WAVERLY, Iowa- An electric crowd was inside Levick Arena as the #8 Wartburg Knights Volleyball squad swept the Luther College Norse in American Rivers Conference action.

The Knights (18-0, 3-0 A-R-C) posted set scores of 25-7, 25-12, 25-14 over the Norse (2-15, 0-3 A-R-C)

How It Happened

Katie Foster had a pair of early aces in the opening set as the Knights took a 4-3 lead. An attacking error by the Norse started the Knights on a run of 11 unanswered points as the Knights took a 17-4 lead. During the run, Caroline Kluesner recorded a trio of aces and Zaiah Quirk had a trio of kills. Kylie Bildstein recorded three straight kills as Jayme Willemssen sealed the first set victory for the Knights.

The Norse took an early 6-5 lead in the second set as Quirk tied the game at 6. The Orange & Black put together an early 6-1 run as they took a 12-7 lead. Bildstein stopped the trading of points as she started the Orange & Black on a 10-1 run to finish the set.

Cruise control was on as the Orange & Black took a 9-0 lead to start the third and final set. The Norse brought the game within six at 13-7 as Quirk recorded a kill to extend the Knights lead back to seven. The Norse would come within six on a 3-0 run late in the game. The Knights recorded three kills and on ace in the final points of the set, sweeping the Norse in three sets.

Game Numbers

The Orange & Black recorded 44 kills as a team, with nine errors for a hitting percent of .354. The Knights had seven aces and 64 digs in the contest.
 
Bildstein led the way for the Knights with 12 kills as Kluesner recorded four service aces. Bildstein and Willemssen led the Knights in blocks with three, while Foster recorded 17 digs. Claire Marsh added 31 service aces in the contest.
 
In the Polls
 
Sweeping three games last week, while winning all five matches, the Knights jumped up to the No. 8 spot in this week's poll.

Weekly Honors
 
With impressive performances last week, Foster and Bildstein earned defensive and offensive players of the week. Foster, who earned the honor for the fourth time this season, tallied 92 digs over five matches. Bildstein, earning the honor the third time, recorded three games with a hitting percent of .526 or higher.  
 
A Look at the Numbers Nationally (As of 9/28/21)
 
As a team, the Knights lead the nation in digs per set (20.93 per set). The Knights lead the A-R-C in nine additional categories.
 
Wartburg is one of nine unbeaten team in the nation, joining No. 1 in the AVCA, Johns Hopkins.
 
Foster is No. 3 in the nation in total digs, while holding the No. 6 spot in digs per set. Five additional Knights lead the conference in assists per set, blocks per set, hitting percentage, and total blocks. Bildstein leads the conference in hitting percentage at .433 and sits at No. 10 nationally.
 
Next Time in Action
The Orange & Black hit the road for a match at Nebraska Wesleyan on Oct. 2. First serve is scheduled for 12 p.m. in Lincoln, Neb.
 
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