WAVERLY, Iowa — The Concordia University Wisconsin women's volleyball team battled through a busy Saturday at Levick Arena, opening the day with a dominant 3-0 sweep of Saint Mary's University (Minn.) before facing a tough Wartburg squad later in the afternoon.
Match One
The Falcons came out firing in the opening match, taking down Saint Mary's in straight sets, 25-22, 25-19, 25-20. CUW controlled the match from start to finish, earning its eighth victory of the season.
The opening set featured a back-and-forth battle early, but the Falcons found their rhythm midway through the frame. With the score tied at 8-8, CUW strung together a four-point run highlighted by a Samantha Thomas service ace and kills from Brianna Stewart and Kirsten Krause.
The Cardinals continued to battle, but CUW maintained its composure down the stretch and closed out the opening set, 25-22.
The Falcons carried that momentum into the second set. CUW steadily built its advantage before pulling away for a 25-19 victory.
The third set followed a similar script as the Falcons continued applying pressure at the net and from the service line. CUW finished off the sweep with a 25-20 third-set victory.
Defensively, Emy Miller recorded 10 digs, while Nickolai added 11. The Falcons also received strong defensive contributions from Thomas, who finished with eight digs.
The sweep gave CUW an early victory on the day and set the stage for a challenging afternoon matchup with Wartburg.
Match Two
The Falcons returned to Levick Arena later in the afternoon and squared off against Wartburg, with the Knights taking a 25-9, 25-21, 25-14 decision.
Wartburg jumped out to an early advantage in the opening set, but CUW continued to battle. The Falcons made a push late, putting together a three-point run that included kills from
Kaylee Hlinak and
Brianna Stewart, before the Knights closed out the set, 25-9.
CUW answered with its strongest offensive stretch of the match in the second set. The Falcons fought their way to 21 points, keeping pressure on Wartburg throughout the frame before the Knights ultimately claimed the set, 25-21.
Wartburg closed out the match with a 25-14 third-set victory.
Brianna Stewart paced the Falcons with four kills while hitting .444 and added two solo blocks. Kaylee Hlinak recorded four kills, while Bailey Bonde contributed four kills and three total blocks. Emily Dickmann posted a team-high 15 assists and added 10 digs.
The Falcons finished the match with five total blocks and 33 digs, continuing to battle defensively against a Wartburg attack that hit .337 for the match.
Despite the afternoon setback, CUW finishes the day with a split and an important NACC victory already secured this season, continuing its push through the 2026 campaign.
The Falcons will return Thursday, October 1 against Illinois Tech.
