NORTHFIELD, Minn. -- The Wartburg College volleyball team split a pair of matches Saturday at the St. Olaf Invitational, earning a 3-0 sweep of St. Scholastica before falling to host St. Olaf in three sets. The Knights moved to 18-12 overall and 4-3 in American Rivers Conference play.
Wartburg opened the day with a straight-set victory over St. Scholastica (25-13, 25-22, 25-17), hitting .333 with 44 kills and 51 digs.
Ashlynn Hodges led the Knights with 13 kills on a .400 hitting percentage, while
Aspen Falk dished out 24 assists and
Peyton Robinson collected a team-high 16 digs.
McKenzie Becker added five kills on .400 hitting and led the team with four total blocks.
The Knights closed the day against host St. Olaf, falling 3-0 (25-16, 25-13, 25-23).
Kaylee Koudelka paced the Orange and Black with eight kills, while
Anna Sash added seven kills on a .333 hitting percentage. Falk recorded 18 assists, and Robinson finished with 13 digs and two service aces.
WARTBURG 3, ST. SCHOLASTICA 0
Wartburg controlled the opening set against St. Scholastica, using a four-point run behind
Gracie Hoskins' serve to establish an early 5-1 advantage. The Knights maintained separation throughout the set before closing on six consecutive points, including two kills from Hodges, to secure a 25-13 win.
The second set featured a tighter battle, with the Knights overcoming a pair of early deficits. After St. Scholastica held a 13-11 advantage, Wartburg responded to even the score before taking a 20-19 lead on a
Kaylee Koudelka kill. The Knights closed the set by winning four of the final five points, highlighted by consecutive kills from Hodges and
Lucy Maassen and a set-clinching kill from Becker for the 25-22 victory.
Wartburg carried its momentum into the third set, building an early 6-2 lead behind a block from Koudelka and
Anna Sash and a Hodges kill. The Knights continued to extend their advantage and finished the match with kills from Koudelka, Hodges and Becker, followed by a Sash service ace to take the set 25-17 and complete the sweep.
ST. OLAF 3, WARTBURG 0
Against St. Olaf, the Knights faced an early deficit in the opening set as the Oles scored the first five points. Wartburg worked to close the gap behind kills from Hodges, Sash and Koudelka, but St. Olaf maintained control and took the opening set 25-16.
The Oles built another early advantage in the second set, using a three-ace service run to move ahead 12-5. Wartburg responded by winning seven of the next eight points, with kills from Sash, Hodges and Falk helping cut the deficit to 16-13. St. Olaf answered with nine consecutive points to close the set 25-13.
The Knights put together their strongest stretch of the match in the third set, building an 11-6 advantage behind kills from Koudelka, Maassen and Sash. After St. Olaf rallied to take a 19-16 lead, Wartburg responded with a five-point run behind Robinson's serve, including kills from Koudelka and Sash, to move ahead 21-19. The Knights later regained a 23-21 advantage on a Maassen kill and Sash block, but the Oles scored the final four points to claim the set 25-23 and complete the sweep.
UP NEXT
Wartburg turns to Nebraska Wesleyan in the A-R-C Tournament First-Round mathcup inside Levick Arena on Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m.
