The Eagles are making a statement in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, winning five matches in the past two weeks while only dropping two sets.

Only Northern Michigan managed to even win a set against the Eagles, with Michigan Tech, Lake Erie, Lake Superior State and Saginaw State Valley all losing 3-0.

Ashland opened up its home schedule at Kates Gymnasium on Sept. 21 against Michigan Tech, a match that was dominated by AU from start to finish. The Eagles cruised to a 25-20, 25-17, 25-19 victory, a nice bounce-back win after their loss to Wayne State the week before.

Senior Brittany Snider led the team in kills with 16, while senior Crystal Elliott had the team-high in digs with 16, as well as 35 assists.

The next afternoon was one of the tougher tests the Eagles have had this year. Ashland slugged out a win against Northern Michigan 25-16, 20-25, 20-25, 29-27, 15-10 in a tense matchup. The Wildcats entered the match with a 10-2 record, and the Eagles anticipated a tough match.

The opening set looked great for the Eagles, as they opened up big leads of 10-4 and 16-8 before putting away the set relatively easily. Despite this strong opening set, Ashland knew the match would not go as easily.

The second and third sets were both won by NMU and it seemed that absolutely nothing could go Ashland’s way. The ball simply could not fall on the Wildcats’ side.

Following consecutive 25-20 losses, the Eagles were down to their last set. In a back and forth affair, they managed to come from behind and take the set 29-27 in a dramatic fashion.

This victory drained the life out of NMU, and the final set was thoroughly controlled by AU on the way to winning the match. This was a crucial win, proving the team has what it takes to win a tough match.

The team then went on the road for three matches, beginning with Lake Erie. This was yet another dominant effort from the Eagles, who won 25-18, 25-12, 25-16 in a swift and easy match.

Junior Kate Eckels nearly recorded a double double, registering 11 kills and nine digs, while Elliott stuffed the stat sheet with four kills, 22 assists, three aces and four digs.

The team followed the win over Lake Erie with a trip to Lake Superior State for what was yet another beat down. The Eagles won in straight sets again, with scores of 25-18, 25-16 and 25-14. Snider led the team with 16 kills, while Junior Susie Jonas had eight.

Ashland concluded its week of play with a match against Saginaw Valley State.

The Eagles took care of the Cardinals in yet another sweep, 25-21, 25-21, 25-23. This was actually a competitive match, but the Eagles pulled it out late.

The first and second sets were controlled by Ashland the entire way, but the Cardinals were always within striking distance.

However, the third set was controlled by SVSU until Elliott tied the match up with a kill at 23 before two attack errors gave the Eagles their fifth straight win.

Ashland is now 13-2 overall and 6-1 in the conference. The Eagles are currently tied for third place in the GLIAC with Ferris State behind Northwood and Wayne State, who are both undefeated in conference play.

Ashland continues conference play on the road, traveling to Ferris State (12-3, 6-1) tomorrow before heading to Grand Valley State (11-4, 4-3) on Saturday.