EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – Women's Volleyball continued action at the Sandy Schumacher Memorial Tournament Saturday. They took on the Coe Kohawks and the St. Catherine Wildcats. The Eagles (5-1) rode their offense to a 3-2 (20-25, 25-9, 25-16, 25-27, 15-8) victory over the Kohawks (3-3) and a 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 25-19) win over the Wildcats (2-5).
MATCH ONE: EDGEWOOD UNIVERSITY 3, COE 2 (20-25, 25-9, 25-16, 25-27, 15-8)
- The Eagles started red hot in set one, jumping ahead 7-2. The Kohawks clawed back and burst ahead late, a 12-2 run flipping the script and paving the way for a 1-0 lead in the match.
- Edgewood University bounced back in a big way in the second set. They soared ahead 11-3 and followed up shortly after with 10 unanswered points. The Eagles hit .500 in the set with 15 kills and only two errors.
- Edgewood University kept momentum rolling into the third set. Leading 10-7, a 7-1 rally all but put Coe away in the set. The Eagles hit .440 with 14 kills and three errors in the frame.
- The Kohawks battled back as they faced a do or die fourth set. After wrestling over small leads, a 6-1 Coe run put them ahead 17-12. Six unanswered from Edgewood University pulled them even at 20 apiece as the squads battled into extra points. Mistakes from the Eagles offense helped the Kohawks force a fifth set.
- Four in a row flipped momentum back in Edgewood University's favor to start the fifth set. A 5-1 stretch from the Eagles put Coe well behind the eight ball. Edgewood University tallied seven kills and one error on route for a 3-2 win.
- Explosive offense was the story of the day for the Eagles. They posted a 63-to-36 advantage in kills, a .275-to-.115 edge in hitting percentage and tallied 11 aces.
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Nida Zukauskaite stepped up with a 23-kill, 12-dig double-double. She hit .306 on 49 attempts.
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Reagan Siebler continued her strong start to her Edgewood University career with 14 kills on 26 attempts and a .385 hitting percentage.
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Natalie Murphy had a strong effort on offense with 12 kills and a .348 attack percentage.
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Laila Rasmussen and
Abbey Eivins continued to shine as a setting tandem. Rasmussen posted 20 assists as well as three aces, while Eivins led the way with 23 assists.
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Madison Amstutz tallied 14 digs as well as four aces, both team highs.
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Shannon Rusch played pivotal points for the defense with 12 digs.
Marina Hosticka and
Payton Millin held down the fort at the net with four and three blocks respectively.
MATCH TWO: EDGEWOOD UNIVERSITY 3, ST. CATHERINE 0 (25-20, 25-21, 25-19)
- The Eagles set the tone for the second match with a 4-1 start in the first frame. A 5-1 stretch pushed them further, as they held onto a four-point edge 16-12. The Wildcats bounced back with four unanswered to pull even, but Edgewood University responded in kind to keep them at arm's length on route to a 1-0 lead.
- St. Catherine led 5-2 early, but the Eagles roared to life with a 12-3 stretch as the offense had the wind at its back once more. Multiple 3-0 stretches from the Wildcats kept them on Edgewood University's heels but they were never able to overtake the high-flying Eagles.
- St. Catherine started off the third frame with a two-point edge that proved to be stubborn. Edgewood University finally broke through in the middle of the frame with a 6-2 stretch pushing them ahead 15-13. The Eagles offense once again hit the gas to help close the match, a 5-1 run all but putting away the set and match.
- Edgewood University outhit the Wildcats .239-to-.165. They held a 42-to-30 edge in kills over St. Catherine as well.
- Murphy, Zukauskaite, and Siebler each had nine kills. Zukauskaite added on a pair of aces.
- Rasmussen and Eivins both posted 16 assists, with Rasmussen tacking on two aces.
- Amstutz played key points on offense and defense with 13 digs and two aces.
- Hosticka once again stepped up at the net with four blocks.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The 63 kills against Coe were the most as a team since the 2022 season (Dubuque, 63 kills, October 19, 2022). They are also the most of any NACC team in a single match this season.
- Zukauskaite's 23 kills against the Kohawks were a career best.
- Zukauskaite has hit .237 or better in four of six matches this season.
- Rusch's 12 digs against Coe were a career high.
- Hosticka paces the NACC with 1.11 blocks per set.
- Zukauskaite and Murphy were named to the All-Tournament Team.
UP NEXT
The Eagles return home to the Todd Wehr Edgedome Tuesday for a tri-match. They will host the Carthage Firebirds and UW-Oshkosh Titans, ranked number one in the latest AVCA Division III poll. First serve against the Firebirds is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. and against the No. 1 and defending national champion Titans at 8:00 p.m.
