DE PERE, Wis. – The Edgewood College Eagles women's volleyball squad entered the second-last week of the regular season Tuesday night. They traveled to face the St. Norbert Green Knights in a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) showdown with playoff implications. The Eagles (15-9, 8-2 NACC) split the first two sets with the Green Knights (13-9, 8-2) but closed out the match in sets three and four to take a 3-1 (25-23, 18-25, 25-23, 25-19) victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- A 5-1 St. Norbert run started Edgewood College off on the back foot in set one. The Green Knights would lead 12-9 before the Eagles offense clicked with a 6-2 rally featuring three kills and three aces to give them an important 14-13 advantage. The squads battled tenaciously for every single point, with St. Norbert pushing to a 23-all tie off of a 3-0 run to keep the pressure on. Edgewood College found the last two points they needed to clutch out the first set 25-23.
- A 4-0 burst by the Green Knights pushed them to a 9-4 lead in the second set. The Eagles would hang on with a 4-1 run keeping them within a 17-14 margin, but it was St. Norbert's turn to find their extra gear, a 6-1 hammer putting the second set effectively out of reach at 23-16.
- The teams traded early 3-0 jabs in set three, but the Green Knights seemed to have momentum as a 6-1 rally have them a 12-7 advantage. A later 4-1 run put them ahead 18-11, but the Eagles would not be deterred. Edgewood College finished the set on a massive 14-5 barrage, including four straight kills after being down 23-21 to St. Norbert to take a key 2-1 lead in the battle.
- Early rallies by both teams left them tied up at nine apiece. The two teams traded equal responses until a 3-0 run by the Eagles was answered by only two straight points from the Green Knights. Edgewood College dug their claws into the set and never let go, finishing off St. Norbert on a 9-4 knockout punch to take a critical road victory.
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Abigail Hoffmann finished with 10 kills and 19 assists for a double-double.
Abbey Falk had 10 kills as well, while
Ashley Bruehlman and
Abbey Maier had nine each. Falk had a .600 hitting percentage on 15 swings.
- Digs were also a team effort, with
Lea Bunch posting a team-high 13 digs to be one of four Eagles to finish with double-digit digs.
Katie Borchert had 12, while Bruehlman and
Grace Antlfinger had 10 each.
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Taylor Salmon had 29 assists and five aces.
- Molly Rader was impressive for the Green Knights, finishing with 11 kills and a .435 hitting percentage on 23 attacks.
- The two squads were practically even in most major statistical categories, besides the Eagles 11 aces to St. Norbert's seven.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Salmon's five aces were a season and career single-match high, while her 29 assists tied her season high.
- Antlfinger's 10 digs tied her single-match career high.
- Edgewood College is now 8-19 against St. Norbert since 1992 and have won back-to-back matchups.
UP NEXT
The Eagles have a quick turnaround back to the Edgedome tomorrow evening for their last non-conference match of the season. They host Dubuque with first serve scheduled for 7:00 p.m. The Eagles and Spartans have each won eight games in the series since 1991, with Edgewood College winning the 2021 version of the matchup.
