Eagles Dominate First Day at Gray Wolf Invite

SYLVANIA, Ohio – Asbury had little trouble on the first day of the Gray Wolf Invitational hosted by Lourdes College.  The Eagles swept by Lourdes and Lawrence Tech on Friday to extend their match win streak to 10 and their set win streak to 28.  Asbury defeated Lourdes 25-22, 25-15, 25-19 and Lawrence Tech 25-12, 25-13, 25-22.

Asbury (11-3) overcame a sluggish start against Lourdes as they hit only .198 and responded by hitting .333 against LTU.  The Eagles haven’t played a match since September 6th.  Brittney Rader led the squad with 20 kills on the day, 11 coming against Lourdes.  She was the only Eagle in double-figures in either match.  Allison Rehner, .407 and 14 kills, Lindsay Ibold, .375 and 15 kills, and Sarah Sterling, .333 and 10 kills also finished in double-figures for the day.

Both opponents on the day didn’t help themselves as Lourdes hit only .022 and LTU hit .111 on the day, both committing 19 errors.  The Eagles were also a force at the net against LTU, blocking 10 balls as Ibold and Rehner each had three block assists in the match.  Kelly Cole dug 13 balls in each match as Asbury got to 42 attacks against Lourdes and 36 against LTU.

Mackenzie Burke passed the 1,000 assist mark with 41 on the day, 22 against Lourdes and 19 against LTU.  Jessie Bartlow added 22 assists on the day. 

The Eagles will finish out round-robin play in the Gray Wolf Invitational on Saturday morning at 10 a.m. and with a win secures a spot in the championship game at 4 p.m.  The consolation game will be played at 2 p.m.