KENOSHA, Wis. – The Edgewood College Eagles hit the road once more Saturday afternoon for the Carthage College Triangular. They battled with the North Park Vikings, receiving votes in the latest AVCA national poll, and the Carthage Firebirds. The Vikings (9-1) downed the Eagles (5-4) with a barrage of aces in a 3-0 (25-21, 25-22, 25-21) sweep, while a block party broke out in a 3-1 (25-20, 23-25, 25-21, 25-20) victory over the Firebirds (5-6).
MATCH ONE: NORTH PARK 3, EDGEWOOD COLLEGE 0 (25-21, 25-22, 25-21)
- The Vikings got the upper hand early in set one with five unanswered points. An 8-3 rally brought the Eagles back to even, but North Park ground down Edgewood College in an 11-5 stretch to slowly push the first set out of reach.
- The second set was a proverbial wrestling march, with neither team holding onto more than a two-point lead until the late stages of the set. The Vikings landed the first real haymaker with four unanswered, featuring a pair of aces, but the Eagles replied with four in a row of their own to hold a 22-21 lead. North Park would not be denied, however, as they finished off the second frame with yet another string of four points.
- The rallies came much earlier in set three, with the Vikings tallying five straight before Edgewood College answered with a 5-1 rally to tie it at 9-9. North Park ran out to a 8-1 sprint to grab a 20-13 advantage, but would see the lead mostly vanish to an 8-3 answer to cut it down to 23-21. A pair of Vikings kills would still clinch the sweep in their favor.
- North Park finished with 13 aces to the Eagles 3, while Edgewood College won the hitting battle .220 to .184.
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Ashley Bruehlman tallied 15 kills and a .294 hitting percentage on 34 attacks.
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Abigail Hoffmann earned 14 assists and
Abbey Eivins 13.
- Christina Gatta anchored the Vikings effort with 32 assists, 11 digs, and three aces.
MATCH TWO: EDGEWOOD COLLEGE 3, CARTHAGE 1 (25-20, 23-25, 25-21, 25-20)
- Neither team mustered a substantial advantage until the middle of the first set, where the Eagles grinded out a 10-4 stretch with blocks and Firebird errors being the fuel. A 5-1 rally put Carthage within one, but Edgewood College closed out the frame with an 8-4 run.
- The Firebirds kicked off the second set 8-3, but the Eagles roared back with an 10-2 sprint for a 13-10 lead. Carthage bounced back with a 6-2 run to grab a precious 19-17 lead. Edgewood College appeared primed to take the second match point with a 5-1 rally, but their offense struggled down the stretch as the Firebirds evened the match with a 5-1 answer.
- Six unanswered early in the third frame helped Carthage carry momentum over from the second, but offense and defense pushed a 9-2 rally from Edgewood College to take back the lead 18-16. A 4-1 stretch erased the lead, but the Eagles would not be denied as they closed the book on frame three in 6-1 fashion.
- A 15-4 barrage put Edgewood College squarely in the driver's seat of the set and the match. The Firebirds did not roll over, however, as a 9-2 stretch run in the final points of the set cut the lead down to 24-20, but a service error sealed the deal for the visiting Eagles.
- The two teams combined for 26 blocks in a grinding four-setter where Edgewood College had the slimmest edges in most statistical categories, save for a .140 to .082 advantage in hitting percentage.
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Abbey Falk and
Zoee Pond headed up the block party with nine and six blocks respectively.
- Bruehlman tallied a 13-kill, 13-dig double-double with five blocks for good measure. Hoffmann earned 12 kills and 17 assists for a double-double of her own.
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Jennacy Wille recorded 23 digs while Eivins had 21 assists.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Falk's nine total blocks against Carthage were her career best and tied for fifth on the single-match record books.
- Pond and Bruehlman also set their game highs for blocks versus the Firebirds. The 14 blocks as a team tied for 10th on the program record books.
- The victory over Carthage snapped an eight-match losing streak in the series, while North Park evened the series at two victories a piece.
- Edgewood College has won two of their last three matches.
UP NEXT
Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) play returns to the Todd Wehr Edgedome on Tuesday. First serve is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. as the Eagles host the St. Norbert Green Knights. Edgewood College won last year's matchup on the road 3-1 against their conference rivals, but the Green Knights hold a 19-8 lead in the all-time series.
