Box Score MADISON, Wis. – For the third straight season, the Edgewood College volleyball team earned a trip to the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Championship match. The Eagles swept a relentless Lakeland College team 25-18, 25-18, 25-19 to cement their place in the title game this Saturday.
With a 5-1 run and sizeable traveling cheering squad, Lakeland (21-13) showed they were in the semifinals with something to prove. Edgewood College fought back, despite the deficit, to earn their first lead of the match at 11-10. The Eagles jumped out a three-point advantage at 15-12 and were ready to put it in cruise control, but the Muskies earned three straight to tie the set one more time. A Lakeland College error and a kill from Jessica Martin put Edgewood College up for good and the Eagles took a 25-18 set one win.
Frame two was a bit shaky for both teams as each hit less than .150. Edgewood College was impressive on the defensive end, however, piling up 26 digs on their way to earning another 25-18 victory. With a 2-0 match lead, the Eagles wanted to end with a sweep but the Muskies were not ready to give in. The third set was back and forth the entire way, with nine ties and five lead changes, but consecutive kills by Jordan Winkler and Sarah Schuchhardt gave the Eagles (26-7) a 16-14 edge that they would not relinquish. Edgewood College hit an impressive .410 with 19 kills and just three errors with Jordan Winkler's five kills in eight attacks pacing the group.
With a match attack percentage of .571, Winkler tied a school record set by Mallory Palmer (2009-12) last season. The sophomore ripped a team-high with 12 kills and zero errors. Martin joined Winkler in double digit kills with 10 while Elizabeth Evans added nine. Four players reached at least 10 digs with Winkler's 16 holding honors.
Edgewood College hosts No. 2 Dominican University this Saturday at 1:00 p.m. for a chance at their second NACC Tournament Championship in three years. Winner of the title will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. Live video and live stats will be available for the championship match on EdgewoodCollegeEagles.com.
