MADISON, Wis. – The Edgewood College Eagles women's volleyball squad hosted Homecoming Saturday at the Todd Wehr Edgedome. They battled with the Marian Sabres in a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) clash. The Eagles (16-7, 9-1 NACC) struggled in the first set, but put together three victories in a row to down the Sabres (13-10, 5-5) in 3-1 (18-25, 25-23, 25-22, 25-21)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
- A 5-2 rally gave Edgewood College the first substantial lead of the match at 12-9. But it was all Marian from there, as they went on a 13-3 sprint that the Eagles struggled to answer as they fell in 25-18 fashion.
 
- The Sabres won the hitting battle .478 to -.071 in the opening set.
 
- Marian carried momentum into the opening phases of set two, with five unanswered putting them at an 8-2 advantage. Edgewood College found their footing as three kills from Abigail Hoffmann kicked the offense into gear on a 11-4 rally to grab their first lead of the set. The two squads fought tooth and nail point after point in an effectively tied set, with three unanswered from both teams setting the stage for an intense finish at 23-23. A kill from Zoee Pond and an ace from Abbey Eivins evened the match in favor of the Eagles.
 
- An 8-5 lead in frame three was erased by a 5-2 stretch by the Sabres. A 5-1 follow-up in the middle of the set put Marian at a 16-14 advantage. They heled firmly onto the two-point edge until Hoffmann once again sparked Edgewood College, a pair of kills kicking off a 5-1 rally to swing the set and match to an Eagles lead.
 
- After matching blows early in the set, Hoffmann held serve for most of a 9-0 run that featured two aces from her and three blocks from the front line to hold a commanding 16-5 position. The Sabres would not go quietly into the night, mounting a furious 15-4 reply to even the set at 20 apiece. In the end Edgewood College would seal the deal in four frames with a 5-1 rally to close the book on the afternoon.
   
- The teams were virtually even in every category besides hitting percentage, where Marian held a .211 to .172 advantage. Both teams recorded double-digit blocks and aces.
 
- Hoffmann was core to the Eagles' comeback. She posted 11 kills, 17 assists, two aces, three blocks, and 15 digs with a .308 hitting percentage on 26 swings as she contributed all over the floor.
 

 
- Ashley Bruehlman hit 11 kills and dug nine, as well as tallying two aces.
 
- Abbey Falk recorded six blocks and seven kills. Hannah Clark and Pond each had four blocks.
 
- Eivins had another strong outing with 19 assists and a team-high three aces.
 
- Jennacy Wille continued her strong freshman year with 15 digs.
 
- Anna Tapia did almost everything for the Sabres with 37 assists, five blocks, and three aces.

- Olivia Buot swung for 11 kills, while Serina Pehowski recorded nine kills, two aces, and five blocks for the visitors.
 
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Hoffmann's triple-double was her second of the season.
 
- The Eagles lead the NACC with 1.97 blocks per set and is second in the conference with 10.47 opponent kills per set.
 
- Falk heads the NACC with 1.10 blocks per set and is tied for 22nd nationally in the category.
 
- Edgewood College has won 20 straight over Marian and leads the series 30-23.
 
UP NEXT
The Eagles host one last NACC regular season match at home Tuesday night. They will battle with the Benedictine Eagles on Senior Night. Edgewood College leads the series 13-9 and won both matchups last season at the Edgedome.