Wartburg College Athletics

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. -- The Wartburg College volleyball team (0-2 overall) faced two tough opponents during the IWU Classic, suffering a pair of 3-0 defeats against No. 8-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University and Aurora.

GAME ONE - NO. 8 IWU 3, WARTBURG 0
In the first match against Illinois Wesleyan, Wartburg fell by set scores of 14-25, 13-25, and 22-25. Wartburg was held to 26 kills and a .080 hitting percentage, compared to 38 kills and a .268 mark for Illinois Wesleyan. 

Kaylee Koudelka put down three early kills as Wartburg moved ahead 2-0, staying level with Illinois Wesleyan through an 8-8 tie, with Emma Liechti adding two kills. However, Illinois Wesleyan scored five straight points to lead 13-8 and extended their lead to 16-9. Wartburg narrowed the gap to 16-11, but Illinois Wesleyan ultimately took the set 25-14.

In the second set, after Anna Sash's kill tied the score at 1-1, Illinois Wesleyan surged ahead using kills and an ace to lead 5-1. A series of Wartburg points brought the score to 5-4, but Illinois Wesleyan maintained control, closing the set 25-13. 

The third set saw Wartburg fight back from an 11-6 deficit, drawing even at 18-18 before Illinois Wesleyan scored the final points to win 25-22. Ashlynn Hodges led Wartburg with seven kills, totaling 10 points, and added seven digs and two solo blocks. Alexa Buhman recorded a team-high 16 assists and nine digs, while Peyton Robinson finished with 14 digs and a service ace. 

GAME TWO - AURORA 3, WARTBURG 0
In their second match of the day, Wartburg again faced a challenging opponent in Aurora, suffering set scores of 23-25, 21-25, and 23-25. Despite recording 37 kills and eight total blocks, Wartburg was edged out by Aurora, which held a slight advantage in hitting percentage, .164 to .128, and digs, 53-50.

Wartburg began strong, taking the first two points with a Peyton Robinson service ace and an Aurora bad set, but Aurora quickly tied the match at 7-7. The teams battled closely, with Wartburg tying the score at 22-22 after a run of points, but Aurora closed out the set 25-23. 

In the second set, Wartburg initially led 3-0 but fell behind after a series of Aurora points, eventually losing the set 25-21. 

The Knights showed resilience in the third set, leading 21-18 before Aurora rallied to take the match 25-23. Brenna Baumgardner led Wartburg with nine kills and 10.5 points, while Robinson recorded a team-high 19 digs. Sash contributed seven kills on a .333 hitting percentage and four block assists, and Buhman posted a team-best 15 assists.

Wartburg will travel to Carthage, Wis., for the Carthage Invite this weekend, beginning with UW-Stevens Point at 5 p.m., on Friday, Sept. 4.