MOUNT VERNON, IOWA – The Edgewood College Eagles women's volleyball squad headed west Thursday evening for an NCAA Division III Tournament First Round battle. They faced down the Northwestern (MN) Eagles, ranked fifth in the latest AVCA national poll, at the Small Athletic and Wellness Center. Northwestern (30-4) proved to be too much as they eliminated Edgewood College (23-11) in 3-0 (25-11, 25-19, 25-17) fashion.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
- A 9-2 Northwestern rally opened up the first set as Edgewood College struggled to find their footing. A relentless Northwestern attack piled on, refusing to give Edgewood College an inch as they claimed a 25-11 set victory.
 
- The early salvos of frame two went Northwestern's way as they held onto an 8-3 lead. An 8-4 stretch by Edgewood College cut the advantage down to 12-10, but the two-point edge held stubbornly firm. After Northwestern took a timeout up 21-19, Northwestern took over the set with four unanswered on offense for a 2-0 match lead.
 
- After cutting an early Northwestern lead down to 4-3, Edgewood College struggled with errors that fueled a 4-0 Northwestern run. A 6-1 Northwestern barrage pushed the squad's advantage to 17-6, but the Eagles battled valiantly with a 5-2 sprint to cut the lead down to 20-14. The two squads would trade points for the rest of the way as Northwestern sealed the sweep.
   
- Northwestern's offense hit .437 on the evening as they clicked on all cylinders, hitting only seven attack errors.
 
- Marley Aune recorded 12 kills and 5 blocks, while Abby Glanzer had 12 kills of her own.
 
- Grace Strickfaden and Hannah Gadient tallied 17 and 16 assists respectively.
 
- Abigail Hoffmann led the way for Edgewood College. Her eight kills and digs were both team-highs and her 12 assists second on the team behind Abbey Eivins and her 14.
 
- Ashley Bruehlman swung for six kills and two aces, while Abbey Falk earned six kills and a block.
 
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The meeting was the first time the two Eagles schools met in women's volleyball.
 
- The trip to the NCAA Tournament was the first time Edgewood College has made it to the national stage since 2011.
   
- Falk finished fifth in career total blocks with 364, breaking past Kim Paskey (2005-08) and her 339.  Falk's one block per set is good for third in school history.
 
- Bruehlman's .41 service aces per set is tied for fourth on the program record books with Jenny Ivey (1990-92).

- Edgewood College's 23 victories is tied for seventh most in team history.

- Their 12 victories in conference play were a new high mark in the record books
 
UP NEXT
With the loss, Edgewood College concluded their 2023 season. They finished with a 23-11 mark with a 12-1 record in Northern Athletic Collegiate Conference (NACC) play. After earning a share of the regular season crown for the first time since 2015, they won the NACC Tournament for the first time since 2011 to earn the right to play in the NCAA Tournament.