The No. 16 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater volleyball team used a strong defense and timely offensive play Saturday afternoon to defeat Edgewood 25-19, 27-25, 25-21 in a non-conference contest at Kris Russell Volleyball Arena.
 
The Warhawks (8-3 overall) held the Eagles to a .096 hitting percentage and posted 35 kills in their first two sets to pick up their third consecutive victory.
 
Senior outside hitter Lauren Pfeifer (Fort Atkinson, Wis./Fort Atkinson) and junior middle hitter Courtney Wagner (Dekalb, Ill./Dekalb) tallied 12 and 11 kills, respectively, to lead the offense. Wagner added a team-best four blocks, while Pfeifer collected seven digs.
 
Senior setter Staci Hasler (Sheboygan Falls, Wis./Sheboygan Falls) posted 31 assists, 10 digs and two blocks, and senior defensive specialist Tessa Weber (Pleasant Prairie, Wis./Tremper) contributed 15 digs and a team-high three service aces.
 
Sophomore libero Brittany Robinson (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls) led the back row with 18 digs.
 
The two teams went point-for-point in the first set until UW-Whitewater extended its lead to 18-14 on back-to-back kills from freshman outside hitter Rachel Butterfield (Milton, Wis./Milton) and Wagner. Edgewood (6-5) got no closer than two the rest of the way as the Warhawks took a 1-0 advantage.
 
In the second set, the two teams traded points again as neither led by more than three points the entire frame. The Eagles had a set point at 24-23, but UW-Whitewater thwarted it on a service error and a kill by Pfeifer to take a one-point lead.
 
Edgewood tied the set at 25-25, but Wagner registered consecutive kills to give the Warhawks a two-sets-to-none lead.
 
On Weber's serve, UW-Whitewater jumped out to a 4-0 advantage in the third, but the Eagles recovered with four straight points to tie it.
 
After Edgewood took a 14-13 lead, the Warhawks scored six of the next seven points to go ahead 19-15. The Eagles brought it to within one, but UW-Whitewater tallied four of the last six points in the set, punctuated by a kill by freshman middle hitter Ashton Doll (Lancaster, Wis./Lancaster) to end the match.
 
UW-Whitewater opens Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play Wednesday against No. 23 UW-Oshkosh. First serve at Russell Arena is slated for 7 p.m.