DUBUQUE, Iowa – Women's Volleyball hit the road Saturday to continue nonconference action. They battled with the North Central Cardinals and the Wartburg Knights in the Loras Invitational. The Eagles (7-3) put together a strong offensive showing in a 3-1 (25-19, 20-25, 25-18, 25-11) victory over the Cardinals (3-4), but the Knights (8-5) rode a stout defense to a 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-17) victory.
MATCH ONE: EDGEWOOD UNIVERSITY 3, NORTH CENTRAL (ILL.) 1 (25-19, 20-25, 25-18, 25-11)
- The Eagles stormed ahead 8-3 to start the match and kept their momentum rolling. Edgewood University picked up the pace late, a 7-2 rally pulling them ahead 19-10 as the Cardinals had no answer. The Eagles hit .313 in the set.
- North Central slowed down Edgewood University in set two. An 8-3 rally gave the Cardinals a pivotal 15-10 advantage. While four unanswered from the Eagles tied the set 17-17, North Central finished off the set on an 8-3 run sparked by a pair of aces.
- After starting the third frame down 3-0, Edgewood University replied with five in a row as they found their swing once more. A 9-2 explosion from the Eagles put the Cardinals well behind the eight ball 17-9 and a follow-up 4-1 stretch expanded the lead to 21-11 as they raced to a 2-1 lead.
- Edgewood University looked unstoppable in the fourth set. They launched ahead 10-3 and never looked back. They hit 15 kills with a lone error for a .667 hitting percentage in the final frame as they left no doubt in the fourth set.
- The Eagles impressed on offense, outhitting North Central .317-to-.085. They had 52 kills and 50 digs.
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Nida Zukauskaite,
Natalie Murphy, and
Reagan Siebler all shined on offense. Zukauskaite posted 14 kills alongside nine digs and a .344 hitting percentage.
- Murphy and Siebler each had 11 kills. Murphy added four blocks and a .333 hitting percentage while Siebler tacked on three aces and a .360 hitting percentage.
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Abbey Eivins and
Laila Rasmussen kept the Edgewood University engine humming on offense with 24 and 14 assists respectively.
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Madison Amstutz held down the fort on defense with a match-high 20 digs.
MATCH TWO: WARTBURG 3, EDGEWOOD UNIVERSITY 0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-17)
- A 9-1 rally in the middle of the first frame had the Knights well ahead. While the Eagles surged late with a 7-1 sprint to draw even at 19, Wartburg outlasted Edgewood University 6-3 to close out the first set.
- The Knights jumped out ahead 8-3 in the second set before the Eagles replied with an 8-1 sprint to pull ahead 11-9. Wartburg swung things back in their favor with a 6-0 run, but Edgewood University posted three in a row to tie things at 20. Once again the Knights finished off the set, a 5-2 stretch pushing them up 2-0.
- After keeping on Wartburg's tail early, a 12-3 explosion all but put away the set and match in the Knights favor. Wartburg outhit the Eagles in the third set .184 to -.025.
- The Knights rode a strong defense to victory with a 11-to-5 advantage in blocks and a 50-to-43 gap in digs.
- Aslynn Hodges led all hitters with 17 kills. Alexa Buhman posted 28 assists.
- Anna Sash tallied four blocks. Gracie Hoskins and Peyton Robinson earned 16 and 14 digs respectively.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Edgewood University has won back-to-back games over North Central (Ill.)
- The Eagles allow the lowest opposing kills per set (9.69) and assists per set (8.81) in the NACC.
UP NEXT
Edgewood University hits the road for more nonconference action Tuesday. They will travel to Stevens Point, Wis. to take on the UW-Stevens Point Pointers. First serve is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
