DUBUQUE, Iowa -- The Wartburg College volleyball team closed the Loras Invitational with a 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-17) sweep of Edgewood College Saturday at the Lillis Athletic and Wellness Center.
The Knights improved to 8-5 overall and held the Eagles to a .000 hitting percentage while recording a season-high 11 blocks. Wartburg also held an 11-5 advantage in blocks and reached 100 team service aces on the season. The Knights have swept their past five opponents - never lost a set at the Loras Invitational.Â
HOW IT HAPPENED
Wartburg opened the first set with a 2-0 lead before Edgewood moved ahead 5-4 on a service ace.
Ashlynn Hodges answered with a kill, sparking a six-point run that gave the Knights an 11-5 advantage.
Edgewood battled back to tie the set at 19-19, but Wartburg responded with a kill and service ace to regain the lead. The Knights closed the frame with a kill and two Edgewood errors to take the opener 25-22.
The Knights carried the momentum into the second set, building an 8-3 advantage behind a combination of kills and Edgewood errors. The Eagles rallied to take an 11-9 lead after three consecutive service aces and later extended the margin to 17-14. Wartburg answered with six straight points, including blocks and kills, to move back in front 20-17. After Edgewood tied the set at 20-20, the Knights regained the lead and reached set point on an Eagle service error before a Wartburg block sealed the 25-22 victory.
Wartburg controlled the third set after Edgewood tied the frame at 8-8. An attack error followed by four consecutive Knights points, including kills and blocks, pushed Wartburg ahead 13-8. The Knights continued to build their advantage, using a kill, block, Edgewood attack error and service ace to take a 17-9 lead. Wartburg later extended the margin to 20-11 before the Eagles trimmed the deficit to 21-15. The Knights responded with a kill and block before an Edgewood service error ended the match at 25-17.
Hodges led the Knights with 17 kills while hitting .412 and totaling 18 points.
Alexa Buhman recorded 28 assists, two service aces, six digs and two blocks.
Gracie Hoskins added 16 digs and a service ace, while
Anna Sash contributed five kills, four solo blocks and 10 points.
Wartburg reached 100 service aces on the season, recording four in Saturday's sweep. The Knights also recorded at least 50 digs for the second consecutive match.
UP NEXT
Wartburg returns home Tuesday, Sept. 22, hosting Grinnell College at 7 p.m. inside Levick Arena.
