CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa-- The Wartburg volleyball won its third-straight Iowa Conference Tournament Championship Saturday in the 3-0 sweep (25-19, 25-23, 25-23) over Buena Vista. With the win, the Knights receive the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Orange and Black will learn their opponent and game location late Monday morning during the NCAA selection show.

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Senior Maddie Miller (Johnston) led the team with 11 kills. Classmate Aryn Jones (Marion) and junior Lizzy Blough (Dike) narrowly missed double digits with nine kills each.

Both setters recorded double-doubles as junior Mallary Erbes (Urbandale) had 17 assists and 15 digs, and senior Maria Brown (Peosta) had 14 and 10, respectively.

Wartburg moves to 24-5 on the year and increased its winning streak to ten.

The Knights never trailed in the first set. In the final two sets, the Orange and Black fought back to regain the leads. In the second, Wartburg trailed 13-7 before battling back to take the lead for good at 16-15. In the final frame, the Knights trailed 17-11 and later knotted it at 21 all. Two kills from the Orange and Black and a hitting error by BV made it 24-21.

Buena Vista fought off two match points before it committed a ball handling error to seal the sweep for Wartburg.

With the win, the Knights will make the program's ninth appearance in the NCAA Tournament next week.

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