WAVERLY, Iowa— Earning the top seed in the American Rivers Conference tournament, the No. 4 Wartburg Knights volleyball squad is set to host the University of Dubuque Spartans on Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. inside Levick Arena.
The Knights and Spartans met on September 21 in Dubuque, with the Knights winning the match in four sets 3-1.
Game Information
No. 4 Seed University of Dubuque vs No. 1 Seed (No. 4) Wartburg College Knights
Nov. 5, 2021 | 7:00 p.m. | Levick Arena
Live Stats Live Video
The Spartans have been led by Darby Hawtrey, Emma Powell, and Julie May in kills/set as the team averages 11.5 kills/set.
Katie Wright leads the defensive efforts for the Spartans, averaging 3.90 digs/set.
May leads the blocking efforts for the Spartans, averaging .60 blocks/set.
As a team, the Spartans are averaged 10.2 assists/set, 1.5 aces/set, and 16.8 digs/set.
The Spartans finish the regular season with a record of 11-17, 4-4 A-R-C.
Tournament Outlook
The Knights will host the No. 2 seed Coe College, No. 3 Loras College, and No. 4 University of Dubuque in the A-R-C tournament. Coe and Loras will face off on Nov. 5 at 4 p.m. before the Knights take on the Spartans of Dubuque in semifinal matches. The 2021 championship match will take place on Nov. 6 at 5 p.m. in Levick Arena.
A Look at the Numbers Nationally (As of 10/24/21)
The Knights are one of two unbeaten teams in the nation, with the other unbeaten team being No. 1 Johns Hopkins. The Knights lead the conference in blocks per set, digs per set, kills per set, hitting percentage, opponent hitting percentage, and total team blocks.
Katie Foster leads the A-R-C in digs per set (5.99) and ranks No. 7 nationally in this category.
Kylie Bildstein leads the A-R-C in blocks per set (.95), hitting percentage (.431), and total blocks (84). Bildstein is ranked No. 4 in the nation in hitting percentage.
Claire Marsh is second in the conference in assists per set (10.28) and has recorded 905 total assists this season.
Rising in the Polls
Following the completion of the first undefeated season in school history, the Knights rose to No. 4 in the latest
AVCA poll.
Season Honors
The Knights headlined the
season honors as announced by the American Rivers Conference. Bildstein was named MVP of the year, while Foster picked up her third Defensive Player of the Year honors. Bildstein, Foster, Quirk, and Marsh all landed on the All-Conference team, while
Jayme Willemssen collected Honorable Mention honors.
Co-head coaches
Jennifer Walker and
Doug Frazell, along with assistant
Kaitlyn Brouwer, were named the Coaching Staff of the Year after guiding the Knights to their seventh consecutive conference title.
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