LORAS INVITE | Friday, Sept. 18 | Dubuque, Iowa
Wartburg vs Macalester | 5:00 p.m.
 
Wartburg vs Lawrence | 7:00 p.m. | Dubuque, Iowa
 
LORAS INVITE | Saturday, Sept. 19 | Dubuque, Iowa
Wartburg vs Edgewood | 1:00 p.m.

TOURNAMENT PROGRAM | COURT 1 LIVE STATS | COURT 2 LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO LINK
 
Tuesday, Sept. 22 | Waverly, Iowa
Wartburg vs Grinnell | 7:00 p.m.
WATCH | LIVE STATS
 
The Wartburg College volleyball team (5-5 overall) hits the road this weekend to take on the Loras Invitational, set for Friday, Sept. 18 and Saturday, Sept. 19 at the Lillis Athletic and Wellness Center in Dubuque, Iowa.

The Knights will first see Macalester College (4-5 overall) at 5 p.m., on Friday, followed by Lawrence University (5-4 overall) at 7 p.m.

Wartburg then meets Edgewood College (6-2 overall) on Saturday, before heading back home to face Grinnell College (3-5 overall) at 7 p.m., the following at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 22., at home.
 

Sept. 18
Time	Teams (Home Team First)	Court
5:00 PM 5:00 PM	Loras College vs. Lawrence University Macalester College vs. Wartburg College	1 2
7:00 PM	Loras College vs. Saint Mary's University (Minn.)	1
7:00 PM	Lawrence University vs. Wartburg College	2
Sept. 19
Time	Teams (Home Team First)	Court
11:00 AM	Loras College vs. Macalester College	1
11:00 PM	Edgewood College vs. North Central College (Ill.)	2
1:00 PM	North Central College (Ill.) vs. Macalester	1
1:00 PM	Wartburg College vs. Edgewood College	2

 
 
Head coach DeAnn Akins enters her second season at the helm of the Wartburg volleyball program after leading the Knights to a 15-12 overall record in 2025. Wartburg advanced to the first round of the American Rivers Conference Tournament, where its season ended with a 3-1 loss to third-seeded Simpson College.

The Knights return AVCA All-Region and All-Conference middle hitter Anna Sash, who paced the team with 259 kills and 122.0 blocks last season. Sash started all 27 matches and recorded 52 solo blocks, the third-most in a single season in program history.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Knights went 3-2 over the course of five matches last week, beginning with a hard-fought setback to the University of Wisconsin-Platteville (L, 3-1), on Wednesday, Sept. 9 inside Levick Arena. The Orange and Black stayed at home to host the Wartburg Invite on Friday and Saturday, winning the first match over the University of Wisconsin-Stout, 3-2. After another five-set drop to Gustavus Adolphus College, Wartburg picked up a pair of straight sweeps over Wheaton College and Bethany Lutheran College to sit at 5-5 overall on the season.
 
SO FAR THIS SEASON
Sophomore middle hitter Ashlynn Hodges leads in the kills category with a total of 126 this season, notching a double-double against Centre College back on Sept. 5, and a career-high 20 kills against Gustavus Adolphus last week.

Senior libero Peyton Robinson leads the Knights with 164 digs, as freshman Alexa Buhman has assisted on 332 of Wartburg's 448 kills this season, ranking No. 4 in the country in the total assists category.

Junior middle hitter Anna Sash has sent back 30 blocks this season to top the American Rivers Conference and rank No. 39 in Division III.

As a team, Wartburg ranks ninth nationally in total team digs (646), tenth in total attacks (1,384) and blocks (71.0), and 15th in total kills (448). Junior setter Aspen Falk has recorded 24 aces behind the service line to top the A-R-C, and No. 14 nationally.
 
SASH SECURES OFFENSIVE A-R-C POTW HONORS
 Anna Sash was named the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) Offensive Player of the Week, the league announced Monday.

Sash (Ankeny, Iowa/Ankeny Centennial) helped the Knights to three victories during a five-match week, including back-to-back wins over Wheaton College and Bethany Lutheran College to close out the Wartburg Invite on Sept. 12. The junior totaled 50 kills across five matches, averaging 2.50 kills per set, while adding 12 service aces and 75 points. Sash posted a match-high 15 kills and 20 points in Wartburg's victory over the University of Wisconsin-Stout on Sept. 11.

Sash also made an impact from the service line, recording a career-best six aces against Bethany Lutheran on Sept. 12. The performance accounted for half of her 12 aces during the week.

Defensively, Sash contributed 18 digs and 19 total blocks, including nine solo blocks, while adding two assists. Her 30 total blocks this season lead the A-R-C and rank 26th among NCAA Division III players.
 
MEET THE KNIGHTS
Wartburg returns 16 players from last season while welcoming two junior college transfers and nine incoming freshmen. The Knights feature four seniors in Peyton Robinson (Lisbon, Iowa), Alexa Melcher (Elk River, Minn.), Leah Hayungs (Orange City, Iowa), and Sophie Williams (Plainfield, Ill.). Wartburg adds a pair of junior college transfers in Emma Liechti (Ankeny, Iowa/Des Moines Area CC) and Emily Naughton (Raymond, Iowa/Kirkwood CC). Liechti appeared in 80 matches during her two-year career at DMACC, recording 410 kills at a .251 hitting percentage and 299 total blocks. The All-Region middle blocker joins the Knights after a decorated junior college career.

Naughton played in 44 matches as a middle hitter at Kirkwood, totaling 99 kills at a .280 hitting percentage, 51 digs and 82 blocks.

The Knights also welcome nine freshmen to the collegiate ranks: Alexa Buhman (Sumner, Iowa/Sumner-Fredericksburg), Rachel Borwick (Nevada, Iowa/Nevada), Brenna Baumgardner (Slater, Iowa/Ballard-Huxley), Keely Kauten (Dike, Iowa/Dike-New Hartford), Lucy Maassen (North Liberty, Iowa/Liberty), Karsyn Michael (Robins, Iowa/Linn-Mar), McKenzie Becker (Lincoln, Neb./Lincoln Pius X), Kruiz Ewoldt (Traer, Iowa/North Tama), and Lillian Frazer (Lime Springs, Iowa/Riceville).
 
SERIES HISTORY
Macalester: Wartburg owns a 10-1 all-time record dating back to 1989, and winners of its last two matchups. The two teams haven't met since the 2015 season, and the Knights' last loss to the Scots occurred during the 2004 season.

Lawrence: The two teams will meet for the first time on Friday.

Edgewood: Wartburg leads the all-time series 7-2, despite dropping two of its most recent matchups to Edgewood. The Knights' last victory over the Eagles dates back to 2017 (W, 3-0-).

Grinnell: The Knights have just dropped one match in 25 meetings against the Pioneers. Wartburg has won the last 11 matchups with its most recent loss coming in 1999 – the Knights have given up just six sets to the Pioneers during that time frame (12 total).
 
2025 SEASON RECAP
Wartburg averaged 16.2 digs, 11.3 kills, 10.4 assists, 2.1 aces and 1.9 blocks per set across 27 matches during the 2025 season. Kaylee Koudelka (Alleman, Iowa/North Polk) and Sash combined for 493 kills, while Robinson led the Knights with 470 digs and 44 service aces. Off the court, Wartburg earned its 12th consecutive AVCA Team Academic Award after posting a 3.61 cumulative grade-point average.
 
A-R-C PRESEASON POLL
1. University of Dubuque - 49 (7)
2. Central College - 37
3. Wartburg College - 32
4. Nebraska Wesleyan University - 31
T-5. Coe College - 27
T-5. Simpson College - 27
7. Loras College - 12
8. Buena Vista University -