WAVERLY - After a 3-1 victory over Nebraska Wesleyan during an American Rivers Conference Tournament semifinal match Thursday evening, the Wartburg volleyball team advanced to the conference tournament championship match for a fifth consecutive season.
The No. 1 seeded Knights will host No. 3 seed University of Dubuque in a rematch of the 2018 A-R-C Championship, in which the Spartans bested the Knights in four sets in Waverly.
Saturday, Nov. 9 • 7 p.m. • Levick Arena •
LIVE STATS |
WATCH
No. 1 Wartburg Knights (24-7, 8-0 A-R-C) vs. No. 3 Dubuque Spartans (21-10, 5-3 A-R-C)
BILDSTEIN AND FOSTER EARN POTW HONORS
Juniors
Kylie Bildstein and
Katie Foster swept the A-R-C Volleyball weekly awards, with Bildstein named Offensive Player of the Week and Foster named Defensive Player of the Week.
Bildstein earned her second Offensive Player of the Week honor in 2019, recording 35 kills with an average of 2.92 per set and an attack percentage of 0.353. She notched a career-high 20 kills versus Northwestern-St. Paul.
Now a six-time Defensive Player of the Week award winner this season, Foster tallied 63 digs in three matches with an average of 5.25 per set.
TRIO NAMED ALL-CONFERENCE; FOSTER NAMED MVP AND DEFENSIVE POTY
The American Rivers Conference announced the 2019 All-Conference volleyball team on Thursday, Nov. 7, with
Kylie Bildstein,
Katie Foster, and
Jayme Willemssen representing Wartburg.
Additionally, Foster was named the A-R-C MVP and Defensive Player of the Year, while
Claire Marsh received Honorable Mention honors.
The Knights finished 8-0 during A-R-C competition to earn a fifth consecutive regular season conference title. Bildstein led the conference with a .413 hitting percentage and 16 solo blocks to garner her second career All-Conference award.
Willemssen also ranked among the top 10 in the conference with a .230 hitting percentage and 0.70 blocks per set. Marsh totaled 168 assists during A-R-C play, average 5.6 per set.
Foster, now a three-time All-Conference player, becomes the eighth Knight in program history to earn MVP honors. Aryn Jones '18 brought home the award in 2016 & 2017. Foster, the 2017 Freshman of the Year, led the conference defensively during the regular season with 698 digs, averaging 5.97 per set. During conference play, she tied for the lead with 16 service aces.
SERIES HISTORY
Wartburg and Dubuque have faced each other four times during the conference tournament, with the series tied at 2-2 including a 3-1 UD win over the Knights in the championship last season. During the regular season, the Orange and Black in five sets over the Spartans during the conference home opener on Sept. 24.
CONFERENCE TOURNEY
The Orange and Black have won eight conference tournament titles, including three-straight from 2015-17. Last season, the Knights fell 3-1 to the No. 2 seeded University of Dubuque to miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014.
WARTBURG
- Wartburg finished A-R-C competition ranked first with a 0.211 hitting percentage and 0.106 opponent hitting percentage.
- The Knights' 275.5 team blocks leads the NCAA, while the 2.33 blocks per set ranks 6th.
- Kylie Bildstein leads the conference and ranks 11th nationally with 1.14 blocks per set.
- Katie Foster has the fourth-most digs in the nation with 698 digs, leading the conference with 5.97 per set.
DUBUQUE
- The Spartans advanced to the A-R-C Championship with 3-2 wins over No. 6 seed Buena Vista and No. 2 seed Loras.
- Dubuque has won seven-straight matches, including five consecutive sweeps to close out the regular season.
- UD has won three conference tournament titles, most recently in 2018.
