MADISON- The Edgewood College Eagles men's volleyball squad kicked off their 2025 season Thursday with a tough opponent. They faced off with the Augustana Vikings, receiving votes in the preseason AVCA poll. The Eagles (0-1) hung tough with the Vikings (1-0) but lost 3-0 (25-17, 25-16, 25-22).
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
- After the two teams battled out to a 5-5 start, Augustana carved out an 11-8 edge on a 6-3 stretch. Edgewood College hung around as they cut the lead down to one, but a 6-1 run gave the Vikings a 19-13 advantage. They would close out the first set on a 6-2 burst.
 
- The Eagles struggled with errors as Augustana held onto momentum for a 7-2 lead in the opening salvos of set two. Edgewood College would never lead in the set, falling 25-16 as the Vikings rolled to a 2-0 lead.
 
- The Eagles struck back in set three as a pair of blocks and a pair of kills pushed them to a 5-2 lead. The offense took over on a 5-1 burst as Edgewood College led 19-13 late. Augustana roared to life with a 12-3 explosion, rallying to clinch the sweep.
 
- The Vikings had a .243 to -.013 advantage in hitting percentage for the evening.
 
- Sean Carlson tallied nine kills and three aces with a .238 hitting percentage on 21 swings. He also earned three blocks
 
- Colin Schaefer anchored the offense and defense with 24 assists and nine digs.
 
- Tom Lamb posted five blocks.
 
- Gavin Patterson paced the Eagles with five kill and two aces.
 
- Will Gehrke earned 15 assists, while Jack Mullane paced the defense with four digs.
 
- Landon Sheridan earned four kills and four assists in his first match as an Eagle.
 
UP NEXT
Edgewood College will take the weekend off before returning to action at the Jim Coleman Memorial Invitational starting next Friday, January 24. They'll take on Southern Virginia, ranked first in the AVCA preseason poll and last season's NCAA runner-up, in Springfield, Ohio with first serve scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.