LA CROSSE, Wis.—Sweeping weekend competition, the #16 Wartburg College Knights volleyball squad swept UW-La Crosse and Elmhurst as they improved to 12-0 on the year.
 
The Knights posted set scores of 25-18, 25-20, 25-21 against UW-La Crosse, before sweeping Elmhurst, 25-16, 25-19, 25-13.
 
How It Happened vs UW-La Crosse
 
Led by a Jayme Willemssen kill, the Orange & Black opened the first set on a 5-0 run. The Eagles of UW-La Crosse brought the game within four at 9-5. Beginning and ending with a kill by Nell Sybesma, the Orange & Black extended the lead at 14-5. A pair of attacking errors by Wartburg brought the Eagles within three on a 7-1 run late in the set. The Knights found a rhythm late as pulled away to win the first set.
 
Nearly mirroring the first set, the Orange & Black jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second set. The Eagles went on a 7-3 run, tying the game at seven early in the set. A series of kills from Zaiah Quirk, Kennedy Meister, and Willemssen pushed the Orange & Black to take a late 15-8 lead in the set. The Eagles and Knights traded points late in the set, as the Knights retained control of the lead.
 
Starting the third and final set, the Knights and Eagles battled early points as the Knights pulled away to a 7-3 lead. A kill by Kylie Bildstein extended the lead to seven at 15-8. The Knights would lead by as much as eight in the set, as Willemssen had the final kill of the set to secure the win for the Knights.
 
How It Happened vs Elmhurst
 
Starting the first set of the second game, the Knights and Bluejays of Elmhurst battled points early. Kills by Bildstein and Allison Feigenbaum assisted the Knights in pulling away at 8-4. The Bluejays got within two at 11-9 on a service ace by the team before the Knights started an 8-0 run. The Bluejays got as close as seven points away from the Knights as the Knights took set one.
 
The Knights took an early 6-4 lead in the second set off a block from Willemssen and Feigenbaum. A Kennedy Meister kill extended the Knights lead to three at 12-9 before the Bluejays battled back to be within one of the Knights. Willemssen and Bildstein teamed up for a block that would start a 9-4 run by the Knights. Kennedy Meister recorded a kill and block back-to-back as the Knights held off a late charge by the Bluejays.
 
Starting the third and final set, a Willemssen kill capped off a 7-3 start to the set. Bildstein made her presence known in the middle of the set, with a pair of kills and a block as the Knights took a six-point advantage. The Knights recorded three blocks late in the set as the Bluejays fought to get back into the match. A pair of blocks by the Knights secured the 12^th win of the season for the Knights.
 
A Look at the Numbers
 
Against Elmhurst, Willemssen led the Knights in kills with eight, while Bildstein and Meister added seven each. As a team, the Knights were credited with 32 kills. Meister would record a pair of aces, as the Knights recorded four aces in the match. Meister led the team in blocks (5) as the Knights had 12 blocks in the match.
 
Against tournament hosts UW-La Crosse, Quirk led the Knights in kills, being credited with nine of the Knights 32 total kills. Claire Marsh had three service aces, with Katie Foster and Natalie Clayberg each adding one for the Orange & Black. Willemssen added one block to her six kills in the match, as the Knights recorded three kills. Sybesma led the Knights with two blocks.

All-Tournament Team 
 
Marsh and Willemssen were named to the All-Tournament team for the Knights following their performances at the tournament. 

Next Time Out
 
The Orange & Black return to action on Sept. 21 as they travel to the University of Dubuque for an A-R-C match. First serve is slated for 7:30 p.m. in Dubuque, Iowa.
 
For more information on Wartburg Athletics, follow the Knights on Twitter, Instagram, like us on Facebook, or sign up for text updates/score alerts from the rainedout.net text-messaging system.