MADISON, Wis. (naccsports.org) --- Top-seeded Edgewood University captured its third consecutive Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) women's volleyball tournament title with a 3-0 sweep over third-seeded Aurora University Saturday afternoon at the Todd Wehr Edgedome.
A thunderous kill by Nida Zukauskaite allowed the hosts to escape the first set with a 25-23 win. The Eagles had led 24-21 only to see Aurora erase a pair of set points before Zukauskaite brought down the hammer to close out the frame.
With temperatures reaching an unseasonably warm 68 degrees outside, Edgewood began to heat up inside the Edgedome in the second set. Aurora jumped out to a 4-1 lead to start the second set, but Edgewood clawed its way back to tie it at 4-4. The Eagles surged out in front, leading 16-13 and 20-15 as the Spartans exhausted their two timeouts in the frame. Edgewood won the final five points out of the second timeout, closing the set on a 7-0 run to grab a 2-0 lead overall.
The Eagles hit .225 in the second set with 14 kills on just 40 attacks, while holding the Spartans to a -.044 hitting effort with just seven kills. Edgewood also had six blocks in the second set alone.
Edgewood controlled the third set virtually from start to finish, opening the set with an Abbey Eivins ace and back-to-back kills by Natalie Murphy. Aurora answered with the next two points but would get no closer as the Eagles seemingly scored two points for every Spartan point down the stretch. Edgewood won five of the last seven points to close out the match, finishing the third set with a .300 hitting percentage on 16 kills.
After the slow start in the first set, the Eagles finished the match hitting .180 with 44 kills. Edgewood also had 12 blocks. Aurora hit just .048 with 31 kills but was able to keep the match close early with four first-set blocks.
Katie Borchert, who was named Tournament MVP, led all players with 15 kills while hitting .239. She also had seven digs and four blocks (one solo). Natalie Murphy and Molly Amendt each had nine kills with Murphy chipping in three digs and a pair of block assists, while Amendt had five digs and four block assists. Marina Hosticka was not credited with a kill but made her presence known at the net with seven block assists. Abbey Eivins (19) and Kate Gunderson (18) accounted for the majority of Edgewood's 44 assists, while Mia Hinkamper had a match-high 20 digs.
Aurora was led by Katelyn Ruse, who posted an 11-kill, 10-dig double-double. Trinity Nelson added 25 assists and seven digs, while Peyton Darguzis had three kills and six blocks (one solo). Katie Brisk and Carolyn Lippe each posted a team-high 12 digs.
With the tournament victory, the Eagles (24-6) earned the NACC's automatic berth in the 2025 NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championship. Edgewood will learn its regional assignment and opening-round opponent on a selection show at noon CT Monday, Nov. 17 at NCAA.com.
2025 NACC Women's Volleyball All-Tournament Team
Katie Borchert, Edgewood (MVP)
Mia Hinkamper, Edgewood
Payton Millin, Edgewood
Riley Moreno, Aurora
Katelyn Ruse, Aurora
Brianna Lundt, Concordia Wisconsin
Abby Proefrock, Concordia Wisconsin
Brooke Rifkin, Illinois Tech
Karla Trautmann Mendez, Illinois Tech