SIOUX CITY, Iowa — RV Dakota Wesleyan Volleyball split matches on the first day of the Siouxland Invitational against the 11th-ranked McPherson Bulldogs and the Missouri Valley Vikings to move to 2-2 overall on the season.
The Tigers opened the day against McPherson, where they would quickly find themselves outpaced at the beginning of the contest. Evy Knoblock would get the offense jump-started with a flurry of kills and would total nine in three sets and would be set up nicely by Kayleigh Hybertson, who would finish the match with 14 total assists. Even as the Tigers continued to stand their ground, the Bulldogs would keep themselves at arm's length to take the first set by a score of 15-25. DWU would prevent McPherson from taking an early lead in the second set and would even take a couple of leads of their own, but a late surge from the Bulldogs would grant them an 18-25 win and put the Tigers at a two-set deficit in the match. An early scoring run in the third set from DWU would be shut down as McPherson would win the set 14-25, claiming the match victory in the process.
Dakota Wesleyan Volleyball would not be shaken by its opening contest, however, as the team would have a strong showing against Missouri Valley later in the afternoon. The Tigers would claim the first set by a score of 25-14 off the back of a well-rounded offensive performance that saw Knoblock, Lily Ranschau and Karly VanDerWerff at the forefront of the attack. DWU continued its momentum into the second set, jumping out to an 8-1 lead before MVC climbed back into contention. Even still, the Tigers would keep a comfortable lead and claim the second set by the same scoreline as the first. In set three, Missouri Valley would be the team to jump out to a quick lead, but Dakota Wesleyan would take advantage of scoring opportunities to claw back to just a deficit of three points (10-13) in the middle of the frame. Emily Dale would stand out as the match went on and led the team in kills alongside Ranschau with 11. The Vikings would extend their lead back to eight points before the Tigers could take full advantage, and while DWU mounted a comeback to bring the score within three, Missouri Valley would claim the third set, 21-25.
In the fourth set of the match and final set of the day, the Vikings and Tigers would trade points in a back-and-forth affair. DWU would pull away following a Missouri Valley timeout and extend their lead to six (21-15), and, despite a final push from the Vikings, the Tigers would grab their second match win of the season after a final score of 25-18. Defensively, both matches would be highlighted by Elizabeth Tyler, who would combine for a total of 32 digs between seven sets. Hybertson finished the day with 56 combined assists in two matches.
DWU Volleyball will continue its run at the Siouxland Invitational tomorrow as it takes on Rocky Mountain College on Saturday, August 23rd at 10:30 AM. See the full 2025 schedule here.
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