WHEATON, Ill. – The Edgewood College Eagles women's volleyball squad returned to non-conference action Tuesday evening. They traveled to face no. 16 UW-Oshkosh and host Wheaton in a weeknight tri-match. The Eagles (12-8) fell to the ranked Titans (21-4) 3-0 before earning a 3-1 victory against the host Thunder (9-10).

MATCH ONE: NO. 16 UW-OSHKOSH 3, EDGEWOOD COLLEGE 0 (25-19, 25-23, 25-20)
- A 6-2 rally buoyed a strong start for Edgewood College, but a 8-2 reply from UW-Oshkosh put the match 10-8 in their favor. The squads would trade small chains of points until a 7-2 burst put the Titans at the doorstep of the set 24-17. The Eagles put together a pair of points before falling 25-19.

- Edgewood College had short memories as they took a 7-3 lead in the early goings of the second frame. UW-Oshkosh would have a 9-5 advantage through the next points to tie it up at 12 all as the teams would continue for jockey for the lead position. A 4-1 run by the Titans was answered by a 5-2 rally from the Eagles to put Edgewood College up 21-20, but a 5-2 stretch run would put the match at 2-0 in UW-Oshkosh's favor.

- The Eagles found themselves in a familiar position to start set three, up 7-3 early. They would lead 15-10 before the Titans roared to life with an 8-1 burst to take an 18-16 advantage. A 7-3 stretch run by UW-Oshkosh would spell the end of the match for Edgewood College as they fell 25-20.

- Ashley Bruehlman and Abigail Hoffmann both posted double-doubles, the former with 10 kills and 14 digs while the latter had 11 kills and assists.

- Taylor Salmon posted 22 assists and 3 aces while Lea Bunch had 17 digs.

- The Titans outhit the Eagles .308 to .159 and had 46 assists to Edgewood College's 34.

MATCH TWO: EDGEWOOD COLLEGE 3, WHEATON 1 (25-14, 16-25, 25-12, 25-23)
- An 11-2 rally in the middle of the first set effectively put the Eagles in the driver's seat of the seat, and a 9-2 follow-up put Edgewood College at the doorstep of their eventual 1-0 lead in the match.

- The Thunder would return the favor in set two, a 8-1 run giving them a 10-6 edge. A 4-0 rally would put them ahead 14-7, and the Eagles would make no headway as the host tied the match at one apiece.

- A 9-2 sprint by Edgewood College would swing momentum back in their favor to open set three. Wheaton would claw within 14-11, but the Eagles would slam the door shut with an 11-1 tear to take a 2-1 lead.

- Momentum swung back to the Thunder's favor as they took a 10-3 lead in the fourth frame, followed up by a 6-2 run that put them ahead 17-9 and seemingly poised to force a fifth set. An 8-3 response by Edgewood College closed the gap to 20-17, but Wheaton strung together three points as they sat within striking distance of set five. The Eagles turned the tables on their hosts, an 8-0 run swinging the set and match firmly into their hands.
 
- Bruehlman had 16 kills and three aces, while falling just shy of a double-double with nine digs. She also hit .263 on 38 swings.

- Hoffmann had her second double-double of the evening with 14 kills and 18 assists, plus a .385 hitting percentage on 26 hits.

- Abbey Falk was the third of three Edgewood College players with double digit kills, finishing with 10 kills and .300 hitting percentage on 20 attacks.

- Salmon had 28 assists, while Bunch had 15 digs.

- The Eagles hit .260 as a team.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The Eagles have now lost nine in a row to UW-Oshkosh, while their victory over Wheaton snapped a two-match losing streak in that series.

- UW-Oshkosh was the fourth ranked team Edgewood College has faced this season. They are 1-3 in ranked matchups, including a five-set loss against then-no. 9 UW-Whitewater earlier this year.

UP NEXT
The Eagles start an important weekend of Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference play Friday night. They host Dominican for Senior Night/Pack the Dome at 7:00 p.m. The Eagles are 11-12 against the Stars since 2004 and have won three straight over their NACC rival.