(6MADISON – The Edgewood College Eagles women's volleyball squad returned to the Todd Wehr Edgedome Saturday for a Homecoming tri-match. They squared off with the Loras Duhawks and the UW-La Crosse Eagles. Edgewood College (7-8) rolled, taking home a 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 25-17) sweep of the Duhawks (8-8) and following it up with a 3-0 (27-25, 25-15, 25-20) victory over UW-La Crosse (6-14).
MATCH ONE: EDGEWOOD COLLEGE 3, LORAS 0 (25-23, 25-22, 25-17)
- The teams traded blows early, four straight from Edgewood College matched by five in a row from the Duhawks as the visitors took an 8-6 edge. A 7-2 sprint had Edgewood College ahead 16-13, but a 9-4 Loras burst put them in the driver's seat late up by a point. The Edgewood College offense clicked late on a 5-1 run to the finish line with three kills and an ace.
- A 9-2 run had Edgewood College flying ahead 12-7 as the Duhawks struggled with errors. Loras would close within 18-16 off a 5-2 stretch. Edgewood College would follow it up with a 5-2 answer, before the Duhawks struck back with a 6-3 response to stay within 24-22, but Edgewood College would close out the set and a 2-0 lead.
- Loras had the wind at their back in the early portion of the third set, a 7-2 run with four kills, two blocks, and an ace leaving them ahead 14-8. Edgewood College would not be denied the sweep, flipping the script and slamming the door shut on the set and match with a 17-3 explosion.
- Four Edgewood College hitters had seven or more kills.
Cassidy Spies paced the group with nine kills, while
Katie Borchert tallied eight. Both hit .250 in the first match.
- Edgewood College outhit the Duhawks .284-to-.186.
-
Abbey Falk was a force at the net. She had a match-high eight blocks and added on seven kills.
-
Abigail Hoffmann and
Abbey Eivins were a formidable setter tandem with 16 and 17 assists respectively. They also contributed seven and six digs respectively.
-
Mia Hinkamper anchored the back row with 16 digs, while
Zoee Pond added in four blocks in front.
- Autumn Finch posted 12 kills, seven blocks, and seven digs.
- Sophie Younkin earned a 10-kill, 13-dig double-double.
- Sara Hoskins anchored the Loras offense with 30 assists.
MATCH TWO: EDGEWOOD COLLEGE 3, UW-LA CROSSE 0 (27-25, 25-15, 25-20)
- While a 5-2 run had UW-La Crosse ahead 11-8, Edgewood College swung momentum into their court with a 7-3 sprint for a 15-14 edge. They would grind out a 23-20 edge, but a 5-1 run with a pair of aces and a pair of kills had UW-La Crosse up 25-24. Edgewood College recollected themselves with three straight kills to put away the first set.
- A 5-0 stretch put Edgewood College ahead 10-6 over UW-La Crosse. While the visitors would claw down the Edgewood College lead to 14-11, Edgewood College rolled over UW-La Crosse with a 11-4 finisher for a 2-0 lead in the match.
- An 8-3 rally had Edgewood College on the right footing to start the third set. Four unanswered tied up the set at 10 apiece, and UW-La Crosse kept on Edgewood College's heels with their service game, hanging within a point for a good portion of the later salvos. The Edgewood College defense clamped down with five points in a row featuring four blocks late as they closed the book on back-to-back sweeps on Homecoming.
- Edgewood College outhit UW-La Crosse .255 to .069.
- Hoffmann paced Edgewood College with 12 kills. She also contributed 14 assists, eight digs, four blocks, and two aces.
- Falk earned eight kills and four blocks, while Spies tallied eight kills and eight digs.
- Hinkamper excelled on offense and defense with 16 digs and four aces.
- Eivins led Edgewood College with 24 assists.
- Jackie Oetterer had 10 assists and 10 digs, both highs for UW-La Crosse.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Edgewood College has won two in a row over Loras. The all-time series is tied 6-6.
- Edgewood College has now won back-to-back matches over UW-La Crosse.
- Hinkamper has now hit four aces on three separate occasions. The tally is her personal best.
UP NEXT
Edgewood College hits the road for their final road non-conference matches of the season Tuesday. They'll take on the UW-Oshkosh Titans and Carthage Firebirds in Oshkosh, Wis. with first serve scheduled for 4:00 p.m. The Titans are ranked no. 2 in the latest national AVCA Division III poll.
