PLYMOUTH, Wis. – Susana Stevens (Jr.-Las Cruces, N.M.) and Kelly Swope (Sr.-Heyworth, Ill.) combined for 23 kills and the Lakeland University women's volleyball team wasted little time in taking down the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference leaders with an impressive three-set sweep Saturday afternoon at the Moose & Dona Woltzen Gymnasium.

The Muskies prevailed 25-22, 25-21, 25-21, handing the Eagles their first conference loss and less than 48 hours after Edgewood had defeated perennial NACC heavyweight Aurora University in five sets in a battle between the two conference teams without a loss entering Thursday. Saturday left no teams in the league without a loss, and Lakeland improved to 10-10 overall and 5-3 in conference while extending its winning streak to a season-long four matches.

The Muskies brought their best against the NACC's best team entering the day and as a result handled the Eagles in convincing fashion. Lakeland played from ahead a good portion of the match, and even when Edgewood (14-6 overall, 7-1 NACC) built leads early in the second and third sets the Muskies quickly ran the visitors down and were in control by the late stages of the set.

Stevens finished with 12 kills and Swope added 11 kills, and both had their best hitting percentages in a match this season, with Stevens hitting .357 with 12 kills and just two errors in 28 attacks and Swope tying her season high in kills and with just two errors in 23 swings for a stellar .391 hitting percentage.

Katie Metzler (Sr.-Kewaunee, Wis.) also added a season-high seven blocks, including three solo blocks, and Lakeland finished with nine blocks as a team, three more than the Eagles. The Muskies also helped limit Edgewood to a .079 hitting percentage, the Eagles' second-lowest mark of the season.

Lakeland took control of the first set early, with an 8-2 run including two blocks from Metzler on the way to an early 15-10 lead. Edgewood came back with the next four points, and eventually cut erased a late four-point deficit to tie at 22-22, but Swope posted a kill for the lead and finished with an ace on set point to give the Muskies the early lead in the match.

The Eagles bolted out to a quick 10-2 lead in the second set, but the Muskies showed no panic and didn't need much time to erase the entire deficit. A 9-1 run included aces by Katelyn Kitsembel (So.-Lake Mills, Wis.) and Maeve Sullivan (Sr.-Chicago, Ill.), Caitlyn Pernsteiner (Fr.-Arpin, Wis.) added a pair of kills in the run, and Lakeland never trailed again in the set, leading by as many as four late.

The third set followed a similar script, with Edgewood taking a quick 6-1 run before the Muskies quickly closed back in. An Eagles hitting error tied the score at 10-10, and though the guests built the lead back to three at 13-10, Lakeland took the lead back with a 6-1 run of its own, with Metzler and Stevens combining on a block for a 16-14 lead. The Muskies would never trail again, and Metzler and Pernsteiner shared the block on the second match point to complete the win.

Lakeland hit .195 as a team with 38 kills to 15 errors, and the Muskies hit .237 and .257 in the first two sets. Sullivan led the back row defense with 13 digs and became the 16th Lakeland player to top 1,000 digs for her career. Roseily Carrasquillo (Jr.-Yabucoa, Puerto Rico) led the setters with 17 assists and Emily Dickmann (Fr.-Grafton, Wis.) added 14 assists.

Abigail Hoffmann led Edgewood with 10 kills, 12 assists and nine digs and Jennacy Wille added a match-high 14 digs.

Lakeland is on the road for its next match when it travels to take on Alverno College Thursday night in Milwaukee at 7 p.m.