WAVERLY, Iowa— After dropping the opening point to the University of Dubuque Spartans, the No. 4 Wartburg Knights cruised to a three-set victory, advancing to the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) tournament championship.
The Knights posted set scores of 25-8, 25-18, and 25-23 to advance.
In the A-R-C Championship match, the Knights will face the Kohawks of Coe College. First serve in the championship match is slated for 5 p.m. inside Levick Arena.
How It Happened
Jayme Willemssen recorded two early kills in the first set as the Knights jumped out to a 7-1 lead. The Knights kept the offensive pressure on the Spartans and
Zaiah Quirk recorded a pair of blocks, extending the Knights lead to nine. The Spartans fought back to get within eight before a kill from
Kylie Bildstein extended the lead to nine.
Claire Marsh recorded her only service ace of the game, extending the lead to eleven. Five kills by the Knights in the closing points propelled the Knights to a first set victory.
The Spartans battled back in the second set, taking an early 4-2 lead over the Knights. Keeping the two-point lead over the Knights, the Spartans traded points with the Knights in the early points. Back-to-back kills by Bildstein tied the set at eight as the Spartans strung together a 5-1 run. Willemssen added three kills to her stat line as the Knights fought back to take a late 16-14 lead.
Allison Feigenbaum recorded a pair of kills, extending the lead to three at 18-15. Attacking errors plagued the Spartans as the Knights took the second set by seven.
Looking to punch their ticket to the championship match, the Knights opened the third and final set with three consecutive kills. The Spartans fought back to take a 6-5 lead early as the set would tie eight times. A
Kennedy Meister kill set the Knights on a 5-0 run, taking a late 23-20 lead. A late charge from the Spartans would bring the game within one at 24-23 before Meister sent the Knights to the championship match with a kill.
Knights Stat Leaders
The Knights were led by Bildstein, who recorded 15 kills with an attacking percentage of .625. Willemssen added nine kills, while Feigenbaum recorded seven kills. The Knights tallied 44 kills in the match. The Knights recorded an attacking percent of .315.
Katie Foster led the Knights defensive effort, recording 20 digs.
Claire Marsh added 36 of the Knights 43 assists.
Glancing at the Kohawks
The Kohawks finished the 2021 regular season with a record of 23-7, earning them a second place finish in the regular season standings.
The Kohawks are led by Kate Tidman (3.65 kills/set) and Madi Parson (3.07 kills/set). Defensively, the Kohawks are led by Majda Suljic (5.10 digs/set).
The Kohawks are attacking at a .204 percent with 12.7 kills/set. The Kohawks average 17.6 digs/set and 11.9 assists/set.
In the semifinal match against Loras, the Duhawks recorded an attacking percentage of .313. The Kohawks recorded 49 kills in the match, with 70 digs.
Tournament Outlook
The Kohawks, who earned the No. 2 seed in the tournament, swept the No. 3 seeded Loras College Duhawks this afternoon. The Kohawks will face off against the top seeded Wartburg Knights in the A-R-C Championship to determine the automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III Regional Volleyball tournament.
A Look at the Numbers Nationally (As of 11/04/21)
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.
Foster leads the A-R-C in digs per set (5.99) and ranks No. 7 nationally in this category. 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. 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.
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