WAVERLY, Iowa-Starting with a five-set thriller and ending with a three-set sweep, the Wartburg College Knights Volleyball squad started the 2021 fall campaign with back-to-back victories.
 
In the five-set thriller, the Orange & Black defeated Gustavus Adolphus 3-2. The Knights cruised to a 3-0 victory over University of Wisconsin-River Falls to start the SMU Sugarloaf Classic 2-0.
 
Knights vs. Gustavus Adolphus (17-25; 25-22; 29-27; 22-25; 15-12)
 
After falling behind in set one, the Knights traded points early with the Gusties of Gustavus, tying the three times. The Gusties started a 10-2 run, which saw Kylie Bildstein record her first kill of the night. Bildstein recorded her second kill of the set, starting a late 6-2 run by the Knights. The Gusties held off the late charge to take set one.
 
Behind Bildstein's five early kills, the Knights jumped out to an 11-8 lead over the Gusties. After trading points late in the set, Zaiah Quirk was credited with two kills in the Knights final three points to take set two.
 
Firing on all cylinders, the Knights took a decisive 9-3 lead in the third set. A series of attacking errors by the Knights had the Gusties tying the third set at 13. The Gusties capitalized on a service error by the Knights and went on an 8-3 run. Quirk, with an assist from Claire Marsh, answered the Gusties' run with five unanswered points to tie the match at 22. Extra points would be needed as the set would be tied four times in the closing points. Kills from Kennedy Meister and Quirk would be the deciding points as the Knights pulled away in front of a roaring crowd to take a match lead of 2-1.
 
Heading into the fourth set, the Gusties took an early 5-3 lead. The Gusties kept the offensive attack on the Knights as the Knights wouldn't get within two until an attacking error on the Gusties at the end of the set.
 
With a fifth and final set needed to decide the result, the Gusties would jump out to a 7-3 lead early. Four straight kills from the Knights and a service ace from Katie Foster pushed the Knights to a 9-7 lead. The Knights would never relinquish the lead as Meister and Jayme Willemssen recorded five kills for the Knights.
 
Knights vs. UW-River Falls (25-12; 25-12; 25-11)
 
Riding the wave of winning a five-set thriller, the Knights jumped out to an early lead in the first set against UW-River Falls. The Falcons of UW-River Falls struggled to catch the Knights as the Knights posted first and second set scores of 25-12 each time. The Knights swept the Falcons in the third and final set of the evening, posting a final score of 25-11.
 
Wartburg Stat Leaders vs. Gustavus Adolphus
 
In kills, Bildstein recorded 15 kills, while Quirk and Meister were credited with a dozen each. Quirk and Allison Feigenbaum added seven blocks to the Knights stats, while Foster recorded 36 digs. The Knights tallied six aces in the contest, while recording an attacking percentage of .134.
 
Wartburg Stat Leaders vs. UW-River Falls
 
Bildstein added 12 kills in the second match of the evening, while Quirk and Willemssen added 8 and 7 respectively. Bildstein, Marsh, and Willemssen led the way in blocks, collecting seven as a trio. The Knights recorded 9 aces in the contest, with an attacking percentage of .345.
 
SMU Sugarloaf Classic
 
In other games at Wartburg, UW-River Falls posted a straight set victory over MSOE in the first match of the event. Gustavus Adolphus would split their time in Waverly, defeating MSOE in straight sets, fending off a late charge by MSOE.
 
Next Time Out 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.