep of UW-Stevens Point 25-16, 25-18, 25-21. The Eagles never trailed at any point of any of the three sets. Earlier in the evening the Eagles also dispatched Alverno College in straight sets.

No one will blame UW-Stevens Point (13-6) if they suffer from visions of Mallory Palmer in their sleep tonight. The Eagles' sophomore outside hitter peppered the Pointers from the start of the match to the end with a variety of crushing kills. Palmer had six kills at the end of the first set, before blowing up for eight kills on 13 attempts and no errors in the second set. She finished the match with 17 kills, a .293 hitting percentage, 10 digs and two blocks.

In the first set, Edgewood College (10-10, 4-0 NAC) received back-to-back assisted blocks by Dacy Swansby and Kristin Manske to help open a 7-2 lead. The Eagles opened up their largest lead of the set at 17-8 on a kill by Palmer. Lindsey Swansby also added back-to-back service aces during the run. The second set was similar with the Eagles breaking free from a 7-7 tie with a 9-1 run. Palmer scored eight kills in a stretch of 17 Eagle points forcing UW-Stevens Point to spend both their timeouts. Aryn Wellnitz also made her presence felt recording four kills including two of the final three points of the set.

The Eagles appeared they were going to run away and hide early in the third set as well. Manske served six straight points to open the set, including two more kills from Palmer. This time, however, the Pointers rallied back. Three straight points including an ace served by Kaitlin Wolfe brought the Pointers close enough to tie the set at 20-20. But Dacy Swansby scored back-to-back kills and her sister Lindsey notched a pair of her own for the final points of the match.

Wellnitz and Lindsey Swansby finished with six kills apiece, although Swansby's came on just eight attempts without an error for a whopping .750 attack percentage. Five Eagles cracked double digits in digs, led by Sam Himmelspach with 13. Lindsey Swansby chipped in 12, Laura Sweeney 11 and Kim Lueck with 10. Dacy Swansby led the defense with three blocks on the match.

It was Edgewood College's first sweep of a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference team in a best-of-five format in school history. The Eagles snapped a 54-match losing streak to WIAC schools last weekend against UW-Stout and have now won two of their last three meetings.

In the first match of the night, Edgewood College moved to 4-0 and grabbed a share of first place in the Northern Athletics Conference with a 25-14, 25-10, 25-9 victory over Alverno College (1-12, 0-4 NAC). Palmer led the team with six kills, although all of them came in the first set. Katie Wedvick, Jessica Martin, Bre Swiertz and Wellnitz all had five kills apiece. Lindsey Swansby scored a season-high five aces. Lueck and Lindsey Swansby shared high digs honors with seven apiece.

The Eagles have the rest of the weekend off before a short road trip to Watertown to play Maranatha Baptist on Tuesday. That match will set-up a showdown with NAC co-leader Benedictine University on Friday night at the Edgedome.