RIVER FOREST, Ill. – The Edgewood College Eagles women's volleyball squad concluded their stay away from home down south Thursday evening. More Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) action awaited them as they faced the Concordia Chicago Cougars. The Eagles (12-4, 5-0 NACC) extended their winning streak to eight matches with a 3-1 (25-23, 25-17, 23-25, 25-20) victory over the Cougars (7-10, 1-4).

HOW IT HAPPENED
- Three points in a row by Concordia Chicago put Edgewood College behind early, but the Eagles patiently chipped away at it to tie things up at 11-11 after a 6-3 deficit. Four errors put the Cougars back up 15-11 before an 8-1 rally by Edgewood College put them in a pivotal 19-16 position. A 5-2 run left the Eagles lead in a precarious 24-23 position, but a kill from Abigail Hoffmann sealed the deal for the visitors.

- A 7-1 sprint helped by Concordia Chicago errors left the Eagles up 7-4. Their three-point lead would hold throughout the set as the Cougars would never find a true breakthrough. Up 16-13, Edgewood College polished off the set on a 9-4 stretch.
 
- Concordia Chicago bounced back in frame three. A 7-2 burst, polished off by a pair of aces, put them in a comfortable 13-8 position. Errors would give the Eagles another lease on life with a 8-3 series that tied things up at 21, but the Cougar offense clicked when it needed to and kept the match alive with a 4-2 finish.
 
- Edgewood College left little room for doubt from the word go in set four. Four service aces from Kate Gunderson fueled an 8-2 advantage off the line that Concordia Chicago would struggle to overcome. Four unanswered- featuring a pair of aces- from the Cougars cut the Eagle lead down to 14-13. The squads would trade points until Edgewood College pushed the hosts away for good with a 6-1 rally, featuring a pair of aces from Jennacy Wille.
 
- Hoffmann did a bit of everything for the Eagles, falling just shy of a triple-double with nine kills, 19 aces, and 10 digs alongside four blocks and a pair of aces.

- Abbey Eivins contributed on offense and defense with 22 assists and nine digs.

- Ashley Bruehlman continued to be a cornerstone of Edgewood College's efforts with a 17-kill, 13-dig double-double
 
- Abbey Falk was steady with four blocks, while Wille performed well defensively with 22 digs.

- The Eagles held key advantages in blocks (8 to 4) and hitting percentage (.213 to .109), while both teams posted 10 aces.

- Grace Heywood swung for 17 kills and Isabelle Vernengo ran the offense effectively with 36 assists for Concordia Chicago.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Wille's two aces were a career best for the freshman, while Gunderson's four aces tied her high.

- Gunderson has posted three or more aces in four of her last five outings.
 
- Edgewood College now leads the series 13-7 versus the Cougars.

UP NEXT
The Eagles return to the Todd Wehr Edgedome for their first home tri-match of the season. They host the Concordia Wisconsin Falcons in a NACC showdown at noon, before tipping off against the Carroll Pioneers at 4:00 p.m. Fellow NACC unbeaten Falcons lead the all-time series 31-25, while Edgewood College is tied at 13-13 with the Pioneers.