OMAHA, Neb. — RV Dakota Wesleyan University Volleyball kicked off its weekend at the College of St. Mary Labor Day Classic by facing two top-eight opponents.
The Tigers began their day of competition against the NAIA’s eighth-ranked team, the IU-Kokomo Cougars. DWU was up to the challenge against the top-10 squad, jumping out to a one-set lead in a blazing 25-17 victory. The offense would take an early lead thanks to the combined efforts of Lily Ranschau and Evy Knoblock, who would combine for 39 kills in four sets of competition. Both athletes would also record double-doubles on the day, with Ranschau tallying 19 kills and 16 digs and Knoblock putting up 20 kills and 12 digs. A dominant offensive performance in set one would carry over into the second set, but IU-Kokomo would match the Tigers with its own effective attack. The surging Cougars would trade leads with the Tigers, but a late defensive stand from DWU would give them a 2-0 lead over IU-Kokomo by a score of 25-23. The Cougars would claim set three by a score of 22-25 to stay alive, but the Tigers would be back in control of the match in the fourth frame. Kayleigh Hybertson would be the third DWU athlete to record a double-double on the day, but she would earn hers through assists, totaling 47 through four sets and recording 16 digs in the process. Set four would be the last of the contest, as DWU would claim a 25-21 victory over the eighth-ranked team in the country.
Dakota Wesleyan would follow up their monumental victory by facing off against the NAIA’s runner-up from the 2024 National Championship, the second-ranked Bellevue (Neb.) Bruins. The Bruins would prove to be an oppressive force for the Tigers as they would claim a 17-25 victory over DWU in the first set. DWU’s offense would be stalled by Bellevue, but the Tigers would still show fight, with Knoblock once again leading the team on the scoring front while Karly VanDerWerff would be a force at the net, tallying three blocks and 10 kills throughout the match. Elizabeth Tyler would lead the team defensively with 13 digs, but the Bruins would be able to capitalize on their scoring opportunities to win a much tighter second set, 23-25. Despite a final effort from the Tigers in the third set, the Bruins would ultimately pull out the match victory with a 20-25 set win.
The Tigers will continue their run in Omaha on Saturday, August 30th, as they square off against 10th-ranked Providence (Mont.) and RV Benedictine (Kan.) starting at 9:00 AM CST. See the full 2025 schedule here.