MADISON, Wis. – Edgewood College started off 2015 on the right foot after nearly taking down UW-Oshkosh and sweeping the University of Dubuque Tuesday night at the Todd Wehr Edgedome. The Eagles took the first two sets against the Titans but failed to hold on but maintained control throughout their match against the Spartans.
UW-Oshkosh earned the first point in the first set of the night but Edgewood College quickly rebounded and would never squander their lead from that point on in the set. They led 7-3 at one point and sophomore Savannah Koester led the way with five kills in the set on eight attacks.
The Eagles pulled out a thrilling 27-25 victory in set two. The Titans' Katelyn Malcheski, who led the team with 16 kills, made it 25-all after a kill on an assist from Lexi Thiel, but the Eagles' outside hitters responded in a big way on the next two plays. Elizabeth Evans made it 26-25 on a kill before Emily Chaussee closed things out with another one a play later. Haley Schwenn assisted on both kills.
The Eagles hit over .200 in the third and fourth sets but couldn't slow down the heavy-hitting Titans. UW-Oshkosh turned up the heat in the fifth and final set by hitting .471, led by Nerissa Vogt's four kills in five swings.
Koester, Jordan Winkler, Evans and Chaussee all finished with 14 kills for the Eagles, with Evans posting the top hitting percentage (.367). Freshman Alex Zapuchlak impressed in her debut with 25 assists while Rachel Tesch tallied 24 digs on the evening. Renee Meister had five block assists as well to lead an Eagles team that finished with nine total.
The Eagles battled to 25-20 and 25-22 victories in the first couple of sets against the Spartans in a pair of back-and-forth contests. The Eagles held the Spartans to just a .073 attack percentage in the first set and a mark of .109 in the second.
Edgewood College dominated in the third and final set by hitting .370 while holding Dubuque to just one kill (.000 attack percentage). Five players had at least two kills for the Eagles while Evans' serving was the true story of the match. She scored 10-straight point while at the line to give the Eagles an 11-1 lead.
Koester and Evans wound up with nine kills apiece while Zapuchlak assisted on 19 points. Tesch (15 digs), Winkler (14) and Chaussee (11) were solid again on defense while Kaitlyn Rabel totaled a pair of blocks.
The Eagles will resume action this weekend at the Elmhurst College Invitational in Elmhurst, Ill. They will play the host Blue Jays at 2 pm and Wheaton College (Ill.) at 4 pm. Both games will be played at R.A. Faganel Hall.
