Edwardsburg’s Nikki Brady goes for a kill against Niles’ Cortney Shirrell in a non-conference match up against the Vikings. Niles defeated the Eddies 3-0. (Vigilant/Argus photo/SCOTT NOVAK)

By SCOTT NOVAK

Vigilant/Argus

The difference between Niles and Edwardsburg on the volleyball court Wednesday night (Aug. 25) was balance according to the Vikings’ head coach Linda Goodrich Martin.

That balance led Niles to a 25-21, 25-17 and 25-19 victory over the visiting Eddies in a non-league affair.

“One word, balance,” answered Martin when asked if she could explain the three-set victory. “We have a balanced attack. We have balanced defense. We have balanced offense.”

Martin also said that a deep bench allows her to run players in and out of the lineup consistently to keep everyone fresh.

She knows that her team probably isn’t going to win too many lopsided matches this season, but she expects her team to be in every match.

“We’re not going to dominate anybody,” Martin said. “We’re not dominant. But we’re going to grind lots of stuff out.”

In the first set the two teams traded the lead back and forth with the Eddies grabbing a small lead late in the match.

But a quick Niles flurry fueled by the play of Ashley Love, Chantal Baker, Miranda Baker and Rachel Zeider at the net and the defense of Taylor Brandstatter, Brea Haines, Charissa Spear and Abby McKeel.

The second set the two teams once again traded the lead back and forth before Niles opened up a 12-7 advantage only to have Edwardsburg finally whittle it down to two points, 17-15.

The Vikings regained control and scored the next six points to take a 21-15 advantage and scored eight of  the final 10 points of the set.

Niles opened up a 9-4 lead in the opening staged of the third set only to have Edwardsburg roar back to knot the score at 10-10.

Haines picked up a kill to make it 11-10 and then scored up a couple of service winners as the Vikings extended the advantage to 14-11.

A pair of Eddies comebacks knotted the match again, this time at 18-18.

Niles scored seven of the final eight points to pick up the victory.

“We just weren’t on our game tonight,” Edwardsburg coach Sarah Benjamin said. “Saturday was a whole different team than showed up tonight.”

Haines and Baker each had seven kills for the Vikings, who also got six kills from Chantel Baker and five kills from Miranda Baker.

Haines led the team with six digs and Shirrell had 25 assists.

Emily Kozinski finished with 11 kills, seven digs and an ace for the Eddies, who also got seven kills from Nikki Brady. Rachel Vite finished with three blocks, while Paige Mueller had seven digs.