The Onalaska Hilltoppers will head out on the road to challenge the Edgewood Crusaders on Saturday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
Onalaska had won two straight games and Isabella Eckstein did her part to make it three on Tuesday. The Hilltoppers came within a single set of losing the streak, but they secured a 3-2 W against Aquinas for which the team can thank Eckstein, who had 23 assists and 12 digs. She has been hot recently, having posted 17 or more assists the last four times she's played.
If you add up the scores from across all five sets (108-98) Onalaska actually scored fewer points, but in the end it didn't matter. The match finished with set scores of 25-22, 25-23, 13-25, 20-25, 15-13.
Kendall Carlson
| 09/23/25 vs Aquinas | 2 |
| 09/13/25 vs Marshfield | 1 |
| 09/02/25 vs La Crosse Central | 1 |
| 08/28/25 vs Webster | 1 |
| 08/27/25 vs Northwestern | 1 |
| 10/26/24 @ Middleton | 2 |
Mckenzie Bauer and Kendall Carlson were among the main playmakers for Onalaska as the former had 18 digs and four assists and the latter had six kills, four digs, four aces, and two blocks. That's the most blocks Carlson has posted since back in October of 2024.
Meanwhile, Edgewood sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 3-2 victory over McFarland on Tuesday.
Edgewood's win came from a few key players Onalaska will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Elle Siniscalchi, who had 24 digs and three aces. Another player making a difference was Lexi Sheffield, who had 11 digs and six aces.
They weren't the only good servers: Edgewood was lethal from the service line and finished the match with 21 aces. That's the most aces they've managed all season.
Onalaska's record is now 12-7. As for Edgewood, their record now sits at 13-4.
Here's a few offensive stats to keep an eye on ahead of Saturday's contest: Onalaska has really dialed in their serving this season, having averaged 5.9 aces per game. However, it's not like Edgewood struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.8 aces. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Onalaska was able to grind out a solid win over Edgewood when the teams last played back in September of 2023, winning 2-0. Will the Hilltoppers repeat their success, or do the Crusaders have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
