TACOMA, Wash. – It was a tough start in Washington as the Edgewood College volleyball team dropped a pair of matches to University of Puget Sound, 3-0, and Pacific Lutheran University, 3-0, in the opening day of the Puget Sound Premiere on Friday.
 
Senior Savannah Koester, junior Emily Chaussee, and sophomore Erika Van Engen each had seven kills, but it wasn't enough after getting swept by host Puget Sound, 25-21, 25-19, 25-14, in both teams' season opener.  The Eagles (0-2) mustered a .052 hitting percentage against a Logger team that boasted a .150 mark.
 
The Eagles overcame a 10-4 deficit to open the match and later trailed the Loggers, 23-19, in a competitive first set. A pair of Logger attack errors cut Puget Sound's lead to 23-21, until the hosts put it away.
 
Puget Sound's All-American, Hannah Stinson, was limited by the Eagle defense to only seven kills, but wound up hitting an efficient .312. Chaussee led the defensive effort with a game-high 19 digs.
 
Four Eagles posted six or more kills, but only hit .112 in a three-set loss to Pacific Lutheran in game two, 25-18, 25-17, 25-14, on Friday afternoon. The Lutes (2-0), picked to finish runner-up in the Northwest Conference, hit .243 or better in all three sets to stay undefeated.
 
A pair of first year players stood out for the Eagles as Sarah Uczen corralled a team-high 12 digs and Brittany Sager distributed a team-high 10 assists. Both Erika Van Engen and junior Tori Wiskow picked up four blocks each.
 
The Lutes set the tone early on after jumping out to a 17-7 first set lead and never looked back.
 
It was the first time the Eagles have faced both teams.
 
Another tough doubleheader awaits the Eagles tomorrow as they face the University of St. Thomas at 3:00 p.m. (CT) and College of Saint Benedict at 7:00 p.m. (CT) in their final two games in Tacoma, Wash. on Saturday.