Eastern University Volleyball secured the top spot in the Freedom Conference playoffs with an efficient 3-0 win at Wilkes University on Tuesday night. The Eagles hit .420 for the evening while committing just six hitting errors.

The Eagles entered tonight's contest at Wilkes following a weekend of matches against national level competition. The increased speed of play from the weekend paid dividends throughout as the Eagles hit for solid percentages in each of the three sets against the Colonels. Hitting percentage, calculated by subtracting hitting errors from kills and dividing by total attempts, is a good indicator of offensive efficiency. Like in baseball, a hitter who hits .300 is doing pretty well. The Eagles hit .420 as a team.

Mary Poole led the Eagles with nine kills on eleven swings for an .818 percentage. Rachel Wenger put down seven balls in twelve swings, and Courtney Reinhold put down 11 balls in 22 attacks for a .409 percentage. Maria Horning finished with 30 assists and three aces.

The Eagles were able to incorporate their middle hitters into the attack. Poole and and Heather Kauffman (5 kills) each had several good hitting chances. Eastern head Coach Mark Birtwistle was pleased to see his middles involved in the offense and cited the team's solid passing as the reason for the middle's opportunities.

The Eagles jumped to a quick lead and a 25-13 win in the opening set and never looked back as they allowed just ten points in the second and eight points in the third. Horning and Nikki Kummerer each had eight digs to lead the Eastern defense. The Eagles held Wilkes to a .000 hitting percentage and did not allow an ace.

Eastern (21-4 6-0) will host Widener and Philadelphia Biblical University in a triangular match this Saturday before closing out the Freedom regular season against Delaware Valley next Wednesday. Eastern last dropped a Conference regular season contest in 1999.