AURORA, Ill. – The third-seeded Edgewood College women's volleyball squad traveled down south Thursday night for a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) Tournament semifinal matchup. They played against second-seeded host Aurora Spartans for a shot at the finals. The Spartans (21-9) ran past the Eagles (20-10) in 3-0 (25-19, 25-12, 25-18) fashion.

HOW IT HAPPENED
- Edgewood College fell behind 6-2 early in the first frame but clawed back into position to strike. A 6-2 rally pushed them up 18-16 late. The Spartans found their extra gear coming from behind with a dominating 9-1 sprint to take the first set 25-19

- Aurora would never trail in the second set. The Eagles got close early down 10-8, but a 12-4 Spartan run closed the door on Edgewood College as Aurora put themselves within striking distance of the finals.

- The Spartans kept their momentum rolling as they started out set three up 8-3. The Eagles would chip away at the Aurora advantage, trailing by 14-12 and 16-14 margins at points in the set, but the Spartans would dash the Edgewood College hopes of a comeback with a 5-1 rally to put themselves up 21-15 late. A final 4-1 run from Aurora would put the Spartans in the finals and end the Eagles season.

- Abigail Hoffmann played well in defeat, hitting .250 on 20 swings. She led the team in kills (seven) and digs (11) and was second in blocks with three and assists with seven.

- Taylor Salmon had 11 assists to lead the Eagles while Amanda Carlson had a team-high four blocks.

- Aurora outhit Edgewood College .204 to .063. The Spartans had 10 aces and eight blocks to the Eagles one ace and four blocks.

- Vanessa Brown and Sydnei Avery were cornerstones of the Spartans attack with 15 and 12 kills respectively. Avery added in a team-high four blocks.

- Samantha Juarez contributed on both sides of the ball for Aurora with 17 digs and four aces.

- Kaitlyn Beebe fueled the Spartans efficient offense with 31 assists.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Edgewood College's 20-10 record was their best finish since the 2015 season.

- Aurora leads the series since 1996 13-7 and won both matchups in the 2022 season by similar 3-0 margins.

UP NEXT
With the loss in the NACC semifinals, the Edgewood College Eagles women's volleyball squad concluded one of their most successful seasons in recent memory with a 20-10 record and an 11-2 finish in NACC play.