WAVERLY, Iowa-Months after winning a share of the American Rivers Conference title, the Wartburg College Volleyball squad is slated to open the 2021 season as they host the SMU Sugarloaf Classic, Sept. 3 and 4 in Levick Arena.
 
The Knights first serve is slated for 5 p.m. on Sept. 3 against Gustavus Adolphus. The Knights will face UW-River Falls at 7 p.m. following the match against Gustavus Adolphus.
 
On Saturday, the Knights open the day with first serve at 11 a.m. against Carleton. The Knights will conclude the SMU Sugarloaf Classic at 1 p.m. as St. Mary's University visits Levick Arena.
 
Fans wanting to attend the matches are required to wear masks indoors as the current policy at Wartburg is to be masked indoors.
 
SMU Sugarloaf Classic
 
The Knights are slated to host St. Mary's University (MN), University of Wisconsin-River Falls, Carleton, Gustavus Adolphus, and Milwaukee School of Engineering. Match times are set for 5 and 7 p.m. on Sept. 3 and 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Sept. 4.
 
More information on the tournament can be found here.
 
Preseason Polls and Rankings

• The A-R-C released the 2021 Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll, with Wartburg picked to finish second with 57 points and four first-place tallies, as votes on by A-R-C coaches.
• The Knights earned its seventh straight American Volleyball Coaches Association Team Academic Award.  

Spring Season Honors

• The Knights collected five All-Conference honors in Foster, Bildstein, Quirk, Meister and Marsh.
• In addition to her All-Conference nod, Foster was named the A-R-C defensive player of the year.
• On the academic side, Foster and Bildstein were named CoSIDA Academic All-Americans

Returning Knights

• The Knights return six starters from a year ago, including all five All-Conference members. Wartburg's roster will be comprised of 12 freshmen, eight sophomores, six juniors and six seniors.
• Co-head coach Jennifer Walker enters her 24th season in the Orange & Black and possesses a 508-259 record. Co-head coach Doug Frazell begins his ninth year as co-head coach and has record a 176-63 ledger.
• The Orange & Black grabbed a share of the American Rivers Conference championship last spring with Coe College after finishing the season with an overall record of 7-2.
• The title marked the sixth straight regular season championship for the Knights and ninth overall.
• A year ago, senior Zaiah Quirk led the program with 136 kills while fellow classmate Kennedy Meister also eclipsed the 100 kill mark with 109.
• Senior Katie Foster led the defensive efforts for the Orange & Black as she racked up 199 digs while Kylie Bildstein recorded 22 blocks.
• Senior Claire Marsh paced Wartburg in two categories with 225 assists and 14 aces.

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