WHITEWATER, Wis. – The Edgewood College Eagles women's volleyball squad opened their 2023 slate Saturday morning. They faced down Rose-Hulman Fightin' Engineers in their first game before battling with the UW-Whitewater Warhawks in match two. The Eagles (1-1) rallied after a set one loss to down Fightin' Engineers (0-3) in 3-1 (21-25, 25-18, 25-14, 25-19) fashion, but struggled against the nationally-ranked no. 12 Warhawks (3-0) in a 3-0 (25-20, 25-10, 25-17) loss.
GAME ONE: EDGEWOOD COLLEGE 3, ROSE-HULMAN 1 (21-25, 25-18, 25-14, 25-19)
- The Fightin' Engineers carved out a slim two-point advantage in the middle of a hard-fought set one. A 5-0 run put the Eagles squarely behind the eight-ball. A 6-2 rally by Edgewood College cut the lead back down to 20-18, but the lead held firm for Rose-Hulman.
- An early 4-0 sprint put the Eagles up 8-5 in set two. Edgewood College broke the set wide open with an 8-0 rally that featured back-to-back service aces from
Abbey Eivins and left the Eagles in a dominant 20-11 position to close out the second set.
- Three unanswered early by the Fightin' Engineers put Edgewood College behind early in set three. A massive 14-1 run effectively closed the door on the set as the Eagles stormed ahead.
- Rose-Hulman bounced back early in set four with a 7-3 advantage. The two squads would bounce back and forth exchanging haymakers until Edgewood College once again found a key run. A 7-2 rally swung things back around 18-16 in their favor, before the Fightin' Engineers knotted things up. A 7-1 reply slammed the door shut on the match, with
Kate Gunderson tallying a pair of service aces to help seal the deal.
- The freshman showed up in a big way in the Eagles' first outing.
Abbey Eivins stepped into the setter role with 22 assists, while
Jennacy Wille stepped into the libero role with 18 digs to open her Edgewood College career.
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Abigail Hoffmann and
Ashley Bruehlman both posted double-doubles. Bruehlman tallied 17 kills and 14 digs, while Hoffmann swung for 10 kills and recorded 13 assists.
- The Eagles outhit Rose-Hulman .241 to .123 and had nine aces to the Fightin' Engineers two.
GAME TWO: NO. 12 UW-WHITEWATER 3, EDGEWOOD COLLEGE 0 (25-20, 25-10, 25-17)
- After an even start to the match, the Warhawks put together an 8-2 rally to push ahead 17-12 over the visitors. A 4-1 reply by the Eagles pushed them within 18-16, but UW-Whitewater kept Edgewood College at arm's length to claim the first set.
- The Warhawks found another gear in set two, rocketing out to a 11-2 lead and never looking back as they cruised to a 2-0 match lead.
- After the squads exchanged early rallies to sit tied at six, UW-Whitewater put pedal to the metal with a 13-4 barrage featuring three service aces. A 4-0 reply would let the Eagles close within five, but the Warhawks kept their avian foes well away as they closed out the sweep.
- UW-Whitewater won the aces battle 13-2 and kills 38-28.
- Aubrie Krzus was the star of the afternoon. She recorded 32 assists, four aces, and three blocks. Jenna Weinfurt led both teams with 12 kills.
- Bruehlman continued her strong play with 11 kills. Hoffmann tallied 13 assists.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Bruehlman's 17 kills against Rose-Hulman tied her Eagles best.
- Hoffmann was named to the UW-Whitewater Invite All-Tournament Team.
- The meeting between the Fightin' Engineers and Edgewood College was their first in women's volleyball.
- UW-Whitewater holds a 15-2 series lead over the Eagles and have won five straight.
UP NEXT
The early season gauntlet continues for Edgewood College. They travel to Minneapolis, Minn. For the Augsburg University Invitational next Friday and Saturday. They will battle against host Augsburg on Friday at 2:30 p.m. followed by St. Catherine at 7:00 p.m. The Auggies at 3-0 against the Eagles since 2010 and are receiving votes in the latest AVCA national poll, while this will be the first meeting between Edgewood College and the Wildcats.
