WAVERLY, Iowa - The Wartburg volleyball team, who received votes in the latest AVCA National Poll, made quick work of No. 23-ranked Loras College at Levick Arena Thursday evening, sweeping the Duhawks 25-13, 25-12, 25-14.
With a game-high 16 digs, Wartburg senior libero
Katie Foster (Charles City) surpassed 2,000 digs in her storied career. She becomes just the second Knight in program history to reach the 2,000 mark.
The Knights improve to 6-2 overall and 6-1 within American Rivers Conference play, continuing to vie for a chance at a share of the league title with Coe College.
Wartburg fourth consecutive victory and third-straight 3-0 sweep was paced by a 43-kill and .295 attacking percentage, tying a season-high with six blocks - half of them from
Kylie Bildstein.
The home team limited Loras to a .047 attack percentage, forcing 17 Duhawk errors. The Knights also held a 35-20 advantage in assist and 4-1 lead in aces.
A balanced attack had
Zaiah Quirk leading the team with 13 kills and an impressive .591 clip with zero errors.
Kennedy Meister followed with nine kills and Bildstein added eight. Setters
Sydney Rottinghaus and
Claire Marsh tallied double-digit totals in both assists and digs.
The Orange & Black opened the match with a roaring start, attacking at a mark .395 with just one error. Back-to-back kills from Meister gave the Knights a 15-4 lead and the Knights didn't look back to lead the contest 1-0.
Wartburg totaled its lowest attacking numbers in the second set, but the Duhawks struggled with nine errors. A 12-0 run led by a solid serving performance from Rottinghaus gave the Knights a 17-3 lead in the set, providing ample space for Wartburg to close out the middle frame.
In the third set, Loras had some push back and stayed with the Knights at the start of the frame. However, around the midway point a 5-0 Wartburg run with five-straight kills helped keep the momentum in the Knights' favor.
Up next, Wartburg travels to Nebraska Wesleyan University on Saturday, March 27 for the regular season finale. The match is scheduled for a 12 p.m. start.
