MADISON – The Edgewood College Eagles women's volleyball squad hosted a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) Tournament Semifinal at the Todd Wehr Edgedome Thursday evening. They faced down the Aurora Spartans in a rematch of last year's NACC Tournament Championship. The Eagles (23-9) regrouped after dropping the first set, holding off a tough Spartans (19-13) squad in a 3-1 (20-25, 25-18, 25-23, 25-21) showdown.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Edgewood College offense sputtered in the opening salvos as attack errors saw Aurora take an 8-3 lead. While the Eagles would respond with a 5-1 rally featuring four kills, the Spartans answered back with a 4-1 stretch to hold onto a 13-9 advantage. The squads matched blow for blow down the stretch as Edgewood College found themselves unable to make further gains as Aurora claimed the opening frame.
- While the Eagles nursed a two-point edge early in set two, a 3-0 stretch from the Spartans put them ahead 10-9. Edgewood College found momentum through their defense on a 6-3 stretch that featured three blocks. The Eagles took flight soon after with seven unanswered that saw them record two blocks, an ace, and four kills for a 22-14 tally on route to evening the match.
- Edgewood College took off the starting line with a 9-2 burst in set three. After using a timeout to regroup, the Spartans responded with a furious 10-2 barrage to claim a one-point edge. The Eagles hung tough as they looked for their opportunity to reclaim the lead. Down 21-19 late, Edgewood College rode four kills and two blocks on a 6-2 burst to claim a key 2-1 lead in the showdown.
- The Eagles had the wind at their backs to open the fourth set with a 6-2 advantage. While Aurora would even the set 7-7 with a 5-1 response, Edgewood College went on a 9-2 barrage to hold onto a 16-9 advantage. The Spartans would not go quietly, evening the set on an 8-1 explosion that featured three kills from Vance Lilly and two from Lulu Torres.
- The hosts would steady the ship on a rally that featured a key block from
Abbey Falk that broke the school record for blocks followed up by Falk sending home a kill to lift the Eagles to a 20-17 advantage. Edgewood College would clamp down on Aurora's comeback efforts to punch their ticket to a second-straight NACC Tournament Championship.
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Abigail Hoffmann played a pivotal role in the victory. She earned a 14-kill, 17-assist, 16-dig triple-double as well as five blocks and two aces.
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Cassidy Spies posted a 15-kill, 14-dig double-double while hitting .323 on 31 attempts.
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Abbey Eivins tallied 20 assists and 12 digs for a double-double of her own.
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Mia Hinkamper posted 19 digs as she played a key part in the Eagles' back court.
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Katie Borchert tallied 10 kills and four blocks in the victory.
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Payton Millin and
Abbey Falk tallied eight blocks each.
- The Eagles paved the way to victory with a 17-to-6 advantage in blocks, 8-to-2 edge in aces, and a .191-to.129 lead in hitting percentage.
- Hannah Evenson was outstanding at libero for the visitors. She posted 25 digs to lead the match.
- Three Spartans recorded double-double kills. Kate Poellmann led the way with 15, while Vance earned 14 and Torres 13.
- Hannah Joseph tallied a match-high 42 assists.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Falk broke the school's career blocks record in the match. She now has 531 blocks for her career, surpassing Mandie Armstrong (1995-98) and her 530 career blocks.
- Edgewood College's 17 blocks were tied for the second-most all-time in a single match (vs. Ripon, September 18, 2007)
- The Eagles have won four in a row against Aurora in the last two seasons. The Spartans lead the all-time series 13-11.
- Edgewood College has advanced to back-to-back NACC Tournament Championships and to three straight NACC Tournament Semifinals.
UP NEXT
The Eagles will battle with the Concordia Wisconsin Falcons at the Todd Wehr Edgedome with the NACC crown and an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Tournament on the line. First serve is scheduled for Saturday at noon.
