SAINT PAUL, Minn.—A nationally ranked match-up needed five sets to decide a winner as the No. 7 Wartburg College Knights faced off against the No. 16 Northwestern-St. Paul Eagles.

The Knights (20-0, 4-0 A-R-C) posted set scores of 20-25, 25-20, 25-23, 21-25, 15-10 to defeat the Eagles (15-3, 5-0 UMAC).

How It Happened

A close battle early in the first set as the largest lead would be 5-3 on a kill by Zaiah Quirk. The Eagles fought back to take a 7-6 lead as Kennedy Meister tied the match back at seven. The Eagles and Knights traded points throughout the first set as the largest lead for either team was two. An attacking error on the Knights started a 10-3 run by the Eagles to take the first set.

Jayme Willemssen and Kylie Bildstein recorded back-to-back kills in the second set as the Knights opened on a 6-1 run. The Knights maintained a steady lead over the Eagles as the Eagles would not come within two until the 18-16 mark late in the set. Five unanswered points by the Knights started the final stretch of the second set as the Knights leveled the match at 1-1.

A Meister kill tied the match at seven in the third set as the Knights recorded three kills and an ace to extend the lead to three at 11-8. The Eagles fought back to take a 15-12 lead over the Knights as Willemsen and Bildstein teamed up for a block. The Knights and Eagles kept the set close as the game would be tied at 18 before the Eagles took a 21-18 lead over the Knights. Four kills in the closing points by the Knights in a 7-2 run gave the Knights the set win.

The fourth set was tied eight times as the Eagles would pull away on a kill by Kendra Hardy at 14-12. The Eagles extended their lead to five over the Knights at 17-12 as the Knights could not catch the Eagles. Five would be the most the Knights trailed by as the Eagles forced a fifth set.

Willemssen recorded two of the Knights opening three kills in the fifth and final set as the Knights took a 3-1 lead. The Eagles fought back to take the lead at 4-3 before Willemssen regained the lead for a final time. The Knights recorded eight kills after regaining the lead as they held onto their perfect record to win 3-2 in the contest.

Game Numbers

Willemssen led the Knights in kills, recording 18 in the contest. Meister and Quirk added 14 and 12 kills respectively as the Knights tallied 64 kills as a team. As a team, the Knights had a hitting percent of .187 with 203 total attacks.
 
Claire Marsh and Natalie Clayberg recorded to two lone service aces for the Knights.
 
Bildstein and Allison Feigenbaum recorded five blocks each as Katie Foster added 30 digs for the Knights.
 
In the Polls
 
The Knights moved to the No. 7 spot in this week's poll after sweeping Luther and Nebraska Wesleyan in action last week. The Knights were not ranked in the first two AVCA polls but have remained in the rankings for the last three weeks.
 
A Look at the Numbers Nationally (As of 10/04/21)
 
As of Oct. 4, the Knights are one of eight unbeaten teams in the country. Foster is No. 3 in the nation in total digs at 381 digs this season. Bildstein leads the conference in hitting percentage at .439 and sits at No. 6 nationally. The Knights lead the conference in 10 statistical categories. 

Next Time in Action

The Orange & Black host Loras College for an A-R-C match on Oct. 13 in Waverly, Iowa. First serve is slated for 7:30 p.m. inside Levick Arena.
 
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