The Lakeland University women's volleyball team found its stride and came up with its best performances of the season Thursday night, sweeping a pair of matches from Edgewood College at the Moose & Dona Woltzen Gymnasium.

The Muskies handled the Eagles 25-23, 25-14, 25-18 in the opening match and then 25-13, 25-14, 25-22 in the nightcap of the doubleheader. Lakeland earned two decisive wins in battles between teams fighting for position in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference North Division and moved closer to clinching a spot in the NACC divisional playoffs.

The Muskies (4-5 overall, 4-4 NACC North) had easily their most efficient night on the attack, hitting .252 in the first match with 36 kills and 10 errors followed by an even better .256 mark in the second with 39 kills and just nine errors. Lakeland also was outstanding defensively and even on serve, finishing with 14 service aces on the night and regularly coming out on top of a number of long rallies between the teams.

The night started with a close first set that included 13 ties and seven lead changes and appeared to be a clear indicator of two evenly matched teams who would play well into the night. Edgewood (2-7 overall, 2-6 NACC North) even led 22-20 late in the set before a Lakeland timeout, but the hosts responded with five of the final six points to close out the set, including an ace by Sydney Pingitore (Jr.-Kenosha, Wis.) and two kills by Kelly Swope (Fr.-Heyworth, Ill.), the second on set point to give the Muskies an early lead.

The match turned in the second set, with Lakeland gaining firm control that it would not surrender until being challenged in the third set of the second match. Brelynn Scoles (Fr.-Kewaskum, Wis.) helped the Muskies get on a roll with four service aces and Lakeland won the second set convincingly and cruised through the third set too.

The Muskies also dominated the first and second sets of the second half of the doubleheader, and felt little pressure until the Eagles recovered from a 4-1 deficit in the third set to take an 8-6 lead. Edgewood would still lead by two at 12-10, but Lakeland scored the next five points, including a pair of kills by Megan Goeser (Sr.-Plymouth, Wis.), and would never trail again, with Goeser closing the match out with a kill on the Muskies' third match point.

Abby Baumgartner (Sr.-Kewaunee, Wis.) led Lakeland with 12 kills in the opening match, with Goeser posting seven kills, Swope finishing with six and Scoles adding five. Goeser, Swope and Scoles also combined for just two errors, hitting a collective .327 among them.

Goeser and Scoles both also finished with 10 kills each in the second match, with Baumgartner and Swope adding seven kills apiece. Scoles also finished with six service aces on the night

The Muskies also received terrific defense from Pingitore, Neenah Primas (Sr.-Oostburg, Wis.) and Maeve Sullivan (Fr.-Chicago, Ill.), who all registered double-digit dig numbers in both matches. Pingitore finished with 33 digs over two matches, with Sullivan adding 25 and Primas 20. Primas also posted 53 assists and Pingitore tied Scoles for the team lead with six service aces on the night.

Edgewood struggled with consistency in its attack throughout the night and hit .089 in the first match (33 kills, 22 errors) and .067 in the second (28 kills, 20 errors). Mackenzie Doherty led the Eagles with 18 kills on the night and Sarah Uczen racked up 51 digs, including 32 in the second match.