MADISON, Wis. – Facing the Inferno, it was the Edgewood College volleyball team that heated up as the match wore on and thanks to a match-high 12 kills from Savannah Koester, the Eagles beat Alverno, 3-1 (24-26, 25-20, 25-11, 25-13), on Wednesday night.

A sluggish start ensued for the Eagles (4-7, 2-0 NACC), who hit just -.027 in a narrow first set loss, 26-24. The Eagles regrouped and posted a .337 hitting percentage the rest of the match to stay undefeated against Alverno (5-7, 2-2 NACC) in 22 meetings.

The Eagle offense came alive in a competitive second set that featured 11 ties and two lead changes. With both teams knotted at 19, the Eagles rattled off six of the next seven points behind a pair of kills by Mackenzie Hannan and Meister, then finished it off with Mackenzie Doherty's well-placed ace. Edgewood College rode their momentum and hit .421 and a season-high .464, respectively, in the final two sets to earn the win. Defensively, Edgewood College limited Alverno to 12 kills against 14 errors in the last two sets.

Koester led three Eagles with double-digit kills, Haley Schwenn added 22 assists, and Sarah Uczen corralled a match-high 17 digs as the Eagles started 2-0 in conference play for the fourth time in the last five seasons.

Alverno's Jessica Wewers led the team with nine kills, two aces, and two blocks.

The Eagles face a quartet of Iowa Conference teams at the IIAC/NACC Challenge in Mequon, Wis. this Friday and Saturday.