DUBUQUE, Iowa -- The Wartburg College volleyball team earned a straight-sweep over Loras College on Saturday, winning by set scores of 25-15, 29-27 and 25-18 in American Rivers Conference action. The Knights improved to 16-11 overall and 3-3 in conference play, while the Duhawks fell to 7-18 and 0-6 in the A-R-C.
Wartburg finished with a .315 hitting percentage, totaling 50 kills and a season-high 13 total blocks. The Knights have recorded at least 50 kills in each of their last two matches. Loras was held to a .041 hitting percentage with 26 kills.
Kaylee Koudelka paced the Knights offensively in back-to-back games with 12 kills and three digs, marking her second consecutive match with at least 12 kills.
Anna Sash added nine kills while hitting .533 and led the defensive effort at the net with five total blocks.
McKenzie Becker also recorded five blocks, matching a season high, while adding seven kills on a season-best .545 hitting percentage. Becker finished with a season-high 10.5 points, including two solo blocks.
Leah Hayungs contributed three total blocks, including her first solo block of the season, while
Aspen Falk distributed a team-high 26 assists and added three digs. Falk has recorded at least 26 assists in consecutive matches.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Wartburg took control early in the opening set after trailing 4-3, scoring six consecutive points to establish a 9-4 advantage. The Knights continued to build their lead behind kills from
Ashlynn Hodges, Koudelka,
Lucy Maassen, Becker and Sash, along with a pair of blocks and a service ace. After Loras pulled within five, Wartburg closed the set with five unanswered points to secure a 25-15 win.
The second set featured a back-and-forth battle, with neither team able to establish a consistent advantage. Loras built a four-point lead midway through the set and eventually reached set point at 24-21. Wartburg responded with three consecutive points, highlighted by kills from
Brenna Baumgardner and Koudelka, to even the score. The teams continued to trade points before consecutive kills from Koudelka and Hodges sealed the 29-27 victory and gave the Knights a 2-0 match advantage.
Wartburg carried its momentum into the third set, using a five-point service run from
Peyton Robinson to turn a 6-5 deficit into an 11-6 lead. The Knights maintained the advantage behind timely kills and blocks, building a seven-point cushion at 19-12. Loras cut the margin to three, but Wartburg responded with kills from Hayungs and Maassen before closing out the match with a block from Becker and Maassen, a Robinson service ace and a final block from Hayungs to secure the 25-18 set win.
UP NEXT
Wartburg travels to Lincoln, Nebraska, to take on Nebraska Wesleyan University on Tuesday, Nov. 3, at 6 p.m.
