MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The Edgewood College Eagles traveled west for the Augsburg University Invitational in their second weekend of the regular season. The Eagles (2-2) faced down the Augsburg Auggies and the St. Catherine Wildcats Friday. They took down the host Auggies (3-2) 3-0 (25-16, 25-21, 25-23). The nightcap was a marathon, but the Wildcats (3-1) came out on top with a 3-2 (25-19, 22-25, 26-24, 24-26, 15-11) victory over Edgewood College.
GAME ONE: EDGEWOOD COLLEGE 3, AUGSBURG 0 (25-16, 25-21, 25-23)
- The Auggies and Eagles were locked in a 5-5 set early, but a 12-4 rally by Edgewood College featuring a trio of aces put away the first set decisively in their tally.
- Augsburg had early momentum with a 8-5 lead off of a 3-0 rally in set two, but Edgewood College came to life with a 10-2 barrage featuring three aces put them in a strong position. Four Eagles errors pushed the Auggies into a 16-16 tie, but a 7-2 run closed out frame two in Edgewood College's column.
- A 7-3 sprint put host Augsburg ahead 11-9 in set three. After the Eagles battled to a 13-13 tie, a 4-0 burst by the Auggies put the hosts in a strong 17-13 position. Edgewood College would not be deterred by the advantage, putting together a 7-2 response featuring four kills to grab a 20-19 edge. A 3-0 run by Augsburg left the hosts up 22-20, but four kills in six rallies would start the Eagles' weekend off with a 3-0 sweep.
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Ashley Bruehlman continued her strong start to the young season. She posted a nine-kill, 10-dig, five-ace performance with a .304 hitting percentage.
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Abigail Hoffmann anchored the Eagles' attack with seven kills and 12 assists.
- The young Edgewood College players continued to fly, with
Abbey Eivins having a 14-assist performance and
Jennacy Wille 10 digs.
- The Eagles recorded 10 aces to the Auggies four.
GAME TWO: ST. CATHERINE 3, EDGEWOOD COLLEGE 2 (25-19, 22-25, 26-24, 24-26, 15-11)
- The pace of the frenetic back-and-forth match was set early in the first set. The Eagles kicked things off with a 6-2 rally, but a 5-1 reply left things tied at 7-7. After three unanswered from Edgewood College, the Wildcats took control of the set with an 8-2 run. The teams would trade 5-2 and 5-1 strings to finish the set as St. Catherine put the first point on the board.
- The Wildcats carried momentum into a 7-3 start to frame two, but a trio of errors fueled a 7-2 reply to push the Eagles back into a 10-9 advantage. Edgewood College would chip ahead to a 17-15 tally before St. Catherine put together four unanswered for a 21-19 advantage. Errors would prove to be their downfall, as a 6-1 run tied the match for the Eagles.
- The squads were in a dead heat throughout set three, exchanging three- and four-point rallies but never leading by more than two for the most part. Errors propelled a 5-0 rally to push the Edgewood College within a point of set lead, but three aces fueled a 6-0 reply from St. Catherine to close out set three in extra points.
- The Eagles bounced back with an 8-2 start to frame four. An 8-4 grind kept the Wildcats around in the set, trailing by 15-13 halfway through. After exchanging identical 4-1 blows, three straight points left Edgewood College ahead 23-18. St. Catherine proved to be tenacious as they had the entire match with a 6-1 comeback to force extra points at 24-24. Hoffmann proved to be clutch in forcing a fifth set, with a kill followed by a partial block sealing the 26-24 set.
- After exchanging three-point rallies, the Wildcats put together a crucial 5-1 rally to put themselves in the driver's seat. A 6-2 reply tied things up at 11 apiece, but Edgewood College ran out of gas as St. Catherine put together four straight points to seal the set and match.
- Eivins put together her first Edgewood College double-double with 22 assists and 10 digs.
- Hoffmann tallied her first triple-double of the season with 12 kills, 13 assists, and 16 digs.
- Bruehlman continued her strong start with 13 kills, while Wille put together a monster 30 dig performance.
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Abbey Falk and Hoffmann each had four blocks.
- The Wildcats outhit the Eagles .077 to .070.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The victory over the Auggies was the Eagles' first in program history.
- Bruehlman's five aces was a career high at Edgewood College. Wille's 30 digs was also her career best.
- The match against St. Catherine was the first time the two squads have met in women's volleyball.
- Hoffmann's triple double was her first of the season. She was one of four players with five triple-doubles in Division III nation-wide in 2022.
UP NEXT
The Augsburg University Invite continues tomorrow. The Eagles will battle against the Wartburg Knights at 10 a.m. and the no. 18 Gustavus Adolphus Gusties with first serve scheduled for 2:30 p.m. The Eagles are 0-4 all-time versus the nationally ranked Gusties and 0-7 battling against the Knights.
