MITCHELL, S.D. — RV Dakota Wesleyan Volleyball hosted the fourth-ranked Concordia (NE) Bulldogs at the Christen Family Athletic Center in a Saturday afternoon conference contest.
The Tigers and Bulldogs battled early in the first set, but it was Concordia that ended up with an initial advantage. The DWU counterattack was led by Karly VanDerWerff, who registered the team's only double-digit kill effort with 11 in total. Kayleigh Hybertson led the team in assists as the Tigers' setter, registering 29 through three sets to give the offense scoring opportunities. Dakota Wesleyan found some points in the middle of the first set, but the Bulldogs ultimately pulled away convincingly, securing a 25-15 win to go up 1-0 on the Tigers.
Dakota Wesleyan quickly recovered from the loss in the first set, putting up a much more competitive second frame. The offense found production from Emily Dale and Evy Knoblock, who each contributed eight kills apiece. Defensively, Elizabeth Tyler put up 21 digs in an impressive defensive performance, being able to react and fend off a lot of the attacks that the Bulldogs sent her way. Even still, the Tigers and Bulldogs continued to trade blows as the set came to a close. Dakota Wesleyan kept closing the gap to one or two points, but Concordia had just enough momentum to keep the Tigers at bay, claiming set two by a score of 25-22.
The third set saw Concordia jump out to a quick lead to continue their impressive run, but the Tigers found life through a run of kills from Dale and Knoblock. Dakota Wesleyan's momentum was short-lived, however, as Concordia continued to produce on offense, ultimately handing the Tigers a 25-17 loss in the final set. The Tigers move to 13-9 overall on the season, and a 7-5 GPAC record, which puts them fifth in the conference standings.
DWU Volleyball will be back in action at Waldorf on Wednesday, October 22nd, at 7:30 PM. See the full 2025 schedule here.