MADISON – The Edgewood College Eagles hosted an eventful tri-match at the Todd Wehr Edgedome Saturday. Facing off with the MSOE Raiders and the Wheaton Thunder, the Eagles (20-9, 11-1 NACC) went 2-0, sweeping the Raiders (12-17, 4-8) 3-0 (25-17, 25-17, 25-9) before taking down the Thunder (13-14) 3-1 (25-22, 22-25, 25-22, 25-22).
Abbey Falk became the second-ever Edgewood College player to reach 500 blocks in the match against MSOE.
MATCH ONE: EDGEWOOD COLLEGE 3, MSOE 0 (25-17, 25-17, 25-9)
- Four points in a row from the Raiders had the Eagles down three for the early portions of the first set. Down 13-10, Edgewood College hit the jets as MSOE struggled with errors during an Eagles 15-4 barrage to claim the first frame.
- Edgewood College ground out an 8-5 edge to start the second set. MSOE would eventually draw even on a 7-2 run to tie the squads at 17-17. The Eagles offense would slam the door shut on the set with eight-straight points, including a pair of aces and four kills.
- After nursing an 8-7 lead in the early points of set three, Edgewood College left little doubt on a titanic 17-2 explosion to emphatically close the book on the sweep. The Eagles held a .385 to -.152 advantage in hitting percentage in the set.
- Edgewood College outhit MSOE .316-to-.060 for the match. They posted 12 aces on route to victory.
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Cassidy Spies earned 12 kills on 20 attempts for a .600 hitting percentage. She also tallied eight digs.
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Mia Hinkamper anchored the back row with 12 digs. She also hit a pair of aces.
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Jennacy Wille excelled at serve with six aces.
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Abbey Eivins posted 17 assists, while
Abigail Hoffmann finished the first match with 15 assists and eight kills.
- Falk earned seven blocks in the victory.
Katie Borchert added four of her own.
MATCH TWO: EDGEWOOD COLLEGE 3, WHEATON 1 (25-22, 22-25, 25-22, 25-22)
- Four in a row had the Eagles ahead 9-4 early, but a 5-2 stretch helped the Thunder hang around. A 10-2 sprint from Edgewood College had them up 21-11. Wheaton mounted a furious comeback as they found their momentum on an 11-3 barrage, but a kill from Spies would seal the 1-0 lead in the match.
- While an 8-3 run gave the Eagles momentum ahead 12-8, the Thunder turned the tide of the set through their service game. They strung together eight-straight points, including four aces and three kills. Edgewood College clawed back into the set late with a 5-2 run featuring five kills, but Wheaton found another kill to take the set and even the match.
- After being tied 6-6, the Eagles would grind out a 16-11 advantage as the two teams traded blows. A 5-2 Thunder rally helped them keep pace with Edgewood College, but the Eagles matched Wheaton point for point after being up 17-15 to earn a 2-1 lead in the match.
- The Thunder pushed ahead in the fourth set as their offense clicked on a 6-1 rally to claim an 8-5 edge. The squads would trade 4-1 blows as Wheaton held onto their three-point edge. An 8-1 barrage put Edgewood College in a hole down 19-12. The Eagles would not be deterred, mounting a furious 9-1 comeback featuring four kills from Spies to take a 21-20 edge. The Thunder fought back with a pair of points, but a pair of Wheaton errors and a pair of Spies kills would seal the set and match on a thunderous comeback by Edgewood College.
- The Eagles held a .211-to-.172 edge in hitting percentage, but the Thunder defense proved to be stubborn with a 75-to-68 advantage in digs.
- Hoffmann posted 23 assists and eight kills, while Eivins rounded out the effective setter tandem with 21 assists.
- Wille earned 15 digs and three assists in the victory. Borchert swung for nine kills.
- Falk recorded eight blocks while Pond added six.
Payton Millin tallied four of her own.
- Hinkamper earned 19 digs as she continued to excel as the libero.
- Spies posted a 20-kill, 13-dig double-double. She earned a .318 hitting percentage on 44 attempts.
- Caroline Capps was a force for the Thunder. She hit 16 kills and five aces.
- Grace Autry and Jordan Benford anchored an effective Wheaton defense with 21 and 17 digs respectively. Ashton Major and Sydney Overweg held down the net with six and four blocks respectively.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Falk earned her 500th career block as a member of the women's volleyball team. She is one of two to do so in program history, her 510 blocks only trailing Mandie Armstrong (1995-98) and her 530.
- Hoffmann is now in sole possession of second on the all-time books for career aces. Her 155 aces passed Lindsey Swansy (2010-13) and Karen Rieder (1995-98) and their 152 aces.
- Pond reached 100 career blocks during the second match against Wheaton.
- Spies' .600 hitting percentage against MSOE is good for fourth on the single match record books. Her 20 kills versus the Thunder were her personal best as an Eagle.
- The 12 aces against the Raiders were the second-most on the season for Edgewood College.
- The Eagles have hit .211 or better in 10 of their last 11 matches. They have won 18 of their last 20 matches.
- Edgewood College has won 20 or more matches overall and 11 or more NACC matches in each of their last three seasons.
- Wille's six aces versus the Raiders were a personal best.
UP NEXT
The Edgewood College Eagles will hit the road for their regular season finale Wednesday. They will square off with the Benedictine Eagles in Lisle, Ill. with first serve scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in the NACC showdown.
