LA CROSSE, Wis. – The Edgewood Eagles women's volleyball squad traveled to the UW-La Crosse Invitational Saturday afternoon. They played a pair of non-conference matches against the UW-River Falls Falcons and the Hamline Pipers. The Eagles (5-4) took down the Falcons (11-3) in 3-1 fashion, before wrapping up the weekend with a 3-0 sweep over the Pipers (1-9).
MATCH ONE: EAGLES 3, FALCONS 1 (25-20, 16-25, 28-26, 25-18)
- The avian teams battled it out back and forth, with Edgewood College gaining the first tangible edge in the set off a 3-1 run at 14-12. River Falls replied with two straight points and left the teams jockeying for the lead until 18 all. Errors by the Falcons helped the Eagles to a 3-0 run to take a 21-18 lead, and three more errors would assist Edgewood College in closing out the set on a 4-0 rally.
- A 11-3 River Falls run put them firmly in the driver's seat of frame two up 16-9, and a 4-2 Eagle run after was summarily erased by a 3-0 Falcon sprint to put the tying set firmly in River Falls hands.
- The squads would exchange small runs throughout the early goings of the third set, and neither team would budge an inch as they sat tied at 19-all after being tied for most of the set. Edgewood College found an extra gear to push themselves to a 4-0 rally and a 23-19 advantage. A furious Falcons response put themselves on the doorstep of a 2-1 match lead in extra points with a 25-24 edge. The Eagles offense would not be denied and got to work in a 4-1 rally to swing the match to Edgewood College's control.
Abigail Hoffmann contributing three kills to the set-clinching run.
- The opening salvos of set four played out similarly to the other two competitive sets, with the Eagles finding a slim edge at 14-13 after a 4-1 run. A 3-0 Falcons rally would be the last lead they held in the set, as a furious 11-2 Edgewood College barrage sunk River Falls' hopes and clinched the match
- The Eagles victory over the Falcons was their first in the series and second over a WIAC school this season.
- Hoffmann finished with a triple-double in the match with a 12 kill, 16 assist, 10 dig effort. Hoffmann also had a .360 hitting percentage on 25 attempts.
-
Ashley Bruehlman finished with 17 kills and 10 digs, while
Katie Borchert continued her strong offensive outings with 11 kills.
-
Taylor Salmon finished with 26 assists, while
Lea Bunch tacked on a team-high 20 digs.
MATCH TWO: EAGLES 3, PIPERS 0 (25-16, 25-15, 25-14)
- Edgewood College set the tone for the match early in the first frame with an 8-2 sprint. The Pipers would never lead in the set outside of the very first point.
- A 14-4 run to start the frame would put set two squarely in Eagles hands, while a 10-2 run would start the final set in the match similarly. Edgewood College never trailed in the match outside of the very first point.
- The match was the first between the two squads in the live stats era and was also the Eagles' third victory in a row.
-
Kate Gunderson shined for Edgewood College, her three service aces and 21 assists both career and team highs in the win.
- Salmon contributed 12 assists, while
Hannah Siebert tied her career best with six kills in the match.
- The Eagles outhit the Pipers .325 to .025 in the victory.
UP NEXT
Edgewood College hosts their home opener Tuesday night at the Todd Wehr Edgedome. First serve is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference matchup against the Marian Sabres. The Eagles are 28-23 against the Sabres since 1991 and have won 18 in a row, including a 3-1 victory at Marian in 2021.
