KENOSHA, Wis. -- The Wartburg College volleyball team (1-2 overall) completed the reverse sweep over the University Wis.-Stevens Point by set scores of 21-25, 20-25, 25-20, 25-21, 15-5 on Friday. After dropping the first two sets, the Knights won the final three and hit .421 with nine kills and one error in the fifth.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After trailing 3-2, the Knights moved in front 7-4 with help from an
Anna Sash service ace and three Wis.-Stevens Point attack errors. They pushed the lead to 12-7 on a
Kaylee Koudelka kill, but Wis.-Stevens Point answered with five straight points to tie the set at 12-12. Wartburg later reclaimed an 18-17 edge on an
Ashlynn Hodges kill, an
Aspen Falk ace, and a
Brenna Baumgardner kill before the teams traded points to 19-19. Wis.-Stevens Point scored the next four points and closed the set 25-21.
After Wartburg scored the first two points on kills by
Alexa Buhman and Baumgardner, Wis.-Stevens Point answered with four straight points for a 4-2 lead before the Knights moved back ahead 5-4 on Hodges kill and an attack error. The set remained within a point at 6-6, but Wis.-Stevens Point scored six of the next seven rallies to go in front 12-7 and later pushed the margin to 20-10. Wartburg cut into the deficit by taking seven of eight rallies from 20-10 to 21-17, getting contributions from Koudelka, Buhman,
Leah Hayungs, and
Emily Naughton. Hayungs added two late kills to bring Wartburg within 22-19, but Wis.-Stevens Point claimed three of the final four points to close the set 25-20.
After Wis.-Stevens Point went ahead 5-4, Hodges tied the set with a kill, and the Knights won the next three points to move in front 8-5 on another Hodges kill. Wis.-Stevens Point tied it at 8-8 and later went ahead 13-12, but Baumgardner answered with a kill before Wartburg moved back in front 14-13. With the set tied 14-14, the Knights scored six straight points to build a 20-14 lead. Wis.-Stevens Point cut the margin to 22-19, but Hodges put down a kill, and Wartburg closed the set 25-20 on a service error.
Koudelka tied the fourth set at 1-1 with a kill, and Buhman's serve helped the Knights score the next four points for a 5-1 lead. Wis.-Stevens Point came back to move in front 8-7, but Hodges tied it with a kill before Falk's ace and another Hodges kill put Wartburg back ahead 10-8. After an ace tied the set at 10-10, Wartburg answered with four straight points and later stretched the margin to 20-13. Wis.-Stevens Point scored six of the next seven points to get within 21-19, but the Knights closed out the set 25-21.
Sash had two kills and Koudelka added another as Wartburg scored the first three points of the fifth set, and the Knights stayed in front 5-2. Baumgardner put down consecutive kills before a Wis.-Stevens Point attack error made it 8-2. After the visitors got a point back, Koudelka's kill started a stretch that included a Wis.-Stevens Point attack error and an ace for a 12-3 lead. Naughton answered a service error with a kill for 13-4, and after Wis.-Stevens Point scored once more, Hodges put down a kill before Sash's block on the final point closed the set 15-5.
Hodges led the Knights with a career-high14 kills and 15.5 points, adding six digs and three block assists. Buhman finished with 31 assists, 16 digs, one service ace, and one block assist.
Gracie Hoskins collected 20 digs across five sets, marking a career-high total.
Peyton Robinson has recorded 19 or more digs in two consecutive games. Sash posted five total blocks, including two solo blocks, and added six kills.
Up next, the Wartburg volleyball team will see Centre College on Saturday, Sept. 5, at 10 a.m., followed by host Carthage at 2 p.m., in Kenosha, WI.Â
