AURORA, ILL. – Men's Volleyball kicked off NACC play Friday night with a nationally-ranked foe. They faced off with the Aurora Spartans, ranked No. 15 in the latest AVCA poll. The Eagles (1-6, 0-1 NACC) battled valiantly, but the Spartans (8-1, 1-0) claimed a 3-0 (25-17, 25-22, 25-20) victory.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Edgewood College hung tough early in the first set, but Aurora put together a 7-2 run to pull ahead 13-7. Three kills fueled a 4-0 stretch for the Eagles to close within two, but an 8-1 rally from the Spartans put them far in the lead as they headed to a 1-0 match lead.
 
- After Edgewood College battled to a 14-all tie in frame two, the Eagles pulled ahead 16-15. Aurora grinded back into a 21-21 tie, before a 4-1 stretch clinched a 2-0 advantage.
 
- The Eagles jumped out to a 7-5 lead in the third frame and kept the pressure on. A strong offense and Spartans mistakes fueled a 5-2 rally as Edgewood College held onto a 12-7 advantage. Aurora managed to claw back momentum with five unanswered points to battle back to a draw, but three straight in response from the Eagles pushed them to a 15-12 advantage. The Spartans took over the set on a 10-3 sprint and finished off Edgewood College with a 3-1 run featuring three kills.
 
- Aurora won the hitting battle .286-to.176. They held a 10-to-3 advantage in aces and a 41-to-28 gap in kills.
 
- Three Spartans earned eight or more kills. Mateo Scharosch paced the squad with nine kills and a .500 hitting percentage.
 
- Reece Wiatrowski led both teams with four aces.
 
- Logan Brouwer fueled the Aurora offense with 37 assists.
 
- Owen Hartjes tallied eight kills and a .368 hitting percentage on 19 attempts.
 
- Carsyn Stringfellow recorded seven kills and a .500 hitting percentage on 10 swings.
 
- Will Gehrke earned 22 assists and Gavin Patterson seven digs.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The match was Edgewood College's third against a nationally-ranked foe this season.
 
UP NEXT
The Eagles will return to the friendly confines of the Todd Wehr Edgedome Tuesday evening. They'll take on the Viterbo V-Hawks with first serve scheduled for 7:00 p.m.