The Eagles soared throughout last weekend’s Ashland University Volleyball Tournament as they went away with a perfect four wins to start the 2023 campaign.  

With questions arising on whether or not the team could remain a top team in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference, they put those doubts on the back burner.

The action began on Friday, as the Eagles went down a set early in their first game of the season against New Haven. However, the Eagles stormed right back winning three straight sets to secure the victory thanks to efforts from freshman Henlie Krause, who led the team with 13 kills, and senior Makenna Belcher, who led the team with 15 digs.

The second game was a five-set thriller, with the Eagles dropping the first two 25-22, 25-23, before going on to win the next three 25-21, 25-21 and finally 15-12.

The Eagles fought hard, led by junior Bailey Ruth with 17 kills and a combination of freshman Kylee Urban and junior Georgi Moody who led the team with 31 and 23 assists, respectively.  

On Saturday for the final day of the tournament, the Eagles took care of business in two straight sets, beating both the University of Wisconsin-Parkside and D’youville to finish the tournament with a perfect 4-0 overall record.

The Eagles took command of both games, thanks to the work of Ruth, who tallied 21 kills on the day. 

After another stellar day of play, Urban, lead the team in both service aces with seven and assists with 83. She also now sits top five for the Eagles in digs.

Moving forward, Ruth leads the team in both kills and is tied for blocks on the team as they prepare to go on the road for a non-conference tournament. The Cedarville transfer looks to bolster the already loaded front row of the Eagles, as she joins with fifth- year senior Anna Krikke and Belcher.   

The Eagles now look to take on the out-of-conference competition on Friday, Sept. 8 as they take on McKendree with play set to begin at 9 a.m. in the Uindy Invitational.