MADISON, Wis. – The Edgewood University Eagles women's volleyball squad earned the top seed in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) postseason for the third straight season and claimed sole possession of the regular season title. They will host the eight seed, the Benedictine Eagles, in a NACC Tournament Quarterfinal match.

THE BASICS
- No. 1 Edgewood University (22-6, 13-0 NACC) vs. No. 8 Benedictine (11-16, 6-7 NACC)
- Madison, Wis. (Todd Wehr Edgedome)
- Tuesday, November 11, 7:00 p.m.
- Live Links

EDGEWOOD UNIVERSITY ROSTER | EDGEWOOD UNIVERSITY SCHEDULE | EDGEWOOD UNIVERSITY STATS

BENEDICTINE ROSTER | BENEDICTINE SCHEDULE | BENEDICTINE STATS

2025 NACC WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT PAGE

HOW THEY GOT HERE
- Edgewood University played a loaded schedule on route to their third-straight NACC regular season title. They played five teams ranked in the November 4 edition of the AVCA Division III poll, including three in the top five. They defeated No. 20 Dubuque earlier this year at the Edgedome.

- Edgewood University played a pair of critical NACC matches late in the season to clinch their third-straight title. They defeated St. Norbert 3-1 (13-25, 25-22, 25-21, 26-24) at the Edgedome on October 23, before digging deep to rally for a 3-2 (25-18, 21-25, 17-25, 29-27, 15-6) victory against Aurora on November 1 to claim the crown.

- Edgewood University once again found success at the net, fifth nationally in Division III with 2.47 blocks per set as a team. They were fourth in the NACC holding opponents to .126 hitting percentage on the season. Payton Millin paced the team with 1.18 blocks per set, good for second in the conference and 17th nationally, while Mia Hinkamper was second in the league with 4.78 digs per set. Millin's 111 blocks led the NACC and was 16th in Division III.

- Natalie Murphy and Marina Hosticka round out the core of Edgewood University blockers with .90 and .84 blocks per set respectively, good for fifth and sixth in the NACC.

- Katie Borchert fuels the Edgewood University attack, pacing the squad in kills per set (3.46) which is good for third in the NACC. Her 2.65 hitting percentage is the best among all Edgewood University hitters (min. 50 attempts). She is second on the squad with 253 digs.

- Abbey Eivins and Kate Gunderson have been an effective setter tandem all season. Eivins has a team-high 480 assists and Gunderson 390. Gunderson heads the team with 35 aces while Eivins is second with 30. They both contribute defensively as well, Eivins with 178 digs and Gunderson 164.

- Nida Zukauskaite has swung for 251 kills this season, second on the team.

- A six-match winning streak late in the season for Benedictine helped them push into the NACC Tournament. They fought hard with multiple NACC Tournament squads, conceding 3-2 losses to Illinois Tech and Wisconsin Lutheran.

- Jordan Vanarsdale has been a force at the net with 1.21 blocks per set, first in the NACC and 14th in Division III. 

- Sophia Sommesi has been leading the way on offense and defense with 283 kills and 333 digs. She is also second on the team with 53 blocks.

- Amanda Bagdonaite and Brooke Wisniewski both surpassed 200 digs with 293 and 206 respectively. Bagdonaite leads the team with 39 aces.

- Olivia Evola and Taylor Coutts have 411 and 298 assists respectively as another strong setting pair.
 
LAST MEETING
- The two teams met at Benedictine on October 25. Edgewood University earned a 3-1 (25-22, 25-15, 27-29, 25-17) victory for their 10th NACC win of the season.

- Zukauskaite and Borchert formed an impressive swinging tandem with 17 and 16 kills respectively. Borchert earned a double-double with 19 digs as well.

- Gunderson and Eivins continued to perform well as a setter duo. Eivins recorded 23 assists, while Gunderson earned a 21-assist, 15-dig double-double.

- Hinkamper shined at libero with 24 digs.

- Sommesi was a force for Benedictine. She had a 20-kill, 21-dig double-double with four blocks to her name.

- Vanarsdale paced both teams with five blocks. Coutts tallied a 36-assist, 13-dig double-double.
 
THE FIELD
- St. Norbert will host Illinois Tech up in De Pere, Wis. A high-flying Green Knight offense leads the conference with .216 attack percentage and is 25th nationally with 13.12 kills per set, while the Scarlet Hawks look to slow them down with their stout defense, holding opponents to a league-low .115 hitting percentage good for 38th in Division III. Heidi Colburn is third in the league with 8.66 assists per set and Mari Szews leads the league with a .361 hitting percentage, 20th overall in the country. London Francis plays a key part for the Illinois Tech defense with a team-high .80 blocks per set.

- Aurora will square off against Wisconsin Lutheran down south. The Spartans bring a balanced effort to the NACC Tournament, second in the league with a .203 hitting percentage and a .118 opposing hitting percentage. The Warriors bring a fierce service game, leading the league with 2.55 aces per set. Trinity Nelson fuels the Aurora offense with a conference-best 9.73 assists per set, good for 28th in Division III. Lydia Biggin has been a centerpiece for Wisconsin Lutheran, recording the only triple-double in the NACC and finishing 47th nationally and second in the conference with 430 total points. 

- In the 4-5 match, Lakeland will welcome Concordia Wisconsin to Plymouth, Wis. The Muskies are fueled by an impressive season from Samya Hughes, leading the league and 28th in Division III with 4.07 kills per set. The Falcons will look to return to the NACC Tournament Final with a well-oiled machine. Brianna Lundt leads the NACC and is 40th in the country with 5.04 digs per set. 
 
NACC TOURNAMENT HISTORY
-  Edgewood University enters the postseason tournament seeking its third-straight NACC Tournament title. They claimed their third-straight regular season crown and top overall seed.

- The Eagles have made the NACC Tournament 14 times since 2007, all under head coach Paul Schlomer, and three NCAA appearances (2011, 2023, 2024).