WAVERLY, Iowa—Clinching at least a share of the 2021 American Rivers Conference Title, the No. 5 Wartburg College Knights defeated the Simpson College Storm in straight sets this evening.

The Knights posted set scores of 25-15, 25-10, 25-19 over the Storm.

With the Knights win over the Storm of Simpson, the Orange & Black clinched a share of the 2021 American Rivers Conference title. The Knights have previously won the regular season title in 2002, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 (awarded in Spring 2021).  

With the win this evening, Wartburg earned the top seed and a bye in the six-team conference tournament, slated to begin on Tuesday, November 2. The Knights first game will take place on Friday, November 5 as the four the semifinal and championship matches. 

How It Happened

With two kills from Jayme Willemssen in the opening points, the Knights jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first set. Three straight kills by the Storms' Jessica Jacobs tied the game at four before the Knights went on a 9-1 run. The Knights run included a trio of kills from Caroline Kluesner. The Knights and Storm traded points throughout the set until a kill from Zaiah Quirk started the Knights on a 6-1 run to win the set.

The Knights took an early 10-4 lead in the second set, which saw kills from three different Knights. A 6-1 run by the Knights extended the lead to 16-6. The Knights continued the offensive pressure in the set as the Storm would get within eight at 17-9. Five different Knights would record kills in the final six points as the Knights took the second set.

Taking control of the third set, the Storm jumped out to a 7-5 lead over the Knights. After trailing by as many as four, the Knights came fighting back to take a 18-17 lead on a Quirk service ace. The Storm tied the match for the final time at 18 before a pair of attacking errors by the Storm gave the Knights a 20-18 lead. Kylie Bildstein and Kennedy Meister recorded four straight kills as the Knights clinched a share of the American Rivers Conference regular season title.

Knights Stats Leaders
 
Meister led the Knights in total kills, recording 10 in the match. Willemssen and Bildstein added nine and eight kills respectively as the Knights tallied 39 kills in the match.
 
Kluesner recorded five service aces, a career-high for the junior.
 
Claire Marsh recorded 29 of the 33 assists from the Knights, while Katie Foster tallied 20 of the team's 63 digs.

A Look at the Numbers Nationally (As of 10/20/21)
 
The Knights are one of four unbeaten teams in the nation, including No. 1 Johns Hopkins. The Knights lead the conference in blocks per set, digs per set, kills per set, hitting percentage, opponent hitting percentage, total team blocks and total team attacks per set.
 
Foster leads the A-R-C in digs per set (6.05) and ranks No. 7 nationally in this category. Bildstein leads the A-R-C in blocks per set (.96), hitting percentage (.423), and total blocks (75). Marsh is second in the conference in assists per set (10.21) and has recorded 796 total assists this season.
 
In the Polls
 
The Orange & Black continue their stay in the top-5 of the AVCA poll, after moving to 22-0 last weekend.
 
Weekly Honors
 
After recording 61 digs in competition last week, Foster picked up her fifth Defensive Player of the Week honors from the American Rivers Conference for the week ending on Oct. 17.  
 
Next Time In Action
 
The Orange & Black conclude A-R-C action on Oct. 23 as the Dutch of Central College visit Levick Arena. First serve is slated for 11 a.m.
 
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