Friday, Oct. 3 | Dubuque, IA | Stoltz Sports Center
Wartburg vs. Dubuque | 6 PM
WATCH | LIVE STATS
 
Tuesday, Oct. 7 | Storm Lake, IA | Siebens Fieldhouse
Wartburg vs. Buena Vista | 6 PM
WATCH | LIVE STATS
 
The Wartburg College volleyball team (11-5, 2-0 A-R-C) travels for a pair of road American Rivers Conference matchups this week. The Knights begin play against University of Dubuque (16-2, 1-0 A-R-C) on Friday, Oct. 3 at 6 p.m., before traveling to Storm Lake to face off against Buena Vista University (5-10, 0-2 A-R-C) on Tuesday, Oct. 7 at 6 p.m.

ABOUT THE KNIGHTS
Wartburg begins the week with a 11-5 record after stringing together four-straight wins against Luther (W, 3-0), Carthage (W, 3-2) , Augsburg (W, 3-1)  and Loras (W, 3-1). Sophomore middle hitter Anna Sash leads the Knights with 156 kills, followed closely by Kaylee Koudelka with 143. Defensively, Peyton Robinson has recorded a team-best 280 digs, while setter Sophie Sedgwick has tallied 335 assists.

Sash has been a menace on the defensive side as well, leading the nation with 76 total blocks. Aspen Falk paces the team in service aces (31), followed closely by Sedgwick (24).
 
AKINS EARNS INAUGURAL VICTORY
Head Coach DeAnn Akins earned her first career victory at Wartburg with a 3-1 win over Transylvania University. After dropping the opening set, the Knights rallied with three straight set wins (25-16, 25-22, 26-24), overcoming a 24-20 deficit in the final frame to secure the match.
The Knights followed with a sweep of Olivet (25-16, 25-13, 25-16) before falling to an unbeaten Berry College (Ga.) squad in straight sets.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. OPPONENTS
University of Dubuque

 Wartburg and Dubuque have met 90 times in their storied histories, with Wartburg holding the edge 49-41.  In their last ten matches, Wartburg and Dubuque have split, going 5-5 against each other. Dubuque recorded a 3-0 sweep in their last matchup in November 2024.

• 11/3/18 – L, 1-3
• 9/24/19 – W, 3-2
• 11/9/19 – L, 1-3
• 3/2/20 – L, 2-3
• 9/21/21 – W, 3-1
• 11/5/21 – W, 3-0
• *09/21/22 – W, 3-2
• *11/01/23 – L, 1-3
• *11/06/24 – W, 3-2
• 11/16/24 – L, 0-3

Dubuque enters the week with a 16-2 record, after defeating Augustana College, 3-0.
 
Buena Vista University

Wartburg leads the all-time series, 55-12, dating back to 1979. Wartburg has gone 9-1 in their last ten matches, with the Beavers last win coming in November of 2022. In the two most recent matchups, Wartburg has recorded 3-0 victories In September 2023 and October 2024.

• 9/27/17 – W, 3-0
• 11/4/17 – W, 3-0
• 10/23/18 – W, 3-0
• 10/29/19 – W, 3-0
• 3/5/20 – W, 3-1
• 9/15/21 – W, 3-1
• *09/14/22 – W, 3-1
• 11/3/22 – L, 1-3
• *09/26/23 – W, 3-0
• *10/01/24 – W, 3-0

Buena Vista is 5-10 on the year, and dropped their last match against Nebraska Wesleyan, 3-0.
 
SASH PICKS UP A-R-C DEFENSIVE POTW HONOR
Leading the nation with 76 blocks, Sash picked up Wartburg's first American Rivers Conference Player of the Week award on Sept. 29. Sash recorded seven blocks against Carthage another six against Augsburg.
In recent action, Sash tallied a career-high 11 rejections against Luther.
 
KNIGHTS WELCOME 12 NEWCOMERS
Twelve of the 29 players on the 2025 roster are newcomers.

Gracie Hoskins (Urbana, Iowa/Center Point Urbana), Haedyn Rebelsky (Van Meter, Iowa/Van Meter), Ashlynn Hodges (Shenandoah, Iowa/Shenandoah), Brooklyn Biddle (Lowden, Iowa/Calamus-Wheatland), Addison Huffman (Manchester, Iowa/West Delaware), Zoey Breeding (Winterset, Iowa/Winterset), Neah Bunkers (Polk City, Iowa/North Polk), Ema Roberts (Ladora, Iowa/HLV), Abigale Merritt (Galena, Ill./Galena), Brooke Burgemeister (Belle Plaine, Minn./Belle Plaine), Dakota Poen (Norwalk, Iowa/Norwalk), and Callie Welsch (Winterset, Iowa/Winterset).
 
AKINS MAKES COACHING DEBUT
This season marks the debut season for Head Coach DeAnn Akins, with longtime head coach Jennifer Walker transitioning into her 28th year as an assistant coach.

Akins joins the Wartburg coaching staff from Coe College where she has led that program since 2006. Over her tenure at Coe, Akins won five A-R-C regular season championships and three A-R-C tournament titles. Akins earned four trips to the NCAA Tournament, with 388 career victories over her 19 seasons at the helm. Sixty All-ARC performers, 12 All-Americans, and three offensive conference MVPs were produced under Akins. On top of her athletes' success on the court, Akins has taken home A-R-C Coach of the Year honors five times.
Prior to Coe, Akins spent the 2005 season as the director of volleyball operations at the University of Iowa, which followed some time as head coach of Kirkwood Community College.

Akins is a native of Waverly, Iowa, as she worked as an assistant coach at Wartburg during the 2002 season.

In her inaugural season leading the Wartburg Volleyball program, Akins stated that "This is home, it just feels right. I've had a lot of great memories here at Wartburg as a child.", said at the 2025 Fall Sports Media Day on Tuesday, Aug. 26.
 
TABBED THIRD IN A-R-C PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
Wartburg was picked third in the A-R-C preseason poll, earning one first-place vote.
 
A-R-C Preseason Coaches' Poll (Aug. 21)

Place    Team (First-place votes)    Points
1.            Coe         (6)                         62
2.            Univ. of Dubuque (2)            53
T-3.         Nebraska Wesleyan             45
T-3.         Wartburg (1)                         45
5.            Central                                  41
6.            Loras                                     28
7.            Simpson                                26
8.            Buena Vista                           15
9.            Luther                                     9