DUBUQUE, Iowa -- The Wartburg College volleyball team saw its 2026 season come to a close Thursday night, falling in straight-sets (25-15, 25-22, 25-16) to the University of Dubuque in the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) Tournament Semifinals at the Stoltz Sports Center.
The Knights conclude their campaign with a 19-13 overall record, while the Spartans improve to 26-5 to advance to Saturday's championship match against Buena Vista University.Â
Dubuque connected at a .317 clip with 41 kills on the night, while Wartburg finished with 36 kills and a .125 hitting percentage.
Kaylee Koudelka paced the Knights' offense with 12 kills and three digs, marking her second consecutive match with double-digit kills.
Ashlynn Hodges added seven kills, five digs, and a pair of service aces. Setter
Aspen Falk directed the attack with 18 assists and six digs while converting her lone attack attempt; the performance pushed Falk past the 250-assist milestone for the season, finishing her year with 251. Defensively,
Peyton Robinson anchored the back row with a team-high 14 digs to go along with one assist.
Set 1: Dubuque 25, Wartburg 15
After Dubuque jumped out to a 4-0 lead behind an opening kill and three Wartburg attack errors, Koudelka sparked the Knights with back-to-back kills. Hodges and Koudelka kept the Orange and Black within striking distance at 6-4, and a
Kruiz Ewoldt kill later trimmed the deficit to 10-6. However, the Spartans answered with a decisive 6-0 run to create separation. Despite late kills from
McKenzie Becker,
Anna Sash, Koudelka, and Hodges—along with a Sash service ace—Dubuque closed out the opening frame, 25-15.
Set 2: Dubuque 25, Wartburg 22
The second set featured tight early action as Sash, Ewoldt, and Koudelka found the floor, and back-to-back kills from Hodges kept Wartburg within a point at 7-6. Dubuque eventually stretched its advantage to 17-11 before the Knights mounted a 4-0 surge—highlighted by an Ewoldt kill, a
Gracie Hoskins ace, and a Becker kill—to pull within two at 17-15. Wartburg continued to apply pressure late with kills from Sash, Koudelka, and Ewoldt, but the Spartans fended off the rally to secure the 25-22 win.
Set 3: Dubuque 25, Wartburg 16
Wartburg grabbed early momentum in the third frame, building a 6-3 lead behind consecutive service aces from Hodges and a Koudelka kill. Dubuque responded with five straight points to reclaim the lead, though an Ewoldt kill quickly brought the Knights back within one at 8-7. The Spartans utilized a mid-set surge to push the margin to 18-10. Wartburg countered with kills from Koudelka and
Keely Kauten to make it 18-13, and
Brenna Baumgardner added consecutive late kills, but Dubuque sealed the sweep with a 25-16 final.
NOTES
Wartburg holds a 46-36 series lead over Dubuque…the Knights are 11-9 in the postseason tournament since 2014...
