CHICAGO, Ill. – The Edgewood College Eagles women's volleyball program continued their Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) competition Tuesday night. They hit the road for a match against the Illinois Tech Scarlet Hawks. The Eagles (9-4, 3-0 NACC) fended off a late comeback from the Scarlet Hawks (3-12, 2-2) to win a 3-1 (25-18, 25-13, 22-25, 25-22) battle.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- A 7-1 rally early in the first set gave way to a 11-7 advantage for Edgewood College. Illinois Tech proved to be stubborn but never overtook the visitors for the rest of the set, as the Eagles found late breathing room. The offense paved the way in a 5-1 run to close the book on the first set.
- The hosts jumped out to an early 4-1 edge, but Scarlet Hawk errors and Edgewood College offense combined for a 14-2 burst as the second set proved to be all Eagles. Edgewood College would hit .370 in the set, while Illinois Tech sputtered with a -.033 hitting percentage.
- The tone for set three was set with both squads exchanging three unanswered points to kick things off. A 7-3 rally would push the Scarlet Hawks into a 12-9 advantage, but four in a row from the Eagles would give them a slim 13-12 edge. The two squads jostled for points and leads, but it was Illinois Tech that grabbed momentum in the end. A 5-1 run left the hosts up 20-16, and Edgewood College would never get closer than two points to the Scarlet Hawks.
- The fourth set seemed to be all Eagles once again. After leading by two points in the opening serves of the frame, a 6-1 rally left Edgewood College in pole position up 15-9. Illinois Tech was not deterred, as three straight tallies in their favor allowed them to keep pace. A late 7-2 burst by the Scarlet Hawks kicked off by a key block left the match tied 22-22, but a pair of Illinois Tech errors and an
Abigail Hoffmann ace sealed the set and match for the Eagles.
- Both squads had issues with errors. While the Scarlet Hawks hit .074 with 27 attack errors, Edgewood College gave up 15 service errors.
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Ashley Bruehlman continued to be a key part of the Eagles lineup. She recorded 15 kills and 15 digs with a .361 hitting percentage on 36 attempts.
- Hoffmann did a little bit of everything, falling just short of a triple double with nine kills, eight digs, 18 assists, and four aces.
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Abbey Eivins and
Jennacy Wille continued to make key contributions with 21 assists and 21 digs respectively.
- Sasami Cavan ran the Illinois Tech offense with 27 assists. Kelsey Starnes and Briar Moore anchored the defense with 15 and 12 digs respectively.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The victory was the fifth straight for Edgewood College and their third NACC victory in a row.
- Each win in the streak has gone to four or five sets.
- Bruehlman has posted five double-doubles in a row and currently has seven on the season.
- The Eagles have a 4-1 record versus the Scarlet Hawks in women's volleyball.
UP NEXT
Edgewood College continues their six-game road trip with more NACC action Saturday. They travel to Milwaukee, Wis. for a 1:30 p.m. first serve against the Wisconsin Lutheran Warriors. The Eagles hold a 30-25 edge in the series over the Warriors and won the 2022 iteration of the series as well.
