The Ashland University women’s volleyball team finished their season against No. 3 Lewis in the NCAA Regional Quarterfinals on Dec. 1. 

The Eagles finished their GLIAC season 12-5 and placed second in the tournament for the first time since 2013. 

Their home stance, however, was undefeated with a 11-0 record with a 23-11 overall record.

In the playoff match against the No. 3 seed Lewis, the Eagles fell 3-1 (27-25, 21-25,21-25,16-25).

The Eagles took the first set before Lewis took the next three. 

The second and third set brought a hard fight from the Eagles before they dropped the sets 25-21. Miscommunication and errors put the Eagles behind and gave way for the Flyers to take the lead. 

In the fourth set, the Eagles fell to the Flyers 16-25. 

Senior Alli Cudworth recorded 18 kills while freshman Shelby Woycik trailed closely behind with 16 kills. 

Sophomore setter, Kayla Pfeiffer had 42 assists and libero Melanie Aguayo led the team with 19 digs.

Throughout the season the Eagles have shown dedication, determination, and persistence. Their 12-5 GLIAC record earned them a second place finish in the GLIAC Tournament for the first time in three years. Even when the Eagles were down in their matches, they showed the persistence and determination that coach Cass Dixon taught them and finished their season in a NCAA playoff game. 

The first game of the season brought an explosive win that started a four game winning streak. The Eagles started their season in September with a win over Lock Haven in the Angelina Miele Memorial Tournament in Pennsylvania. The tournament continued and brought the Eagles to 4-0. Cudworth started her last season leading the team in kills in three out of the four games in the tournament. 

Their first loss of the season came from a match against Truman (3-1) at the University of Indianapolis Tournament. The rest of the tournament brought a 3-1 win, 3-2 loss, and a 3-1 loss. 

The Eagles kicked off their home season with a win against the Malone Pioneers (3-0)  to improve their record to 6-3 on the season. Clark had 11 kills and 12 digs, while Kaitlin Bean recorded 10 kills. Pfeiffer recorded 33 assists and nine digs. The win against the Pioneers was coach Cass Dixon’s 100th win.

After two straight losses, the Eagles came back to win four straight games against Michigan Tech, Northern Michigan, Tiffin, and Lake Superior St. 

Going into October, the Eagles record was 10-5 before opening October with three straight losses against Saginaw Valley St., Ferris St., and Grand Valley St. 

Coming back from three straight losses, the Eagles made a comeback winning nine straight games in a row, making it the longest streak of the season. 

The Eagles started their streak against Bellarmine at Aurora at the Midwest Region Volleyball Crossover in a two day three game tournament. Coming back from the tournament, the Eagles hosted GLIAC conference rivals Northwood and Hillsdale. 

A loss against Wheeling Jesuit ended the winning streak before the Eagles made another small winning streak, winning two games before continuing into the GLIAC quarterfinals. 

The senior night win in the match against the Wayne State Warriors secured the Eagles in the second place spot in the GLIAC South Division. Alli Cudworth recorded a game high of 10 kills and seven digs. Aguayo also added 11 digs. Seniors Mallory Slyder, Cudworth, and Casey Clark were all recognized for their accomplishments in the season and previous seasons. 

Moving into the GLIAC Tournament Quarterfinal match against the Wayne State Warriors, the Eagles defeated the Warriors 3-2. Woycik and Reanne Neal started the match off for the Eagles coming out strong in the first set 25-11. 

After making it to a deciding fifth set, the Eagles trailed behind by two points to come from behind and score five consecutive points. Pfeiffer recorded 29 assists and 16 digs while Woycik had 12 kills. Cudworth also added 13 kills and 14 digs for a double-double. Clark ended the game with 19 kills, seven digs, and five block assists.

The GLIAC Tournament Semifinals brought another win for the Eagles against Lake Erie 3-2. 

After a 2-0 lead by the Storm, the Eagles came out on top winning the third and fourth sets to tie the match at 2-2. 

In the fifth deciding set, brought a back and forth battle between both teams before the Eagles took the set, winning the match and advancing to the GLIAC Tournament Championship. 

Alli Cudworth ended the game with 11 kills and 20 digs. 

She also became the third player in program history and the second in the season to have 1,000 career kills and 1,000 career digs. Freshman Shelby Woycik set a career high in kills recording 25. 

Fellow freshman Sophi Cudworth also recorded 13 kills while Clark added 11 kills and 15 digs. 

Neal was also on the board with 10 kills.  Pfeiffer added a career high as well with 59 assists. 

The GLIAC Championship game brought a loss for the Eagles against No.1 seed Ferris State. 

The Eagles then were selected with an at large bid to play in the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Quarterfinals against No.3 seed Lewis. Ashland lost the game 3-0 ending their season.

Clark and Alli Cudworth will end their careers at AU as the second and third person to join the 1,000 kill and 1,000 dig club at AU.