LINCOLN, Neb.—Bouncing back from an early deficit in the first set, the No. 8 Wartburg Knights swept the Nebraska Wesleyan Prairie Wolves on their senior day.

The Knights (19-0, 4-0 A-R-C) posted set scores of 25-22, 25-15, 25-13 over the Prairie Wolves (8-5, 0-3 A-R-C)

How It Happened

Kylie Bildstein recorded an early kill as the Knights trailed by five early in the opening set. A trio of kills by Jayme Willemssen and one by Zaiah Quirk tied the game at seven. The Knights and Prairie Wolves traded points in the first set before tying the set for a final time at 15. A kill by the Prairie Wolves gave them a last 16-15 lead before Bildstein tied the set at 16 on a block. Bildstein had two kills and a block assist as the Knights took the first set 25-22.

Natalie Clayberg recorded a pair of aces in the second set as the Knights took a 6-3 lead. The Prairie Wolves got within one before Bildstein and Willemssen teamed up for an early block. Clayberg extended the Knights lead at four before adding her third service ace in the set. Allison Feigenbaum recorded three kills as the Knights finished the second set on a 6-1 run.

The Prairie Wolves tied the third set at four as Feigenbaum and Quirk recorded back-to-back kills, giving the Knights a two-point edge. Clicking on all fronts, the Knights went on a late 8-1 run in the set with a pair of aces from Feigenbaum. The Prairie Wolves answered on a 6-1 run, trailing the Knights 15-12. Starting with a Willemssen kill, the Knights found the nineteenth straight win of the season.

Game Numbers

Bildstein, Willemssen, and Quirk led the Knights with nine kills as the Knights recorded 43 kills in the contest. Bildstein also led the Knights in blocks with four. Clayberg was credited with four service aces, while Katie Foster had 17 digs.
 
The Knights recorded a hitting percentage of .313 on 99 total attacks. The Knights had eight aces, six blocks, and 55 digs in the contest.
 
In the Polls
 
Sweeping three games last week, while winning all five matches, the Knights jumped up to the No. 8 spot in this week's poll.

Weekly Honors
 
With impressive performances last week, Foster and Bildstein earned defensive and offensive players of the week. Foster, who earned the honor for the fourth time this season, tallied 92 digs over five matches. Bildstein, earning the honor the third time, recorded three games with a hitting percent of .526 or higher.  
 
A Look at the Numbers Nationally (As of 9/30/21)
 
Wartburg is one of nine unbeaten team in the nation, joining No. 1 in the AVCA, Johns Hopkins.
 
Foster is No. 1 in the nation in total digs (364), while holding the No. 7 spot in digs per set. Five additional Knights lead the conference in assists per set, blocks per set, hitting percentage, and total blocks. Bildstein leads the conference in hitting percentage at .445 and sits at No. 6 nationally.
 
Next Time in Action

The Orange & Black hit the road for a non-conference game at Northwestern-St. Paul on Oct. 5. First serve is set for 7 p.m. in Saint Paul.
 
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