MEQUON, Wis. – If the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference opener is any indication, it's going to be a thrilling volleyball season. Edgewood College had a 2-1 lead through three sets, but Concordia University rallied from behind for a 3-2 victory (25-17, 23-25, 22-25, 25-21, 15-13) in the conference opener for both teams. With the loss, the Eagles had their 22-match regular season, conference winning streak broken.
After a rough first set, where Edgewood College (4-8, 0-1 NACC) committed 12 attack errors, the Eagles bounced back in set two. Behind five kills from Jordan Winkler and four assisted blocks from Renee Meister, the Eagles opened up a 19-15 lead. The Eagles finished the set on their second set point with a kill from Winkler.
Edgewood College never trailed Concordia University Wisconsin (8-2, 1-0 NACC) at any point in the third set, with their largest lead being a 20-15 advantage on a rare kill by libero Rachel Tesch after CUW's Carley Valentine was called for a blocking error. Meister racked up another four blocks and Winkler five more kills, as the Eagles hit their match-high of .186 in the third set.
The Eagles held an 8-6 lead in the fourth set, but the Falcons used a 5-0 run to take an 11-8 which they never relinquished. Kaelyn Kessel posted three kills in both the third and fourth sets. Another 5-0 Falcon run in the fifth set gave Concordia Wisconsin an 8-4 lead in the deciding set. A Winkler kill of the match pulled the Eagles within one at 13-12, but the Falcons' Hannah Griffiths responded with a kill of her own. Winkler then set a new career-high with her 21st and final kill of the match, but CUW's Ashley Jehlicka ended the Eagles comeback with her 16th kill.
In addition to her new career-high Winkler had 18 digs for her fourth double-double in the Eagles' last five matches. Meister totaled 10 blocks which was just one short of Edgewood College Hall of Famer Mandie Armstrong's single match school record of 11 blocks. Still she became the first Eagle other than Armstrong to ever record at least 10 blocks in a match. The Eagles 15 blocks as a team were the most since the Eagles had 15 blocks against Lawrence University on October 22, 2007.
Tesch had 31 digs, which nearly matched her career-high of 33 digs set earlier this season against the University of Dubuque. Rachel Thomsen and Haley Schwenn had 18 assists apiece.
Concordia Wisconsin had three players with double digit kills, led by Griffiths with 17 kills. Jehlicka had a huge night with 16 kills and a team-high 27 digs, while Britta Duchow scored 10 kills. The Falcons hit .116 for the match.
Edgewood College will regroup for a Saturday triangular at Lawrence University. The Eagles face the host Vikings at noon, before matching up with Cardinal Stritch University at 2:00 pm.
