NORTH SIOUX CITY, Iowa — No. 16 Dakota Wesleyan Volleyball competed in four matches across two days at the 2026 Siouxland Invitational at the CNOS Fieldhouse down in Iowa.
The Tigers opened the slate of competition against Corban (Ore.), who opened the season ranked fifth in the NAIA for women’s volleyball. DWU was able to come out strong, taking the first set by a score of 25-23 following a back-and-forth frame. Offensively, the Tigers were led by Evy Knoblock and Madisyn Grimsrud to the net, with both athletes accounting for 15 kills each. Corban was able to respond in the following set with a score of 25-20, which would subsequently swing the match fully in favor of the Warriors. The Tigers continued to battle against the highly-ranked squad out of Oregon, with Olivia Bures contributing to the offensive effort with five kills through four sets, while Abby Zegar posted 11 digs on the defensive side of things. Even with additional efforts, Dakota Wesleyan was not able to close the gap against Corban and would ultimately fall in the following two sets to take their first match loss of the 2026 season, 3-1.
Even with the hard-fought four-set loss, Dakota Wesleyan was able to refocus for the next three contests, collecting three consecutive sweeps in the process, bringing the team’s total to seven already this season. Friday evening saw DWU face Mayville State, where Karly VanDerWerff stepped in with offensive contributions, matching Knoblock’s total of 10 kills to help the Tigers keep control of the match through all three sets.
Saturday morning saw the Tigers face Nelson University (Tx.) and Valley City State (N.D.) in back-to-back contests. Even with the early match slots, Dakota Wesleyan was ready to play, securing two more match wins convincingly. Nelson was able to take DWU to extra points in the first set, but the Tigers were able to pull through thanks to the efforts of Keatyn Liebsack, who led the squad with 13 kills during the contest, alongside Knoblock and Grimsrud, who posted double-digit marks with 10 kills each. The Tigers claimed set two 25-20 and dominated in the third frame, wrapping up the match at a 25-13 scoreline.
Against Valley City State, the Tigers were able to keep up their pace and win the match in three sets by scores of 25-19, 25-23, and 25-17. Grimsrud led the offensive effort in the match with a team-leading 13 kills, with Knoblock posting seven, alongside VanDerWerff able to contribute seven as the Tigers rolled to a victory.
Throughout the four days of play, reigning Co-Defender-of-the-Year Lizzie Tyler amassed 74 total digs as she builds upon her status as the program’s all-time dig leader from the week prior. Back-to-back GPAC Setter-of-the-Year Kayleigh Hybertson led the assist effort with 152 over the course of DWU’s four matches from the weekend, making an early case to three-peat for conference honors. No. 16 DWU heads into the next week of play with a 7-1 overall match record.
DWU Volleyball will be back in action in Madison, South Dakota, as they play out-of-conference rivals Dakota State on Wednesday, August 26th.