DUBUQUE, Iowa – The Wartburg College volleyball team (6-2 overall) battled through five sets in a narrow loss to Edgewood before bouncing back to defeat Saint Mary's (Minn.) in four, splitting Saturday's doubleheader at the Loras Invitational. 
 
GAME ONE – WARTBURG 2, EDGEWOOD 3 
Anna Sash, Kaylee Koudelka, and Whitney Klyn each tallied double-digit kills, but the Knights came up just short in a five-set battle with Edgewood to open the day. 

Wartburg controlled the first set, holding the Eagles to a .057 hitting percentage. The Knights opened on a 4-0 run and stretched their lead to 10-4 following a block from Klyn. Edgewood trimmed the margin to one at 21-20, but Wartburg closed strong with a 5-0 run to take the opener, 25-20. 

Sash led the way in the second set with back-to-back kills to help Wartburg to a 13-10 lead midway through. Despite a late rally that featured kills from Klyn and Liv Anderson to tie it at 22, the Knights were undone by nine attack errors as Edgewood evened the match with a 25-23 win. 

Wartburg regained momentum in the third, riding 17 kills to a 25-19 victory. Koudelka capped a dominant frame with a kill that gave the Knights their largest lead at 20-11, before Anderson sealed the set to put the Orange and Black back on top, 2-1. 

The Eagles responded in the fourth, limiting Wartburg to a .091 hitting percentage to force a deciding fifth with a 25-21 win. In the final set, Edgewood pulled ahead 7-2 and never looked back, despite a late push from the Knights, taking the match 15-9. 
 
GAME TWO – WARTBURG 3, SAINT MARY'S (MINN.) 1 
Wartburg rebounded in its second match of the day behind another strong outing from Sash, who notched her third straight double-digit kill match (12 total). Anderson added a season-high 11 kills, while Sophie Sedgwick recorded 19 digs to pace three Knights in double figures defensively. 

The Falcons' 25 service errors helped the Knights capitalize in a match that featured 25 ties and eight lead changes. 

The Knights controlled the opening set, using a 5-0 run to pull away for a 25-17 win. Wartburg repeated the formula in the second, again trailing only once at 3-2 before cruising to a 25-16 decision behind five kills from Klyn. 

Saint Mary's fought back in the third, erasing a late Wartburg lead to steal a 25-22 win, but the Knights quickly responded in the fourth, riding Anderson's five kills and three service aces from Koudelka and Alexa Melcher to close out the match with another 25-16 victory. 
 
UP NEXT 
Wartburg concludes play at the Loras Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 13, facing Wisconsin-River Falls at 10 a.m. inside the Stoltz Sports Center.