MOUNT VERNON, Iowa - For the first time in 469 days the Wartburg volleyball team competed in its first match of the 2020-21 season. Unfortunately, it was not the result the Knights hoped for as they suffered a 3-2 defeat to Cornell College on Saturday, Feb. 20 inside the Small Multi-Sport Center. 

The Orange & Black led wire-to-wire in the first set and jumped out to a 1-0 lead when they won 25-18 with a kill percentage of .5%. The second set went back-and-forth with both programs going on mini-runs throughout. The Rams made the final push and took the second frame 25-23. The Knights had seven errors in the second and a kill percentage of .143%. 

Wartburg regained control of the contest when they won the third set 25-22 and tallied 12 kills on a .189 attack percentage. Cornell was able to capture the must-win fourth set 25-22 and earned a team-high 18 kills on a .333 attack percentage. The crucial final frame was intense as both teams tried to gain momentum down the stretch. The pendulum swung in favor of the Rams when they finally took home the fifth set by a score of 19-17 and won the contest three sets to two. 

The Knights finished the match with 66 kills, seven aces, six blocks, 96 digs and a hitting percentage of .232. Zaiah Quirk, Natalie Clayberg and Kennedy Meister all finished with a team-high 14 kills while sophomore Lindsey Spolidoro led the Knights with three aces. Janesville, Iowa native Meister ended with a team-best three blocks and senior Katie Foster recorded a career-high 43 digs. 

Up next, Wartburg (0-1, 0-0 A-R-C) will begin American Rivers Conference competition when they host Coe College (0-0, 0-0 A-R-C) on Tuesday, Feb. 23 at 8 p.m. inside Levick Arena.