OCTOBERFEST TRIANGULAR | Saturday, Oct. 3 | Waverly, IA
Wartburg vs UW-La Crosse | 2:00 p.m.
WATCH | LIVE STATS
 
Wartburg vs Alverno | 4:00 p.m.
WATCH | LIVE STATS
 
WAVERLY, Iowa -- Winners of its last eight, the Wartburg College volleyball squad (11-5 overall) returns to Levick Arena to host University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and Alverno College in its Octoberfest Triangular on Saturday, October 3.

The Eagles (7-7) and Inferno (2-13) will square up in the opening match at Noon, as the Knights will see the Eagles at 2 p.m., followed by the Inferno at 4 p.m. UW-La Crosse will meet the University of Dubuque on Friday night before this weekend.  
 
Octoberfest Triangular
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3
Levick Arena 
12:00 PM:  UW-La Crosse vs Alverno
2:00 PM:  Wartburg vs UW-La Crosse
4:00 PM:  Wartburg vs. Alverno
 
SERIES HISTORY
UW-La Crosse: Saturday's matchup will be the 29th all-time meeting between the Knights and Eagles. Wartburg holds a slim 14-13-1 record, as it recorded a neutral-site sweep over UW-La Crosse in its last matchup on Sept. 13, 2024, in Dubuque, Iowa. The Knights are 5-3 at home, and 7-3 against the Eagles in their last ten meetings.

Alverno: Saturday's contest will be the inaugural meeting between the two squads.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Wartburg continued to dominate last weekend hosting the Knights Triangular, extending its sweep and winning streak to eight matches with victories over Saint Mary's (MN) and Concordia (Wis.).
The current eight-match sweep streak is Wartburg's longest since the 2000 season.
 
KNIGHTS AMONG THE NATION'S BEST
Ashlynn Hodges leads the Knights with 200 kills this season, ranking second in the American Rivers Conference and 18th nationally. She has recorded those kills while hitting .220 through 59 sets.

Freshman setter Alexa Buhman ranks sixth in NCAA Division III with 531 assists, trailing only Alexis Kammerer of the University of Dubuque in the A-R-c, who has 716. Buhman is also making her mark in the Wartburg record book. Sarah Olsen holds the program's single-season record with 1,631 assists in 2003.
 
WARTBURG SINGLE-SEASON ASSISTS
1. 1631 - Sarah Olsen (143 sets) - 2003
2. 1535 - Angie Hulse (131 sets) - 2002
3. 1288 - Traci Robinson (124 sets) - 2006
4. 1269 - Ramey Sieck (132 sets) - 2012
5. 1253 - Angie Hulse (105 sets) - 2001
6. 1249 - Ramey Sieck (135 sets) - 2013
7. 1218 - Britney Hermsen (138 sets) - 2009
8. 1127 - Claire Marsh (108 sets) - 2021
9. 1117 - Lindsay Murphy (125 sets) - 2005
10. 1106 - Sarah Nederhoff (102 sets) – 1998
 
Aspen Falk has dropped in 28 service aces, sitting at No. 3 the A-R-C. Falk is just three aces shy of her career high of 31. As a team, Wartburg ranks third in the conference with 123 service aces on the season.

At the net, Anna Sash has recorded the second-most total blocks in the league at 48 through 59 sets, ranking 52nd nationally. Her total includes 28 block assists and 20 solo blocks.

AROUND THE A-R-C
With conference play approaching, Buena Vista sits atop the American Rivers Conference standings with a 12-0 overall record. Dubuque follows at 14-3, while Central is 11-4.
Wartburg enters the weekend at 11-5, followed by Simpson and Nebraska Wesleyan at 8-5, Loras at 6-10 and Coe at 5-10.
 
MEET THE KNIGHTS
Wartburg returns 16 players from last season while welcoming two junior college transfers and nine freshmen.

The Knights' senior class includes Peyton Robinson of Lisbon, Iowa; Alexa Melcher of Elk River, Minnesota; Leah Hayungs of Orange City, Iowa; and Sophie Williams of Plainfield, Illinois.

Wartburg added junior college transfers Emma Liechti of Ankeny, Iowa, and Emily Naughton of Raymond, Iowa.

Liechti appeared in 80 matches during her two-year career at Des Moines Area Community College, recording 410 kills while hitting .251 and adding 299 total blocks. The All-Region middle blocker joins the Knights following a decorated junior college career.

Naughton played in 44 matches as a middle hitter at Kirkwood Community College, totaling 99 kills on a .280 hitting percentage, 51 digs and 82 blocks.

The Knights' nine-member freshman class includes Alexa Buhman, Rachel Borwick, Brenna Baumgardner, Keely Kauten, Lucy Maassen, Karsyn Michael, McKenzie Becker, Kruiz Ewoldt and Lillian Frazer.

LOOKING BACK
Head coach DeAnn Akins enters her second season leading the Wartburg volleyball program after guiding the Knights to a 15-12 record in 2025. Wartburg advanced to the first round of the American Rivers Conference Tournament before falling 3-1 to third-seeded Simpson College.

The Knights return AVCA All-Region and All-Conference middle hitter Anna Sash, who led the team with 259 kills and 122.0 blocks last season. Sash started all 27 matches and recorded 52 solo blocks, the third-highest single-season total in program history.

Wartburg averaged 16.2 digs, 11.3 kills, 10.4 assists, 2.1 service aces and 1.9 blocks per set in 2025.

Kaylee Koudelka and Sash combined for 493 kills, while Robinson led the Knights with 470 digs and 44 service aces.

Off the court, Wartburg earned its 12th consecutive AVCA Team Academic Award after posting a 3.61 cumulative grade-point average.
 
A-R-C PRESEASON POLL
1. Dubuque – 48 (7)
2. Central – 37
3. Wartburg – 32
Neb. Wesleyan – 31
T5. Coe – 27
T5. Simpson – 27
7. Loras – 12
8. Buena Vista - 8