Box Score

WATERTOWN, Wis. - Concession stands at Edgewood College volleyball matches would be wise to put away the Skittles and popcorn and start stocking heart medication and oxygen masks. In their first match as leaders of the Northern Athletics Conference, the Eagles received a rude awakening from Maranatha Baptist, but recovered just in time for a palpitation inducing 3-2 (21-25, 18-25, 25-19, 25-19, 19-17) victory over the Crusaders.

Edgewood College (11-10, 5-0 NAC) seemed to be in control of the first set, leading comfortably at 21-16, when the dam seemed to have burst. A service error by Sam Himmelspach was the beginning of a 9-0 Crusader run to end the first set. Maranatha's Stephanie Sloboidan served eight consecutive winning points to close out the victory.

The Eagles' hangover seemed to continue into the second set as Maranatha Baptist (9-9, 1-4 NAC) rolled out to a 14-7 lead. Three kills in four rallies by Kristin Manske seemed to spark the Eagles back to life. A kill by Mallory Palmer cut the Crusaders lead to just 20-18, but that would be the Eagles final point of the set. The Crusdaers' Danielle Stegall served out the match to put the Eagles into a 2-0 hole.

The tide turned in the third set. Edgewood College escaped from a 2-2 tie and never trailed again, taking a 25-19 victory. Palmer pounded out six kills to go with four digs to lead the charge. Edgewood College fell behind again in the fourth set, 12-8, before an 8-2 run put the Eagles back in front. The Eagles still led 17-16 when the Crusaders fell victim to their own mistakes. Maranatha committed six attack errors on the next eight points to help the Eagles to a 24-17 lead. Palmer put away her sixth kill of the set to claim a 25-19 victory.

In the decisive fifth set, the Crusaders rolled out to a 7-3 lead, but the Eagles rallied back for an 11-11 tie. From that point on, the lead passed back and forth past the required 15 points with each team earning two serves on match point. The Crusaders' second match point was thwarted with a kill by Manske. With the match on the line, the Eagles turned to freshman Jessica Martin for the knockout punch. Martin hammered home kills on back-to-back points for an exhausting 19-17 fifth set victory.

Palmer led all players with 23 kills, marking her fourth 20-kill match of the season. Manske turned in the greatest match of her career to date, with career-highs in kills (16), blocks (5) and attack percentage (.520). Manske's attack percentage was the third-highest single match mark in school history. Martin finished with eight kills. Lindsey Swansby, the reigning NAC Student-Athlete of the Week, dished out 52 assists, the fourth highest total in Edgewood College history, and chipped in five blocks. Kim Lueck led all Eagles with 16 digs.

As a team, Edgewood College had 65 kills, just one short of the school record set in 2007. The Eagles had served up 60 assists, missing that school record by just one also. Edgewood College rallied from a 2-0 deficit for the second time this season and improved to 4-1 in five-set matches.

Head coach Paul Schlomer might need an aspirin and a day off, but the Eagles will have little time to enjoy their perch at the top of the NAC standings. Benedictine University (16-5, 5-1 NAC), sits one game behind Edgewood College in the standings and visits the Edgedome on Friday night.