WAVERLY, Iowa -- The Wartburg College volleyball team (19-12, 4-3 A-R-C) rallied from an opening-set setback to defeat Nebraska Wesleyan University (15-11, 3-4 A-R-C) in four sets in its American Rivers Conference Tournament opener on Tuesday night. After dropping the first frame 25-17, the Knights buckled down to take three consecutive tight sets by scores of 25-23, 25-23, and 25-20.
Ashlynn Hodges paced the Knights' attack with 15 kills, while adding five digs for 15.0 total points, and
Kaylee Koudelka chipped in 14 kills and eight digs to surpass her 8.1 season average.
Aspen Falk orchestrated the offense with a career-high 32 assists alongside 11 digs for a double-double, while
Peyton Robinson anchored the back row with 26 digs and two service aces for her second straight multi-ace match.
Anna Sash added three service aces, and
Kruiz Ewoldt notched her first solo block of the season as part of a season-high two total blocks, helping Wartburg record four team blocks to surpass the 200-block milestone for the 2026-27 season (202 total).
Set 1: Nebraska Wesleyan 25, Wartburg 17
Sash opened the match with a kill and an ace to give Wartburg an early 3-1 edge, but Nebraska Wesleyan quickly knotted the score at 3-3 and pulled ahead 7-4 behind a tough service run and a pair of Knights attack errors. Hodges halted the momentum with a kill, and
Lucy Maassen added three kills to help Wartburg trim the deficit from 10-5 to 12-8. Koudelka kept the Knights within striking distance with three kills in the frame, but Nebraska Wesleyan pulled away late, using a 7-1 stretch to build a 23-13 cushion.
Haedyn Rebelsky and Robinson sparked a brief late push with a kill and an ace before the Prairie Wolves closed out the set on a Wartburg service error.
Set 2: Wartburg 25, Nebraska Wesleyan 23
Facing a 13-9 deficit midway through the second set, Wartburg flipped the momentum by winning seven of the next eight rallies. Hodges fueled the surge with key kills, while
Leah Hayungs and
McKenzie Becker teamed up for a crucial block to put the Knights ahead 16-14. Becker followed with a kill to make it 17-15, and Sash and Koudelka helped push the lead to 21-18. Nebraska Wesleyan battled back to tie the frame at 21-21, but Hodges took over down the stretch, delivering the set-point kill at 24-22 and sealing the 25-23 victory..
Set 3: Wartburg 25, Nebraska Wesleyan 23
Trailing 8-7 early in the third, Hayungs tied the score with a kill to ignite a decisive 7-0 run. Falk served six straight points during the stretch as Ewoldt, Koudelka, and Sash all found the floor to give Wartburg a 14-8 advantage. Nebraska Wesleyan answered with four consecutive points to pull within 14-12, only for Hodges and back-to-back aces from Sash to restore an 18-14 Knights lead. The Prairie Wolves mounted one final push, utilizing a pair of late service aces to tie the set at 22-22. Wartburg stayed composed, closing out the 25-23 win on an Ewoldt kill, a set-point kill from Sash, and the clincher from Koudelka off a Robinson assist.
Set 4: Wartburg 25, Nebraska Wesleyan 20
Koudelka and Hodges staked the Knights to a 6-4 lead in the fourth set, and after Nebraska Wesleyan briefly edged ahead 8-7, Hayungs and Ewoldt steadied the ship. Wartburg steadily pulled away, using kills from Koudelka and Hodges alongside Prairie Wolves errors to build a 14-10 lead and extend it to 17-11. A Hayungs kill and a Robinson ace pushed the margin to 22-16 before Nebraska Wesleyan scored three straight to make it 22-19. A Prairie Wolves service error and two late kills by Ewoldt sealed the 25-20 set win and the match for the Knights.
UP NEXT
Fourth-seeded Wartburg will travel to Dubuque, Iowa on Thursday, November 12 to take on the top-seeded, and No. 16 nationally-ranked Spartans (25-5, 7-0 A-R-C) at 7 p.m. Dubuque will play its tournament-opening match after earning a first-round bye.
NOTES
Wartburg tallied its 19th win of the season, which records as the most since the 2021 season...Wartburg bested Nebraska Wesleyan for the second time this season…the Knights boast an 11-8 record in the A-R-C Tournament since 2014…Wartburg moves to 19-18-1 all-time against NWU…Robinson ranks No. 7 in the all-time career list with 1,758 digs…Sash jumps to No. 9 all-time in career solo blocks…Wartburg holds a 46-35 series lead over Dubuque…the Spartans claimed a four-set victory over the Knights on October 30…
CAREER DIGS
1. 3201 - Ashley Steines (537 sets) - 2004-07
2. 2695 - Katie Foster (465 sets) - 2017-21
3. 1951 - Marissa Shinstine (525 sets) - 2010-13
4. 1894 - Dia Dohlman (496 sets) - 2000-03
5. 1831 - Jamie Farley (524 sets) - 2012-15
6. 1774 - Ashley Rogers (536 sets) - 2004-07
7. 1758 – Peyton Robinson (435 sets) – 2023-2026
8. 1691 - Amy Kueker (492 sets) - 2000-03
9. 1521 - Channing Merchant (266 sets) - 2008-09
10. 1462 - Ranae Grafft (482 sets) - 2001-04
CAREER BLOCK SOLOS
1. 168 - Kylie Bildstein (458 sets) - 2017-21
2. 145 - Allison Feigenbaum (405 sets) - 2021-24
3. 143 - Andrea Wilt (428 sets) - 1991-94
4. 134 - Ashley Rogers (536 sets) - 2004-07
5. 132 - Sheena Treanor (477 sets) - 2003-06
6. 131 - Beth Warner (21 matches) - 1985-88
7. 128 - Kris Kuper (40 matches) - 1984-87
8. 113 - Bailey Wilson (519 sets) - 2011-14
9. 111 – Anna Sash (325 sets) – 2024-26
10. 106 - Jenni Donohue (432 sets) - 1997-00
